Raymond R. Wiss, who served as NJSBA president from 2010 through 2012, and served for 26 years as a local board of education member in the Old Tappan and Northern Valley Regional districts, was honored with the prestigious New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards for Public Service on June 6.
The awards recognize extraordinary volunteer service in a variety of categories. According to the organization, honorees “achieve measureable community impact and represent outstanding acts of public service, without the expectation of recognition or compensation. Recipients demonstrate unique vision, dedication and tenacity of heroic proportion and serve as inspiration for others. “
One of 24 award winners, out of more than 500 nominated, Wiss was honored as the “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Champion for Justice,” which recognizes those who continue the legacy of Dr. King through their work to promote Dr. King’s message of civil rights, justice for all, peace and non-violence in our communities and our state. “
Wiss, an attorney who is a managing member of the Wiss & Bouregy law firm, also served as a leader of the Bergen County School Boards Association, a trustee for both the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Assocaition and the New Jersey Schools Insurance Group, and was mayor of the Borough of Old Tappan from 1996 to 2000. He currently serves as a trustee of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey (ELFNJ).
“I know that all of our board members join me in congratulating Ray Wiss on this singular honor,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. “His service and his leadership on his local board, the county association and the statewide association have been an inspiration, and have helped improve the lives of New Jersey’s schoolchildren. We are pleased that his hard work and dedication have been recognized in this way.”