Ideas for Tomorrow Voorhees

10/19/2024

Hear from Crystal Munion running for Voorhees Township Schools Board of Education.

10/19/2024

Hear from Julie Ketover running for reelection for Voorhees Township Schools Board of Education.

10/19/2024

Hear from Monica Watson, running for reelection for Voorhees Townships Schools Board of Education.

10/15/2024

Check out our podcast where the IDEAs for Tomorrow slate talk about who we are, our vision for the district and our purpose as board members.

Please take a moment to watch and listen to the IDEAs for Tomorrow's Special Broadcast as they express their passion and dedication to the children and famil...

10/01/2024

Signs are in. Send a message if you want one.

09/22/2024

Crystal Munion

With over two decades of extensive experience in the construction industry, Crystal Munion has demonstrated unwavering commitment and expert knowledge as an estimator and pre-construction manager. Over the past 20 years, she has rapidly ascended through various pivotal roles within the industry. Her attention to detail, strategic acumen, and exceptional leadership qualities have consistently driven her team towards successful project completions. As a Pre-construction Manager, she is responsible for orchestrating the initial phases of development, ensuring that each project is thoroughly planned, budgeted, and scheduled.

Crystal firmly believes in the power of collaboration and continuous improvement. She actively promotes a culture of inclusivity and transparency within her teams, encouraging open communication and the sharing of ideas. Her leadership style is characterized by her "team first" mentality, where she exhibits trust in the professionals she works with, providing support and mentorship appropriate for each individual’s level of expertise. This allows all team members to achieve their highest potential in a collaborative environment, while ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned, and project objectives are met with precision and integrity.

Outside of her demanding professional responsibilities, Crystal is a devoted mother and wife, finding joy and fulfillment in her family life. For the past five years, she and her family have called Voorhees home, where they have become active members of the community. Balancing a thriving career with her personal life, she serves as a role model for many aspiring professionals, demonstrating that it is possible to excel in both arenas.

With a dedicated commitment to enhancing educational experiences, Crystal actively participates in school board meetings, ensuring the voices of the community are represented. She collaborates closely with both teachers and administrators, fostering an environment of open communication and continuous improvement. Crystal's engagement is further driven by personal motivation, as her 7-year-old son is a second-grade student at ET Hamilton School. He has had an IEP since kindergarten, and Crystal has learned to advocate effectively for both student and parent interests, contributing to a thriving learning environment.

Crystal believes that education is not just a fundamental right, but also a powerful tool for societal growth and individual empowerment. As an ardent advocate for public education, her efforts are consistently focused on creating meaningful connections and collaborative partnerships with a diverse array of stakeholders. One of Crystal’s core philosophies is the vital importance of trust in experienced professionals. She advocates for the recognition and appreciation of seasoned educators and administrators, understanding that their expertise and insights are invaluable assets to our community. She believes that her keen ability to articulate ideas clearly and effectively, her willingness to listen, and her spirit of empathy, will enable her to work collaboratively with various stakeholders for the benefit of both our students and our community.

09/22/2024

Meet Monica Watson

Monica has over 20 years of legal experience and is currently the Vice President, Legal Head, Enterprise Excellence & Governance for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. In this role, she is responsible for Corporate Affairs (Global/US Communications, Global Health & Sustainability, Public Affairs, Patient Advocacy), Insights Decision Science and Integrated Marketing. She was a critical member of the Novartis COVID Task Force as well as Novartis' recent Transformation for Growth Project Management Team, which resulted in $1B in savings and poised the company for future growth. She serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, which develops a DE&I plan for Novartis that is reflective of our strategy and business needs. She is also a formal/informal mentor to a number of Novartis associates.

Monica is most proud of playing a critical role in launching Novartis' More Than Just Words campaign, a multiyear commitment to promoting health equity in breast cancer care, where there is a significant unmet need. While providing guidance and leadership to the team as they navigated unchartered territory for the organization, Monica took ownership of the artistry and penned the spoken word that serves as the campaign's platform for breast cancer screenings in the Black community. The piece featuring Monica's words and voiceover has received notable recognition across the globe.



While Monica's career continues to be a cornerstone of her life, volunteerism for causes close to heart has been equally as important. She has served on Voorhees Board of Education since 2018 and as President since 2022. Most notably during her tenure, the District has navigated through the pandemic, two Superintendent searches, instituted Full-Day Kindergarten and the purchase and plan for a cross-District collaboration for a state-of-the-art Preschool. She is also heavily involved in her local synagogue, Congregation Kol Ami and served as Co-Chair for the 2024 MLK Day of Service that was recognized by the town's Mayor. Like many people, Monica finds a way to delicately balance the demands of her career, the Board, her family, including two young children and supportive husband, and her community responsibilities.

As a twice elected Board member, Monica has remained steadfast in her commitment to innovation, diligence, educational excellence, and accountability. Her past votes, District changes and Board commentary strongly reflect that commitment. If re-elected for a third term, she will remain committed to these critical philosophies ensuring that all children receive the highest level of education in a manner best suited for each student. In order for that to effectively happen, she will continue to serve the community and support our extraordinary educators.

