Meet Joyce Rudin
I’m a West Orange native, a member of the Township Council and someone whose commitment to public service runs deep in my family.
My mother, the late Corinne Miller, was the first woman to run for Town Council in West Orange. I grew up seeing the importance of speaking up for neighbors and taking part in decisions that shape a community. Today, I carry that example forward through citizen advocacy and local service.
A career built on asking questions
Before being elected to public office, I worked as an on-air reporter for PBS, NPR’s Marketplace and Consumer Reports TV. Journalism taught me to investigate the details, ask direct questions and make complicated issues understandable.
I earned my master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and my bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University.
Service beyond Town Hall
I have spent years working to help people and protect the places they depend on. I worked for City Harvest, which connects surplus food with people facing hunger in New York City.
In 1991, I participated in Operation Solomon, the emergency airlift that brought approximately 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. I was one of five Americans who spent a year in Ethiopia helping organize the effort.
Here at home, I served on the West Orange Open Space and Recreation Commission and co-founded Our Green West Orange. I also chaired the Coalition to Save South Mountain Reservation, which successfully opposed a proposed amphitheater expansion into adjacent wetlands.
West Orange is home
I’m married to Rabbi Moshe Rudin of Congregation Adath Shalom in Morris Plains. Together we have a blended family of three children; two graduated from West Orange High School.
West Orange is where I grew up, raised my family and chose to serve. As a Councilwoman, I bring my experience as a reporter, administrator and community advocate to the work of solving problems for residents.
For me, public service is personal. It means listening when a neighbor raises a concern, looking closely at how decisions are made and following through for the people who call West Orange home.