As a high school student, she wrote for a local newspaper in Sewickley, PA. There, she wrote features on zoning meetings and other local government meetings. “I knew the importance of being involved and paying attention to what happens locally,” she says. After high school, she received her bachelor’s in English language and literature from Pennsylvania State University, and eventually moved to New Jersey.

After moving to New Jersey, Mundell became the associate director of University and Community Relations at �鶹��ý����. Taking advantage of the tuition benefit offered to employees, she worked full-time while earning her master’s in English. Her thesis, Burning Down the House: Reclaiming Homeplace in Gloria Naylor’s Linden Hills and Mama Day, examined the influence of geographic places and power structures on the development of individuals and communities.

Her education at �鶹��ý���� gave her the abilities to become a critical thinker and thoughtful communicator. “Humans understand the world in narratives,” she explains. “So that has helped me along the way, to be able to synthesize what I hear from other people and then turn that back to them to find solutions.”

She used these skills to build a career in relationship building. After working in higher education, Mundell transitioned to the healthcare industry. Mundell advanced at RWJBarnabas Health and is now vice president of development for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

While growing a career as a development professional, Mundell held community leadership roles in Bloomfield Township. In 2017, she was appointed to the Township Council. The mayor at the time asked her if she would consider running to be the 1st Ward councilwoman. “I gave it some thought, talked to my husband, and it felt like a good thing to do,” she recollects. “My predecessor at the time stepped down from his seat early, so I was appointed to fill his vacancy.”

When the former mayor decided to run for State Assembly, he asked Mundell if she would consider running for the post. “We had made all this progress together,” she says. “And I know for him, it was really important to leave it in good hands…somebody that would keep that momentum moving. And so he asked me to consider running [for mayor]. And again, I went back to my husband,” she says with a chuckle. “We had the conversation, talked about what that would mean for us and decided that, yes, it was something that I was interested in, because I think I was the best choice to continue to move things forward.”

Mundell won the election this past November, but doesn’t see her gender as the main story. “I’m not here because I’m a woman, but that I am a woman could inspire someone else to try something that they didn’t feel like they fit in the space for,” she says. In her short time as mayor, she recruited more than 70 dedicated volunteers to serve on committees in town and created new committees to increase community involvement, demolished the town’s old DPW building (a 20-year eyesore), facilitated repairs to the roof of the adult library, creatively financed the renovations to the township’s much beloved children’s library without the township taking on new debt and launched senior programming for retired community members.

When contemplating how her time as an English graduate student at �鶹��ý���� has prepared her for roles in development and as mayor, she emphasizes the transferable skills learned. “Education prepares you for anything,” she reflects. “English majors will save the world – our minds are open to different things.”

For current students, Mundell advises to explore and seize opportunities for growth. “Take advantage of all of it. You’ll never have another time in your life where you will explore and learn things at the pace you want,” she urges. Her career trajectory evolved because of her willingness to try new things. “Take every opportunity that presents itself,” she says. “I worked at �鶹��ý���� and had the opportunity to further my education, so I took that. I was approached for the town council, I said yes. I was approached to run for mayor, I said yes.”

Since graduating, Mundell has stayed connected to �鶹��ý���� as a guest speaker, neighbor and recently, as a member of the President’s Advisory Board for the Bloomfield College integration. She enjoys speaking to students about how an education from �鶹��ý���� prepares a student for anything. “I have a graduate degree in English, but I don’t teach, I work in health care. You can study literature, you can study liberal arts, and you could become a mayor.”

She encourages students of any background or major to think about careers in public service and get involved in their local communities. Mundell suggests reaching out to local elected officials to build relationships and attending town meetings and events. By being present, students can get inspired to see how they might contribute, and how they can create their own story.

“I’ve always believed that you have the power to make change where you live.”

