Thomas (Tom) Lewis

• Franklin resident since 1986
• BS. Degree Business Administration Monmouth College
• Served on Lakewood Townhouse Board, Franklin Soccer Board, Bergen County Vo-Tech and the Executive Board of the Illuminating Engineering Society
• Former coach of Franklin Township Soccer Club, Monmouth College, and Shore Regional High School
• NJSIAA Certified Official
• Franklin Soccer Coach 9 years
• Member Franklin Township Public Schools Athletics Ad-Hoc Committee
• Proud parent of two children one in Franklin High School the other a recent graduate

     My wife Jean and I, have lived in Somerset for almost 25 years. We are the proud parents of two daughters. We fell in love with the town and have moved within Somerset several times. My older daughter went through our public school system and is now a Rutgers student and our younger daughter is a junior at the High School. I am a New Jersey native and I grew up here in Somerset County and I went to Monmouth College, where I received a B.S Degree in Business.

 

     Professionally, I have been in electrical and lighting sales, working for manufacturers selling products through distributors. In this capacity, I have honed not only my business management skills, but also my relationship skills. Communicating effectively and sharing information are just two of these skills that I would like to bring to the Board of Education in Franklin Township.

     My volunteer work has included many years experience serving on a variety of boards. I was on the Franklin Township Soccer Club Board, the Lakewood Townhouse Board, and professionally, the Board of the Illumination Engineering Society. It has always been very important to me to give back to my community. When my girls were playing soccer with the FTSC, I coached them and their teams for 10 years. Because running helped pay for my college education, I felt an obligation to give back to the community and became an NJSIAA certified official, and volunteered my services at Bernards High School and Shore Regional High School. For the last three years I have been helping the athletic department here at Franklin High School. I am running for the board to help make sure that our students are all prepared for the next step in life after high school.

 

     It was in college that I found my passion was helping others, especially children. I learned early on that kids don’t care how much you know, they know how much you care. If you ask the students that I have coached or their parents, I know they would say I treated their son or daughter like my own. One of the primary roles of a School Board Member is to be an advocate and speak for the students; no one will take that role more seriously than me. As a board member I will look after the best interests of all the students and I believe that I will have a positive impact on the educational environment of the students, staff and community.