Nureed Saeed first South-Asian-American Muslim candidate for South Orange Board of Trustees; inspiring a whole new group of women to participate
SOUTH ORANGE , N.J., April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Saeed is the American dream realized. The first born American child of immigrants from Pakistan, Nureed's father came to this country in the late 50's on a student visa to study for a master's degree in engineering, eventually settling in the United States permanently, working as a civil engineer for the state of New Jersey and bringing his wife and two elder children with him.
Saeed, an American citizen, born in Bristol, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia, has seen the challenges immigrants and the children of immigrants face when building their path. She understands why freedom and democracy are important. Driven by a sense of duty and urgency, she was inspired by the recent change in our nation's political climate to participate in the process by running for South Orange's Board of Trustees (town council). Saeed says of her decision to run, "If we want to make change happen, we have to participate. I am not a politician. I am a mother of 3 small children who realized if I want a different world for them, I need to engage in the process. I am a small business owner and entrepreneur who realized if I want to see others like me succeed, I need to engage in the process. I am a proud South Orange resident who realized if I want to help the town reach its' full potential, then I need to engage in the process."
South Orange currently has 6 seats on their Board of Trustees. 3 seats are up for election on May 9th. The village currently is a diverse and female driven community with 51% of the population being women and 40% of the population being people of color. The current board is comprised of 5 men and 1 person of color. "Inclusion is important to our society's success. It's scientifically proven that when people from diverse backgrounds and with different thought come together, the group is forced to work harder to find solutions that benefit the whole. They are forced to INNOVATE. I am running for BOT to bring a voice that reflects the amazing diverse thoughts of our town and to bring innovation to our town's problems."
Comprised of an all-female senior campaign team, all have senior level careers and a total of 9 children between them. On the team is Saeed, a former retail executive and owner of Nu Interiors, Campaign Manager, Kelly Quirk, a social worker and director of an addiction treatment program, Nina Essel, Campaign Treasurer, a social worker for youth programs, Ritu Pancholy, Strategist and Community Organizer, an attorney, and Colleen Breslin, Volunteer Organizer, an attorney. Says Breslin of why she decided to join the campaign, "Nureed and I bonded over a conversation about how grateful we are to be living in a community as vibrant as South Orange and our collective responsibility to participate in shaping the future, to keep alive its racial, cultural and socioeconomic diversity and to keep pushing for fuller integration. I am struck by her brilliance, her empathy and her energy. She operates in a field BEYOND EGO. In addition, Nureed's years of work with small and large businesses and as a local design entrepreneur offer our community fresh and reasoned insight into SUSTAINABLE development. I had to join her and help."
Saeed is running on the platform of "Independent Thought. Innovation. Inclusion." The election is on Tuesday, May 9th, 2017.
For more information about Nureed Saeed:
https://nureedsaeed.nationbuilder.com/bio
SOURCE Nureed Saeed for Board of Trustees
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