Member since 2022
Term expires 2028

Email: tconnors@pway.org

Committees: Fiscal Planning & Operations (Chairperson)

Delegate: New Jersey School Boards Association Delegate Assembly

School Liaison:  Arbor Intermediate School, Children's Corner Preschool,
Piscataway High School, PATH/SAIL

Dr. Tom Connors was previously a member of the Board of Education from 2008 to 2020.  Tom got elected back to the Board in 2021.  In his tenure, Tom has served as Board President twice, in 2019 and 2022, and as Board Vice President three times, in 2013, 2023, and 2024.

Dr. Connors is currently an elected executive state officer of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA).  He’s the 2025 to 2027 Vice President for Finance.  Tom is a “Certified Board Leader.”  A Certified Board Leader is the highest level of individual board member recognition from the NJSBA Board Member Academy.  In order to receive this recognition/ honor, a board member must participate in more than 150 hours of comprehensive training and testing addressing Strategic Planning; Advocacy; Ethics, Communication, Labor Relations; School Law; Legal/ Policy; Finance; Governance; and Student Achievement.  

Dr. Connors is dedicated to not only serving Piscataway students and their families, but also New Jersey’s 21 counties, ~600 public school districts, and ~1.4 million students. He lives by the motto "when we all contribute a little, we all achieve a lot."   Tom has always been a hard worker.  Starting in High School, he worked after school and on weekends. He was a five-letter varsity athlete.  He played soccer and baseball.  Tom was also the President of the Student Council, and the student representative to the Board of Education.  He went on to college, worked on weekends, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry. Tom is a lifelong learner.  When he looks back at all the situations life threw his way, he was able to adapt by taking advantage of all the programs and opportunities made possible by the local school board.  A good public education was the foundation to his success.  He can relate to the students who need to work in addition to attending school.  Tom believes that when a district has effective school governance, it can promote the achievement of all students through an engaging curriculum and its programs.   He’s committed to seeing that all Piscataway students are prepared for the future.  He believes in “Putting Kids First” by ensuring that the rich cultural and social diversity of our community is represented and respected in our schools. Tom will continue to improve the culture and climate through our nationally recognized “You, I, We" Inspire character education program.  He encourages everyone, administrators, teachers, staff, and students to be positive, be kind, and to inspire and believe in one another.  He believes that we all need to help each other see our own self-worth and achieve our highest potentials.  

After graduating High School in 1976, Dr. Connors earned his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Eastern Connecticut State College in 1980, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut (UCONN) in 1983 and1986 respectively.

He was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Connecticut State Department of Health in 1987.  Tom has been a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1982.  After a successful professional 25-year career, he retired from the Technology Division of the Colgate-Palmolive Company, a fortune 500 company.  After his career at Colgate-Palmolive, he became Director of Product Development for a privately held company called Envirochem, Inc.  Tom holds 41 formulation patents, has co-authored 33 peer reviewed scientific articles, and is an academic 'Google Scholar' listed as Thomas F. Connors, Ph.D.

Dr. Connors and his wife Abigail have been married for 43 years.  Abby earned her M.Ed. from the University of Connecticut where they met.  She’s an early childhood music education teacher, author, and presenter. 

Tom and Abby have three adult children.  They all attended Piscataway public schools, pre-K through the high school.  They were all National Honor Society students and attended nearby Rutgers University.  Their oldest son, Matt, was a High School National Merit Scholar, graduated from the Rutgers College Honors Program with a double major in Chemistry and Physics, and received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Engineering.  Their son Steve graduated from the Rutger’s English Department Honors Program and currently teaches special needs and learning-disabled students.   Their daughter Shannon graduated from the Rutger’s Psychology Department and received her M.Ed. from the Rutger’s Graduate School of Education.  She is currently a 7th grade Math teacher.  

Dr. Connors has been very active in the Piscataway Community.  He’s a former Piscataway Soccer Club executive board member and was a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) licensed coach and referee. He was also a youth sports coach in little league and middle school recreation basketball. Tom was a coach when Piscataway Township received the Sports Illustrated “Sports Town USA” Award in 2003. He’s a former member of the high school athletic booster club and the executive board of the Superchief Band Parents Association. Tom is also a former member of the Piscataway Township Mayor’s Environmental Advisory and Open Space Committees.