Princeton-Blairstown Center Elects Three New Officers

The Princeton-Blairstown Center recently elected three new officers. The independent nonprofit seeks to transform the lives of vulnerable young people through adventure-based programming in schools and outdoor camps.

What began in 1908 as a summer camp run by Princeton University students to give inner-city boys an opportunity to have experiences outdoors has evolved into an independent organization that offers a wide variety of year-round youth development programs serving more than 5,200 students from the Mid-Atlantic region.

The new board officers are:

Sarah Tantillo – Tantillo is the creator of The Literacy Cookbook and author
of “The Literacy Cookbook: A Practical Guide to Effective Reading, Writing, Speaking,
and Listening Instruction” and “Literacy and the Common Core: Recipes for Action.” She has
consulted in New Jersey and nationally with schools seeking to improve student achievement
since 2007, with an emphasis on urban schools. She taught high school English and  humanities in both suburban and urban New Jersey public schools for 14 years, including seven years at the high-performing North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, where she chaired the humanities department. She also founded and directed the New Jersey Charter School Resource Center from 1996-1999 and the New Jersey Charter Public Schools Association from 1999-2003.

Pam Simpkins – Simkins is a strategy execution leader with more than 17 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She currently works at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, where she leads the strategy and operations support efforts in pediatric clinical development. Previously she worked at Merck & Co., Inc. and Novo Nordisk. She led business support activities such as objective setting and measurement, financial planning, business development, project management, competitive intelligence, and process improvement. She is a guest lecturer at Rutgers Business School focused on strategy and innovation, and was a part-time lecturer there.

Tim Downs – Downs is the director of Princeton University’s facilities, finance and administrative services department.  He manages the operating budget, the maintenance budget, and the multi-billion dollar capital projects budget for Princeton University, with responsibility for all business operations, procurement, and information technology. Prior to joining Princeton University, he was president of the Sanford Brown Institute – a career-focused, post-secondary educational institution providing opportunities to a diverse student population. He has worked in a series of financial management posts starting in  1992 with J.P. Morgan Chase in New York City.