Tuesday, March 18, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Presentation Hall, School of Communication and Media

Featured Panelists

• Reggie Bledsoe (he/him), BA Political Science and Law
• Mael Finck (he/him), BA ’17, MA ’20, French Studies
• Damien Alan Lopez (he/they), BS ’20 Nutrition and Food Sciences
• Mark Paretti (he/him), MA ’17 Law and Governance

Moderated by (they/them/she/her), Assistant Professor, Political Science and Law

In memory of Ashton Clatterbuck, 2001-2024

This event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

“It’s definitely a great place to start, but hopefully it’s not where we stop,” says Farrah Fornarotto, a junior majoring in Anthropology, with minors in Archaeology and the new Native American and Indigenous Studies. “There’s a lot to tackle.”

The challenges date back decades. Munsee Three Sisters Farm provides traditional food for the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lunaape (Lenape) Nation, a tribe that can no longer safely farm its own land in Upper Ringwood, New Jersey. Environmental and health issues caused by industrial dumping have led to a generational decline in the Turtle Clan members’ ability to practice their culture, including the Munsee language, which is at risk of becoming as dormant as the winter fields.

An intensive, field-based partnership with the Turtle Clan Ramapough includes work at the Munsee Three Sisters Farm, where �鶹��ý���� students and professors are helping the tribe’s Indigenous food sovereignty and language revitalization efforts.

A key aspect of �鶹��ý����’s contributions are organizing the tribe’s records and documents related to the industrial dumping on ancestral land. Students are at work to help gather the scientific evidence documented at the Superfund site, the health impact and oral histories from eyewitnesses, and with University resources, creating a single, digitally accessible repository for future researchers and the tribal members who continue to fight for proper cleanup of the land.

More than 300 pages of newspaper articles detailing the dumping of toxic paint sludge from a Ford Motor Co. factory have been indexed by students. “My students are going through and creating a table of contents identifying the names [of key players], the toxic chemicals listed in reports, physical sites that are listed, agencies that are listed, and creating a searchable tool for that whole collection of news articles,” says Mark Clatterbuck, associate professor of Religion and co-director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies program.

�鶹��ý���� students taking part in the class projects say they share a commitment for helping Indigenous communities. Jala Best, a senior Psychology major, says her drive comes from her experiences as an Afro-Indigenous woman.

“Oftentimes the issues of Native communities are ignored or Native people are spoken about in the past tense, like we are not still living, breathing, surviving and fighting for justice …. You can’t even conceptualize that there are atrocities happening today because you believe that it’s a thing of the past,” Best says.

Mark Clatterbuck, right, oversees the garden signage with students Camille Howard, Julia Rodano and Farrah Fornarotto. “It’s the small things that build up, and eventually over time, the Turtle Clan’s language will be more visible to them and also to the public,” Fornarotto says.

�鶹��ý���� has initiated a field-based partnership with Turtle Clan Chief Vincent Mann of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation. The University support includes students working directly with the tribe on food sovereignty, the language revitalization effort and ongoing environmental concerns as part of �鶹��ý����’s new minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies.

“The issues and the challenges of the Turtle Clan, they’re huge, they’re varied and there’s no shortage of them,” says Clatterbuck.

The program is closely tied to the University’s Land Acknowledgement Statement. Clatterbuck, along with History Professor Elspeth Martini and Anthropology Professor Chris Matthews consulted with New Jersey’s three state-recognized tribal nations – the Ramapough Lenape, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape and Powhatan Renape – in drafting the statement, and also considered how it could represent a commitment from �鶹��ý���� to working with and for their communities.

“It’s not just about making some sort of historical reference. It’s really about saying, ‘What is our responsibility to those communities?’” Clatterbuck says.

Mark Clatterbuck, associate professor of Religion and co-director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies program, constructs signage as part of the field work helping promote the preservation of Native American land and culture.

The program is intentionally community-engaged, hands-on and focused on problem-solving, including finding creative ways to support community-driven language revitalization and environmental recovery. “The Ramapough understand that part of their healing and survival is really dependent on recovering key aspects of their cultural ways,” Clatterbuck says. “Language is on par with restoring foodways and their access to clean water, land and air.”

