By Ed Birch, Special Writer
The South Brunswick Commission on Women presented its 16th annual Women’s Leadership Conference and Career Pathways event Saturday at South Brunswick High School. The conference drew approximately 400 area women, according to organizers.
The Commission was formed by then Mayor Debra Johnson in 1999 for the purpose of promoting leadership skills in the township’s high school women’s community. In addition, the Commission’s work also includes domestic violence awareness. Members of the commission are appointed by the mayor.
According to organizers, the goal of the conference is to bring young women and adults and together with a variety of leaders in the community to encourage future leadership roles for women via networking and learning.
The Keynote Speaker was Susan Miller, Assistant Vice President of Physical Logistics for L’Oreal USA, located in South Brunswick. Participants commented that they were impressed with the management role that Ms. Miller plays at this major corporation.
Scholarship recipients this year included SBHS students Brianna Dutton and Tessa Trach. The newly named Ellen Gambatese Memorial Award, presented to a person who has provided excellent service to the community to advance the promotion of young women, was presented to Karen Bertucci, Assistant to Elaine McGrath, Athletic Director, at the high school.
The award is named after the late Ellen Gambatese, a staunch community activist and wife of Mayor Frank Gambatese, who passed away unexpectedly in November.
Participants also had the opportunity to attend two out of 10 scheduled workshops offered in the program. The morning and afternoon workshops included; Rape/Sexual Harassment Prevention, Early Education, Communication/Journalism, High School and Beyond, Law Enforcement, Owning Your Own Business, Pharmacy, Economics/Accounting, Computer Technologies, Health and Legal Professions, and Visual Art and Design.
In addition, all participants received a gift bag with many items provided by local businesses in the area.
Members of the commission include; Atiya Aftab, Bratrice Alexander, Denise Avrutik, Zahra Bukhari, Paurl Daphtary, Margit Haas-Rethage, Ramamani Ramaraj, Janine Rosario, Pooja Shroff, and Board of Education Vice President Deborah Taylor.

