Councilmember
Advancing social equity has been the common theme in Vinita’s professional and volunteer life. Through 25 years of work in the public policy field, she has developed skills managing projects and grants, directing process improvements and system implementations, and ensuring budgetary and fiscal compliance and accountability. Vinita looks forward to applying these skills to local government in order to continue Metuchen’s forward progress.
A 14 year resident of Metuchen and a 30 year resident of Middlesex County, Vinita and her family (husband Jonathan and 12-year-old daughter Sanya) frequent the Public Library, Swim Club and YMCA – just a few of the many places and programs that make Metuchen such a special place. She has served as a volunteer at the library in Campbell School, and she and her daughter recently volunteered at Metuchen’s first South Asian Heritage event on the Plaza. Many families were in attendance to enjoy dance and music and learn about the many different cultures represented in our town.
Vinita currently works at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization providing policy and research expertise to develop strategies to improve public safety and strengthen communities. She is a board member of Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central and Southern New Jersey (PPNCSNJ), which provides essential reproductive and health care services in 18 counties of the state. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Middlesex College, an institution committed to ensuring an affordable and quality educational pathway for a diverse student body. In 2022, Vinita was appointed to the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Commission, established by NJ Governor Phil Murphy to address challenges faced by the AAPI community in accessing services and resources in the state.
Previously, Vinita conducted social policy research at Mathematica Policy Research, and served as a Research Operations Director at the Guttmacher Institute. When working at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) as Project Manager, she led a multi-year Violence Against Women initiative with the objective of enhancing police response through constructive engagement with law enforcement professionals. Her past volunteer roles include serving as a board member of Manavi, a New Jersey-based nonprofit organization providing services and support to South Asian victims of gender-based violence.
Vinita received her BA from Douglass College at Rutgers University and her Masters’ degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Vinita is honored to be part of the Column A team and is ready to begin working as a member of the Borough Council to make Metuchen an even better place to live, work and raise a family.