Munsee language expert, Nikole Pecore, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Nation in Wisconsin, has guided �鶹��ý���� students studying Linguistic Anthropology in building a digital repository of instructional materials that will be used to train new Munsee teachers and support community learners.

“We’re looking at language as a key to culture, to bringing back Munsee speaking cultures, as well as other Lenape languages belonging to original peoples in the state of New Jersey,” says Associate Anthropology Professor Maisa Taha.

Work on the farm also includes students preparing the fields and helping deliver the organic, healthy, medicinal healing crops to the community. “It’s doing the nitty-gritty work with local communities and following their lead,” Clatterbuck says.

Meryem Teke, a senior Religion major, paints a garden sign at the Munsee Three Sisters Farm. The work is among the creative ways �鶹��ý���� is supporting the Turtle Clan’s language revitalization and environmental recovery.

“It might be challenging to figure out how all of these different pieces fit together. But the fact of the matter is they are all intimately connected,” Taha says. “You can’t have language without culture. You can’t have culture without tribal sovereignty. You can’t have tribal sovereignty without environmental justice. What we’re bringing to our students and frankly, to ourselves as well, is this huge opportunity to work with our tribal partners in trying to understand those connections and come up with reasonable, impactful solutions that will serve them for years to come.”

Clatterbuck adds, “We’re all passionate about this on a personal level, and we see this as a matter of justice and addressing – you hear the buzzword ‘decolonization’ thrown around a lot – but as far as I’m concerned, this is what that work looks like. It’s messy, and it’s trial and error, and we’re figuring all this out as we go. But that is the work.”

Photo Gallery

�鶹��ý����’s new minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies is focusing on issues of indigenous sovereignty, cultural revitalization, environmental justice and language reclamation. Some of the field work is happening at the Munsee Three Sisters Medicinal Farm in Newtown, New Jersey.

�鶹��ý���� students have created signage for the Three Sisters Farm in the Munsee language. The illustrations will help tribal members as well as visitors to the farm visually connect the pictures and actual plants with the Munsee word. Efforts are also underway to create audio files so that learners can hear those words when accessed by QR codes added to the signs.

A rooster at Munsee Three Sisters Farm.

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren. Photos by John J. LaRosa.

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Taslim says that it was her former creative writing professor, John Hodges, who influenced her to start telling stories about her heritage after he questioned its minimal appearance in her work.

“When I first wrote a story to submit to the class that included Bangladeshi culture, it felt as if something finally clicked into place….I found a renewed connection to my culture,” Taslim explained.

Not only did �鶹��ý���� help her realize the importance of her identity and sharing it with others, the university also helped her with handling critique and using it to construct better narratives.

“My time at �鶹��ý���� taught me many things about embracing my creativity and made me a better, braver writer.”

The �鶹��ý���� Public Library and AAPI �鶹��ý���� hosted a reading, discussion and book signing with Taslim on for the launch of The Love Match.

Story by Donaelle Benoit

For Carmela and many graduates like her, �鶹��ý���� has always been and continues to be an important point of reference for Italian teacher training (via the and an M.A.T., new for 2023) and professional development at the annual Teaching Italian Symposium, the new Language, Business and Culture BA/MBA program, innovation in curriculum (courses in Fairytales, Italian for Spanish Speakers, Translation for Tourism & Cultural Promotion and more), exciting student research, scholarship and internship opportunities and cultural programming open to students and the community through the Inserra Chair and the Coccia Institute.

The students from Scotch Plains – Fanwood High School met Drs. Antenos and Trubiano for a short introduction to the Italian Program, took a guided tour of the campus by a �鶹��ý���� student ambassador, and then joined Dr. Antenos’ Italian Conversation class focusing on the Mediterranean diet and sustainability issues.

