Building Futures Together - Hoboken

We are devastated at the loss of Council President Jen Giattino. Jen worked tirelessly for the 6th ward, and we will miss her terribly. Keeping Joe & their sons in our thoughts.

Join us Friday morning after drop off or before work!

Candidate Focus: Malani Cademartori # 1J

Malani has been elected to and proudly served as a Trustee on the Board of Education for two terms - a total of six years - and is grateful and humbled to play a part in the growth and tremendous progress of the Hoboken Public School District under the tireless leadership of Dr. Johnson. In the last six years, Malani has served as chairperson and/or member of each of the Facilities, Governance, Negotiations, Finance and Curriculum Committees, and also as Board Vice President in previous years.

Born in Thailand and raised in Australia until the age of six, Malani’s mother moved Malani and her older sister to the United States after splitting with their father. Upon settling in South Philadelphia, both Malani and her older sister attended a private Catholic school for a few years. While Malani's older sister (by 6 years) was accepted to private school on scholarship and then the University of Chicago on scholarship and stipend, Malani’s mother was forced to make the fateful financial decision to send Malani to public school. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Malani says. “I received an education far beyond the lesson plans, and more fulsome than I would ever have experienced in a more ‘exclusive’ environment. Being of mixed race, I was at home in a place where everyone was, in both overt and subtle ways, very different from each other. Our differences made life and learning so much more interesting.” As a result, Malani feels strongly that being given the opportunity to learn, live and grow with people from very different backgrounds and with varied life experiences is the best way to teach empathy and acceptance - something which sometimes seems to be in such short supply. "I don't want my children to have inclusion and acceptance lectured at them, I want them to live it every day of their lives so they can go out in the world as empathetic people celebrating and appreciating all of our differences."

After high school, Malani moved to New York and worked her way through NYU as a waitress. Malani earned her BA in Political Science and East Asian Studies in 1994, and then moved back to Thailand to work at Chulalongkorn University, ultimately returning to New York to pursue a career in the law. Malani graduated with a law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1999, going on to work as an associate at a large international law firm and being elevated to partner in 2010 just ten days before giving birth to the first of her two daughters.

In 2020, Malani made the decision to leave the law. “I had been taking care of my mother who had dementia, while also raising my children and attending to my Board duties. There were simply not enough hours in the day to do all of those things in a way that felt complete. It made sense for me to dedicate myself to the things that meant the most to me, and the law was the last thing on that very short list at the time.” Unfortunately, Malani's mother passed shortly thereafter, but Malani has continued to dedicate herself to her family and the Board since then. "My service as a Trustee on the Board has been one of the most important things I have done in my life. It's a volunteer job, but being elected to serve our community's children in this way and for something that literally affects their futures and the future of our local and larger community, is incredibly fulfilling."

Malani and her husband, Michael, have two daughters - a sixth grader in Hoboken Middle School and a freshman in Hoboken High School. “The choice to send our kids to the Hoboken Public School District was never a question. They have had such overwhelmingly positive experiences in their schools. They have each had teachers and made friends that have made a real difference in their lives. As a parent, I am incredibly grateful for the experiences, opportunities and education the District offers to my kids, and our family, every day. But I don't do this job as a Trustee for my own kids. I have always done it for all the children we serve. They all deserve a chance to find their own roads to success and I feel the District provides that and will continue to evolve with that goal in mind.”

Malani is eager to continue supporting the administration and serving the public for another three years as the District continues to progress and grow. “The pay off for me is seeing all of our District kids achieve and find themselves. In a very tangible way, the culmination of that is attending high school graduation every year. Seeing those kids cross the dais, so proud of themselves - some of them as the first in their family - and hearing their loved ones and classmates cheer them on, is the best day of the year for me. Hands down.”

Thank you Hoboken!