UPDATE: David Cade Tabbed as Newest Member of Gloucester Township Board of Education

David Cade will become the newest member of the Gloucester Township Board of Education.

Cade was selected by Camden County Executive Superintendent Peggy Nicolosi to fill the position after conducting interviews with seven applicants earlier this week.

Nicolosi notified the school district of her decision this week. She instructed the board to swear Cade in at the next workshop/committee session or board meeting.

The Gloucester Township Board of Education is scheduled to hold a special meeting to discuss personnel issues Monday night, May 12, at the Ann A. Mullen Middle School, 7 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting is May 19.

"I spoke to the County Executive Superintendent (Friday) and thanked her for her efforts in selecting an individual to fill the vacant Board seat," Gloucester Township Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau said. "Her written communication is clear that she expects Mr. Cade to be sworn in at the next Board meeting. I look forward to working with Mr. Cade and am pleased that Gloucester Township now has a Board of Education comprised of nine (9) members."

Along with Cade, Sean Hengst, Richard Bobbe, William Collins, Stacie Dahl, Wendy Witzel and Judith Younger applied for the position.

Hengst was one of the final two candidates under consideration by the board after it conducted a search for a replacement for Edward Pearce, who was disqualified from the position.

Hengst and Scott Owens each received four votes from the deadlocked board. Owens was not listed as an applicant for the position.

Nicolosi was not required to choose from between the two, and an advertisement was posted for the position.

Cade was not an original applicant for the position. Bobbe, Witzel and Younger all previously applied, with Witzel and Younger being considered among the final five by the board before it narrowed its selection.

Nicolosi provided Patch with the following list of questions she asked each candidate:

* Tell me about yourself and why you would like to be a board member on the Gloucester Township Board of Education

* If you had to change things in the School District, what would you like changed?

* What are things that the School District does well and that you are proud to be a part of the School District.

* There are currently two factions within the board and very often the vote is split.  As a new member of the board how would facilitate or bridge the gap between the two factions?

Cade has been a resident of Gloucester Township since 2001, according to his cover letter submitted to Nicolosi. He has five children ranging in age from 3 years old to 15.

He cites the need to infuse more STEM activities into the district, as well as increasing the success of the students as two of his main goals.

“I have served the community in many ways already: teacher, volunteer high school basketball coach, youth travel basketball leagues, soccer coach, mentor and volunteer small business consulting,” Cade said in his letter. “I still hold my substitute teaching certificate issued by Gloucester Township three years ago.”

He owns a Masters Degree in Engineering Management from Drexel University and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania.

He has worked for Lockheed Martin in various roles since moving to Gloucester Township in 2001.