During the introductory presentation, Dr. Antenos reminded the students that with 65 Italian companies in New Jersey, the garden state is an “Italy outside Italy,” also thanks to the 18% of New Jerseyans who trace their linguistic and cultural heritage back to Italy. Students can benefit from the training they receive in the LBC and Italian majors, get an internship and/or study abroad and then work for an Italian company, in a seamless transition from school to work. �鶹��ý���� Italian graduates are well equipped to translate Italian commercial and cultural innovations for a plurilingual customer base; indeed, the intercultural communicative competence that they learn and practice is a distinguishing feature of all �鶹��ý���� offerings in world languages and is closely aligned with recommendations – highlighting communication skills – for professional success by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The high school students mingled with and worked collaboratively with Italian students in Dr. Antenos’ Italian Conversation (ITAL 309) class. “Scotch Plains students crashed my class without trepidation, connecting with Italian majors and minors who are testaments of what they too can achieve with continued study of language and culture,” declared Dr. Antenos. “Participating in an interactive university lesson deepened their understanding of complex iconic cultural symbols like food, and opened up important conversations about nutrition, the environment, and racism.” Indeed, the Language, Business and Culture and Italian majors prepare students to converse and work in languages other than English since it is crucial to be able to translate and localize concepts, designs and products, and also to be able to meet users and practitioners in the languages in which they live, create and work.

Looking back on their visit to �鶹��ý����, Scotch Plains – Fanwood Italian teacher Mrs. Lambert said: “I have taken many trips with students in the past 20 years, this has been the most rewarding for me as an educator. The students were truly grateful to see a glimpse of what to expect in a college level class next year. Most importantly they were in awe of the possibilities of using their Italian studies in the future.”

Another way for high school students to get a taste of the MSU Experience is through the accelerated Italian summer course, now in its 5^th year.

“My career is still developing, and I look forward to the possibilities that the future holds,” she says. “This role is so fulfilling because I know that I am making a long-lasting difference.”

Muhammad is a great example of how the connections students establish can result in big post-graduation opportunities. During her senior at �鶹��ý����, she wrote a letter to Assemblywoman Timberlake, then president of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, in which she expressed her interest in learning more about local government. To her surprise, she received a call from the freeholder president’s office and was invited to come in to meet with her.

Muhammad was soon offered an internship at the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders’ office and “gained a mentor” in Assemblywoman Timberlake. Eager to learn more about the field of law and government, she would come into the office on her days off to gain a greater understanding of the field.

“I would come to the office every week to learn about the different policies, complete administrative tasks and conduct research,” Muhammad says. “I networked with others and was not afraid to ask questions.”

Her hard work payed off as she was offered a position upon graduating from �鶹��ý����. She started her career as a legislative aide before being promoted to public information officer.

“My experiences at �鶹��ý���� helped me become the person I am today,” she says. As a Red Hawk, Muhammad learned about the importance of hard work, responsibility and networking. After taking various courses in her field, she realized how important it was for her to apply what she learned in class to aspects of her life.

�鶹��ý���� was not an unfamiliar campus to Muhammad as her mother, Kenya Couch ’95, was once a student at the same institution. With an interest in both Child Advocacy and Policy and Political Science, Muhammad decided to major in both fields.

Being a double major didn’t stop her from being involved in various extracurricular activities. She worked as a service assistant for Residence Life and as a resident assistant in Sam Mills Hall of Machuga Heights. In addition to these roles, she was also a member of the executive board for Golden Key International Honor Society, the American Red Cross, and the Complexions Band Dance Team. In 2016, Muhammed was recognized for her hard work in Residence Life as she was awarded the Raymond Stover Leadership Award. After graduating from �鶹��ý����, Muhammad continued her education by earning a master’s degree in Political Science from Rutgers University – Newark.

Muhammad is not only thankful for the education she received at �鶹��ý���� but also for the professors she met along the way. She recalls two professors that influenced both her academic and professional career.

For Muhammad, Dr. Saundra Collins’ courses and her teaching style are unforgettable and unmatched. “I remember running into her at an event, and she quizzed me on questions about the coursework just to see if I still remembered,” she says. “How could I not.”

