Dr. William Librera
The New Jersey Senate recently confirmed Dr. William L. Librera as the new commissioner of education.
Librera, 55, brings with him more than 30 years’ experience as a New Jersey teacher, principal and superintendent of schools.
"I am honored to serve a governor that is committed to making educational excellence the cornerstone of his administration," said Librera.
"I look forward to spearheading the governor’s initiatives to guarantee every child is able to read by the third grade, to create greater opportunities for our school children, and to instill accountability in our classrooms," he continued.
Librera most recently served as an associate professor in the educational leadership department at New Jersey City University and as president of Educational Nexus, a consulting firm where he advised school districts on issues such as early childhood and special education.
He also served as superintendent of schools in Montclair, Bernardsville and Allamuchy.
While at Montclair, he developed policy guidelines for racial and gender composition in classrooms, and created a community-based early childhood program.
At Allamuchy, he developed alternatives to existing early-childhood education programs, improved technology usage, implemented block scheduling, and worked to provide students with school choice.
A resident of Denville, Librera received his doctorate of education and master’s of education from Rutgers University, and his master’s of arts in history and bachelor of science from the University of Vermont.