Registration will open mid-April. Check back for a link to register.

The 2025 NJEA Jack Bertolino Summer Leadership Conference will offer a broad menu of workshops that equip members to become stronger association advocates. Most workshops offer 7.5 hours of training. A longer workshop providing additional hours of training is available for newer presidents.

If you are an NJEA member, you are eligible and encouraged to attend. You will find topics among the 31 workshop offerings that will prepare you for your current or future roles, sharpen your leadership skills, and show you how your local can develop to its full-functioning capacity.

There are two sets of three-day programs:

• Workshop I – July 26-28 (Saturday to Monday) 
• Workshop II – July 28-30 (Monday to Wednesday)  

Not all of the 31 workshops are offered in each workshop period. The workshop descriptions indicate when any given program is scheduled. To accommodate educational support professional members (ESP) who may wish to limit use of vacation or personal time, Workshop Number 24 runs from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

For all other workshops, registration begins on Day One at 1 p.m. The opening session commences at 3 p.m. Day Three ends with a brunch, which is served at 10:30 a.m. following the final workshop session.

This year’s summer leadership conference will take place at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The conference is dedicated to developing association advocate representatives. Accordingly, no professional development credit is given for attendance in any seminar.

How do I register?

The purpose of this article is to alert members to this training opportunity and describe the workshop programs available this year, but to register you need to talk to your local and/or county association president.

Local and county association presidents will receive registration brochures with detailed information on the 2025 NJEA Jack Bertolino Summer Leadership Conference. You must contact your local president and consult that brochure to learn more about lodging, daily schedules, accommodations for members with special needs and registration.

Special needs

If you have a special physical or communication need or other disability that may require assistance or accommodations to permit or facilitate your attendance and participation, or if you have any questions or concerns about housing arrangements, please contact NJEA at 609-599-4594, ext. 2270 by June 1.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for first-time attendees. See your local and/or county president for more information.

Pricing and payment

Conference costs for all attendees include workshop materials, self-parking, organized meals and coffee breaks, entertainment, taxes and service fees. Pricing for members staying overnight also includes hotel accommodations and taxes.

The pricing for all workshops, except Workshop #1 is as follows:

• Commuter – $275 per session
• Double Occupancy – $325 per session
• Single Occupancy – $450 per session

Since an additional training occurs in September for Workshop No. 1, Now That I’m President, What Do I Do?, the costs are higher for it. Pricing for Workshop #1 is Commuter: $425; Double Occupancy: $475; Single Occupancy: $600.

Registrations will only be accepted online this year. Members will have to register themselves for the conference – there is no group registration using this online system. When registering, members will need to know their NJEA PIN and have all necessary conference information, including workshop choice, accommodation needs, and roommate selection if a double room is chosen. Members can either pay with a credit card or indicate that the payment will be made by check. All registrations are pending until payment has been received. Credit card payments will be processed within three business days and confirmations will be emailed at that time. Check payments take approximately two weeks to be processed from when they are mailed. Pending registrations, whether paid by check or with credit card, are not guaranteed and are subject to hotel and workshop space availability. Final confirmations will be emailed once the payment has been received and processed by the conference registrar. 

Most associations pay for members to attend SLC. Each association will determine the best way for them to either reimburse their members or pay NJEA directly. Once a member completes their registration, they can print a registration receipt and will also receive a pending confirmation email. If a member pays with a credit card or personal check, they can submit their confirmation email/registration receipt and proof of payment for reimbursement. If the association is paying for its members to NJEA directly, members should forward the confirmation email/registration receipt to the association designee who will collect and print them, and then mail copies, along with a check made payable to “NJEA Summer Leadership Conference” to the address listed below. Please note that credit cards can only be used for individual registrations and group payments must be made using a check. It is strongly recommended that check payments be mailed within three business days after the registration process has been completed.

Checks must be made payable to “NJEA Summer Leadership Conference” and returned with registration material to:

NJEA Summer Leadership Conference
c/o WSFS Bank
PO Box 13661
Philadelphia, PA 19101-3661

Please note that registrations and payments are mailed to the bank first where checks are deposited. Afterwards, registration materials are sent to NJEA for processing. Therefore, deposited checks should not be viewed as confirmation that a registration has been accepted and processed. If the conference is sold out, a refund will be issued.

Which workshop(s) should I take?

NJEA offers many advocacy conferences with a large array of workshops. Selecting which to take can be a daunting task. Whether you are currently serving in a leadership position or you aspire to become involved in some capacity within your local association, there are trainings that can help develop and hone your skills. To guide you, positions within the association are listed on this page, followed by workshops that would be beneficial to you.

You will discover that being an officer is not the only position within your association, and there are opportunities to get involved in other ways. Additionally, we have included a track for those exploring future leadership. Please note that not all of these workshops are offered at the Summer Leadership Conference and may be offered at other conferences throughout the year. These courses are not listed in any particular order and are not mandatory to serve in any position. Not all of the workshops offered at the Summer Leadership Conference are listed on the next page, so please review the entire booklet before making your selection.