Professor Avram Segall led her Political Science and Pre-Law internship course and became a great mentor who always encouraged her to never give up. An assigned reading project by Professor Segal, titled My Beloved World, changed her life and the way she viewed women in leadership. “I’m very grateful to him for assigning that life-changing book,” she says.

Reflecting on her experiences as a student and the career opportunities that came her way after graduation, Muhammad wishes to give students one simple but important piece of advice: “Never give up and always dream big.”

Lester Taylor ’97 welcomes a challenge. On the road to becoming the 13th mayor of East Orange, New Jersey, he defeated a four-term incumbent in the primary, for a job that presents plenty of challenges of its own.

A densely populated city within four square miles wedged between Newark, Bloomfield, Orange and South Orange, East Orange has long struggled with high crime rates, low-performing schools and blight.

So Taylor has focused on cleaning up the city, making education a priority and capitalizing on its urban-suburban location and easy access to New York City.

He is doing this, in part, through a number of initiatives spearheaded by the new multi-departmental collaborative Quality of Life Taskforce he established within a few months of becoming mayor. One such measure incentivizes owners to clean up more than 700 of the city’s abandoned or neglected properties. “A clean city is a safe city,” he insists. “And a safe city is a profitable city.”

Taylor’s administration is dedicated to transformational change. “I want to bring everyone together,” he says.

It appears to be working. According to nj.com, shootings in East Orange decreased by 25 percent and violent crime decreased by five percent in 2014. Education is improving with programs such as the East Orange College and Career Readiness Network, which prepares teens for college and careers. And East Orange is among the first in the nation to enact a paid sick-leave ordinance.

Taylor is passionate about the city where he and his wife are raising three children. “I’ve assembled a dynamic team who share my vision of setting a standard of excellence for East Orange and turning it into a destination city,” he says. “East Orange is ideal for commuters and families who want the best of both worlds in terms of urban living with a suburban feel.”

His interest in politics and education was nurtured at �鶹��ý����, where he majored in political science, played football and was an undergraduate Admissions Ambassador. He went on to law school at Howard University.

Taylor is a partner at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader, where he built a thriving educational law practice. “I’m not an educator, yet my advice has impacted people’s lives on a day-to-day basis,” he notes.

As a mayor, Taylor also overhauled the city’s dysfunctional and scandal-ridden water commission and restored the city’s 18-hole golf course in Short Hills. Although he hopes to create a meaningful legacy with projects like these, he says he would most like to be remembered for his honor, integrity and respect for his office. “I want my kids to be proud of me.”

While Taylor intends to run for reelection, his name has lately been floated as a prospective candidate for lieutenant governor or even governor. “I’m open to opportunities as they present themselves,” says Taylor, adding that he’s honored and flattered by the idea.

In the meantime, his focus is clear: “I want to be the best mayor I can be.”

Q: What role did �鶹��ý���� play in your career path?
A: I knew that finishing my college education was a prerequisite to any career in teaching or business. My goal at �鶹��ý���� was to get great grades, be involved in activities and position myself to be hired by someone. I was a psychology and social studies ed major, but there were few teaching jobs when I graduated. So I pursued a career in personnel—or human resources. There were no resources available to students back then to get us started on careers. I had to figure it out myself.

Q: What is the single most important factor in your career success?
A: Finding mentors who were willing to help me is what made all the difference. Financial services was a man’s world—there were no women mentors then. You needed men to stand behind and support you. I was enormously lucky—my bosses mentored me throughout my career.

Q: Are you a mentor?
A: I serve purposefully as a mentor for women—and men. I believe that women have to help women. A lot of younger women are unduly optimistic and think everything has changed. It hasn’t. Things are better, but they aren’t fixed yet.

