The world of work has always fascinated me. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents swapping stories around the dinner table after a long day of work describing the characters and the situations that they had encountered on the job. Dad was a utility meter reader and Mom a seamstress in a factory. Those stories revealed a mystical world outside that was sometimes funny, occasionally tragic but always much more interesting than the one I had to deal with in school.
When it came time to choose a career path after high school, I wanted to roll up my sleeves and get a job so I decided to join the workforce and, like my Father, took a job reading meters. Each day I’d go inside dozens, sometimes hundreds, of customers’ homes in the course of doing the job. One day my route would be based in the wealthiest of neighborhoods in the hills of Somerset County and the next, I’d be assigned to urban areas ravaged by racism and economic disadvantage. Eventually I decided to pursue my fascination with gaining a deeper understanding of the world of work so I enrolled in Rutgers University’s Labor and Employment Relations degree program. There, I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from many of the top experts in the field, all who helped shape my future. That was the launching pad to my enrollment in the Master’s degree program at Rutgers and a wonderful and fulfilling career in labor and employment relations with Public Service Electric and Gas Company (which later became Public Service Enterprise Group).
When I retired from PSEG in 2013 I was provided the opportunity to join Rutgers full time faculty where I teach today, still finding the world of work as fascinating as ever.
In addition to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students within the credit programs at Rutgers, I also conduct workshops and provide consulting services on a range of labor and employment relations matters. Recent clients include the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the State of New Jersey Office of Legislative Services and Colgate-Palmolive.,
Awards & Distinctions
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2018 Practitioner of the Year, Labor and Employment Relations Association
Awarded at the Labor and Employment Relations Association's annual conference in Baltimore, MD. This award recognizes a distinguished practitioner for unique contributions to labor and employment relations practice over her/his career, consistent with the values and the mission of the LERA.
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2018 Labor Studies and Employment Relations Annual Teaching Award Recipient
Awarded for individual excellence in teaching at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Courses
- Negotiation Theory, Concepts and Practice
- Dynamics of Work and Work Organization
- Benefits and Social Insurance
- Conflict and Conflict Resolution in the Workplace