Board Member Richardson

Lorenzo Richardson was born and raised in Jersey City in the Montgomery Gardens Housing Projects where he learned early on that the key to success is a good education and to use that education to help others.

 

Lorenzo is deeply committed to his family. He is a blessed husband and proud father of a Jersey City Public Schools student.

 

He attended Jersey City Public School PS9 Kennedy Elementary School and graduated 3rd in his Class at James J. Ferris High School where he was a member of the Honor Society and voted Most Likely to Succeed and Best All-Around Student. He went on to
earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from Saint Peter's College (now Saint Peter's University) and was consistently active in student government and the community during his studies. Mr. Richardson has over 30 years of Accounting experience and is a member of several Professional, Civil Rights and Educational Advocacy organizations.

 

Since college, he continues to mentor youth, serve in his church and community, teach Financial and Technology Literacy and promote Basic Literacy through book readings and distributions for low-income children. His passion for equitable education has spanned nearly 40 years with advocacy on the local, state and national levels.

 

As a School Board Member, Mr. Richardson has served as Chair of the Student Equity Committee, Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, RFP Committee, Facilities Committee, Return to Local Control Committee, President and Vice-President of the Board, and as ex-officio on all committees. He is also a Certified Board Member and Master Board Member with the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA). He is
a former member of the NJSBA Equity Council and Urban Boards Committee, the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Board of Education, and former President and Vice-President of the Hudson County School Boards Association.

 

Lorenzo has fought against corruption, initiated cost savings measures and assisted in helping the district with its most challenging issues. He helped navigate the district through the unprecedented State Aid cuts without impacting the classroom, saved millions in healthcare costs for district employees and assisted in the most significant technology upgrade the district has ever undertaken during the pandemic with district wi-fi, 2-1 chrome books, hotspots, server upgrades, communications upgrades and the Energy Savings Improvement Plan which will save the district millions in energy costs in the years to come. He also participated in bringing the district’s Cisco Computer networking course for high school students.

 

His success by God’s grace compels him to challenge the Jersey City Board of Education on doing the right thing for our children.

 

He clearly understands that Education is the key to rise from poverty and ignorance and shows you the path to your purpose.