Q: Did you have to work harder than your male counterparts to succeed on Wall Street?
A: We all worked hard, but women had to work harder at making the men feel comfortable that we could handle the same work. Back in 1983, very few women were working in the financial services business and those of us who were pioneers had to convince people we could do it. Men assumed that even if they invested in training women, the women would marry and leave to have kids. Once we were given the chance to compete, we proved we were capable and were given more opportunities.

Q: How do you juggle career and personal life?
A: I never married and I don’t have children, so I never had to make those choices. That being said, it’s not so easy to be single and manage a career either. I’ve still had to manage friends and family relationships. I had to make sure that I had a life outside of work so that I wouldn’t be consumed by it. Life is complicated: it needs managing and everyone has to make choices to do that.

Q: Is it easier for women to succeed on Wall Street today?
A: Without question, it’s easier, but there are still very few women in senior positions on the Street, so there is more work to be done. I’m on the NASDAQ Nominating and Governance Committee and hope to introduce more women candidates to the board. It’s odd to look up in executive session and see I’m the only woman at the table.

Q: How should young people go about building careers?
A: Career paths are no longer linear, so it’s really important to identify your goals and develop action plans to achieve them. Do you want to make a lot of money? Be the president of a company? Find a cure for cancer? Have a family? You’re the only person who can design your life.

At �鶹��ý���� I met knowledgeable teachers who didn’t just give me pat answers to what I was seeking. They gave me more questions, expanding my mind way beyond what I started with. Many people asked what I plan on doing with my Religious Studies degree. I am in fact using my degree as I teach yoga, meditation, Buddhism, and mindful living.

I own and operate Live Free Yoga Studio in River Edge, New Jersey, and am releasing my second book on meditation called, Your Life IS Meditation: Buddhist-Inspired Stories and Reflections, (November 2015). My first book, Be Your Sh*tty Self: An Honest Approach to a More Peaceful Life, was a number one Amazon best-seller in Meditation, and much of my writing has been published on popular yoga blogs and websites.

Earning a degree in Religion at MSU can help you transform your life. I would recommend this program for anyone and everyone, regardless of your religious stance.

Here is what he had to say about the �鶹��ý���� experience in a message from 2015:

“I studied at �鶹��ý���� along with both of my brothers. As a student, I took advantage of the campus activities, clubs, and opportunities, and was lucky enough to study abroad in Nice and Chambery over the summer. Before graduating, I also had the opportunity to do an internship at the International Institute of New Jersey working with French speaking asylum speakers. After graduating, I left to complete my Masters degree in Brussels – the capital of Europe. Studying in Brussels helped me build the research and analytical skills that I developed at �鶹��ý����. In this Northern European city, I also had the opportunity to (re)connect with my Italian roots – I quickly got involved in the Italian community and had the opportunity to meet family in different parts of Europe.

Upon completion of my Masters, with merit, I worked in a migrants’ rights organization, a NGO working in the field of public health, and a network of public authorities working on health inequalities. These experiences allowed me to gain insight in to the European Union decision-making process, and the policy design and implementation process. Working for European networks, I have had the opportunity to travel to Germany, Austria, Greece, Latvia, Romania, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal as well as Taiwan.

Keeping up with the Red Hawk spirit, I became involved in young professional networks, such as Young Ambassador Society in Italy, the Young European Health Forum Gastein, Young European Leadership, and the One Campaign Youth Ambassadors program.  Through these experiences, I got to work with Italian students on recommendations for the G8 and present ideas for a sustainable Europe in the European Parliament. .

This year with the One Campaign, I will be travelling to the G7 in Germany and organizing awareness-raising activities on malaria.

I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to study at �鶹��ý���� where I had professors who challenged students to think critically and pushed them to excel academically.  My research and critical analysis skills serve me well in a fast-paced political environment. My time at �鶹��ý���� also familiarized me with working in a multi-cultural environment. For students of international relations this is essential, and now I make use of this skill in interactions with decision makers from 28 different member states. I would encourage �鶹��ý���� students to learn about a new culture and travel as much as they can as students.”