09/22/2024

Meet Julie Ketover

Julie Ketover, JD, PCC, is an executive and leadership coach, as well as a professional development facilitator, writer and speaker, with nearly two decades of experience in the legal industry. Before turning to coaching, Julie held a number of positions in the field of law, including as a practicing attorney, senior business operations professional and talent developer at law firms. She brings her depth of experience in the legal industry to her coaching and training of law firm partners and associates, C suite and other senior law firm executives, and in-house counsel and General Counsels of public and private companies. Julie has also worked with companies in other industry sectors, including media, technology, financial services and healthcare and has coached C suite, senior executives and entrepreneurs in those companies. Julie brings to bear both keen understanding and relatability that facilitate trust and effective collaboration. In her practice, Julie works with high performing, goal-oriented professionals in demanding environments. Her clients learn to challenge and trust themselves, to up-level their leadership, to more effectively manage their teams and to achieve their goals with purpose and commitment.

Julie lives with her husband and two daughters in Voorhees. Being committed to service and community, Julie currently recently completed a four-year term as a Board Member for the International Coaching Federation of Philadelphia and a six-year term as a Board Member and Vice President of the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of South Jersey. She currently serves as a volunteer for Project Sarah domestic violence program, a part of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of South Jersey.

Julie has lived in Voorhees for two decades and has two daughters- a sophomore at the University of Miami and a freshman at Eastern. Both girls attended Signal Hill and VMS. Both of them had 504 plans, and Julie has been a zealous advocate for her daughters throughout their educational journeys. Julie is the daughter of a decades-long public-school teacher in the New York City school system, as well as a product of a K through 12 public school education.

Julie is a firm believer in the core tenets of public education; She believes a strong, inclusive public education system is one of the key pillars of a functioning democracy and that the very essence of this system is being challenged and threatened throughout the country. In addition to her knowledge and understanding of the complexities of the public school system, she brings key contributions that position her to be a good fit for the Board of Education: Persuasive advocacy; clear communication (oral and written); effective collaboration and partnership; courageous leadership and influence; and authentic relationship and trust-building. Her experience in these areas would support the Board to strengthen its reputation and to continue to do excellent work in a challenging environment.

She was selected to fill the vacancy left by Ms. Van Aken in early 2022, elected to fill the unexpired term in November of 2022, and has served as the Vice President of the Voorhees Township Board of Education since January of 2024. Along with Jason Brice, Crystal Munion, and Monica Watson, she is currently running for re-election under the Ideas for Tomorrow designation.

Julie graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cm laude from Yale University, where she majored in psychology. Following college, Julie received her law degree at NYU School of Law.

09/22/2024

Meet Jason Brice

Jason A. Brice Sr. is a native of New York, born and raised in Lakeview and Hempstead, Long Island. Jason currently resides in the Voorhees, New Jersey. Jason has over 20 years of experience in the Counseling and Social Work services field. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science and a Master of Education in School Counseling from Wilmington University.

Jason has a wealth of experience and knowledge working with children of all ages in the public school system, as well as the private and non-profit sectors.

As a trained and licensed professional counselor, Jason’s passions include supporting children who have emotional and behavioral challenges as well as children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Jason is currently a Guidance Counselor in the Penns Grove Carneys Point School District. He is also the Executive Director of the 4WALLS, LLC and The 4WALLS Foundation, entities that specialize in providing counseling services to children and families in Burlington, Camden, Essex, and Mercer Counties within the New Jersey Children’s System of Care. In his spare time, Jason enjoys spending time with his children, writing books, poetry, and music, and developing and creating new and innovative ways to help those underserved and afflicted.

Jason is often inspired to write as a way of providing encouragement to those who are dealing with the trials and tribulations that come with walking the path of life.

08/24/2024

We are Jason Brice, Julie Ketover, Crystal Munion, and Monica Watson, and we are running for seats on the Voorhees Township Schools Board of Education.

Our “ ideas for tomorrow” slogan embodies our platform and what we stand for.

I: Innovation.

Schools must evolve and innovate, so as to offer the most resonant programming and education structures to reach the broadest population of student and to promote equity and inclusion. This includes use of cutting-edge technology, like AI, in responsible and supportive ways. We also believe in leveraging research-backed modalities, such as small- group instruction, to meet learners where they are and support them to grow from there.

D: Diligence.

We are elected to serve this community and believe that diligence is paramount in the ex*****on of all Board functions and duties. Diligence, to us, of course includes competence, thoroughness, and responsibility. It also includes using a future focused lens to consistently understand changes in the landscape of education and what will be required moving forward to ensure that Voorhees schools remain competitive.

E: Excellence

The Board and Administration have been attending to closing pandemic – related academic gaps, and we will continue to do that work if elected. We are committed to exceeding pre-pandemic metrics of excellence. This commitment includes a renewed focus on specialty programming that highlights students’ unique gifts in areas like STEM and writing and the arts. Excellence also encompasses ongoing and high-level social and emotional programming to address pervasive mental health issues in our community and to ensure students are fully supported to reach their potential.

A: Accountability.

We understand that, as board members, we are accountable to many stakeholders in our public school system. As such, we are committed to continuing to foster open lines of communication and the greatest possible transparency. We are also eager to explore new ways to engage our community and to gather actionable feedback around school- related issues.