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 on the board, Tom has served as Board President twice, in 2019 and 2022, and as Board Vice President three times, in 2013, in 2023, and in 2024.

Tom is a New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) “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 currently an executive state officer of the NJSBA, the 2023 to 2025 Vice President for Finance.

Dr. Connors is a lifelong learner and dedicated to not only serving students of Piscataway 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."

Starting in High School, Tom has always been a hard worker. He was a five-letter varsity athlete, the President of the Student Council, and the Student Member 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 attended school for ten years straight after high school. A good public education was the foundation to his success.

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 that were made possible by the local school board. 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 in our schools through our nationally recognized “You, I, We" Inspire character education program. He encourages everyone in our school community, 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.

Dr. Connors earned his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Eastern Connecticut State College in 1980, and his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 1983 and1986 respectively. He was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Connecticut State Department of Health in 1987 and 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 25-year career, he retired from the Technology Division of the Colgate-Palmolive Company, a fortune 500 company. After his career at Colgate, 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 published scientific articles, and is an academic 'Google Scholar' listed as Thomas F. Connors, Ph.D.

Dr. Connors and his wife Abigail and have been married for 42 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 children. They all attended Piscataway public schools, pre-K through high school. They were all National Honor Society students and attended nearby Rutgers University. Education is a priority in Tom’s family. Their oldest, 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 Doctorate in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their son Steve graduated from the Rutger’s English Department Honors Program and currently works with and teaches special needs 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 is a former Piscataway Soccer Club executive board member and was a USSF licensed coach and referee. He was also a youth sports coach in little league and middle school recreation basketball program. 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.