Cranford, NJ – UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ welcomed four new board members this fall: Kathy Fitzpatrick, Emily Root, and Bob Sloan, all of Westfield, and Lisa Vecchione, of Springfield. The new members were sworn in during a joint meeting of the College’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors on September 16, 2025.
Emily Root was appointed to the Board of Trustees by the Union County Board of County Commissioners. Ms. Root is a former member of the Westfield Town Council and has a speech therapy practice in Berkeley Heights. She is also an adjunct instructor at both Kean University and San Francisco State University. Ms. Root earned a bachelor’s degree from University of California Santa Cruz and a master’s degree from New York University.
Kathy Fitzpatrick joined the Board of Governors. She is a 1975 alumna of the College and completed her bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University. Ms. Fitzpatrick is a successful business woman and entrepreneur. She and her husband created the Fitzpatrick Family Foundation, which is focused on education.
Bob Sloan has been appointed to the Board of Governors. He attended the UCNJ in the 1970’s and earned a bachelor’s degree from Curry College and an MBA from Seton Hall University. He was an executive with AT&T FirstNet serving as Chief Operating Officer and is now a technology consultant. Mr. Sloan previously served as a member of the Seton Hall University Board of Trustees.
Lisa Vecchione joined the Board of Governors as an appointee from the College’s Alumni Association. She is a 2003 alumna and an active volunteer in the community with a number of organ and tissue donation organizations as well as other local philanthropies.
“We are honored to welcome these four new members,” said UCNJ board of Trustees Chairman Victor M. Richel. “They bring a distinctive array of talent and expertise to the Boards which will provide invaluable insight and leadership to support our continued growth and student success.”
UCNJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater Union County region. It is the first of New Jersey’s 18 two-year colleges, serving both career-minded and transfer-oriented students since 1933. The College offers a wide variety of academic programs and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to the Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research Lab. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 10 community colleges in the country as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. To learn more about UCNJ, visit www.ucc.edu.
