Executive Vice President, Higher Education
Dr. Susanna Tardi, a professor of sociology at William Paterson University, has served as AFTNJ’s executive vice president for higher education since 2011. She has more than 20 years of senior union higher education leadership experience at both the local and state level.
Her current roles include the following: chair, New Jersey Higher Education Leadership Council (NJ HELC); legislative representative, Council of NJ State College Locals (CNJSCL); and president of AFT Local 1796 (William Paterson University). She served on Gov. Phil Murphy’s Higher Education Transition Team and is currently serving on the governor’s Higher Education Advisory Restart Committee to address issues and make recommendations regarding higher education concerns in the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her local and statewide higher education leadership roles, Tardi has been an active advocate for public higher education in the state and an influencer in higher education policy formulation. She has testified numerous times before Senate and Assembly Higher Education and Budget Committees on issues regarding tenure reform, performance based funding, affordability, access and accountability, board of trustee training, adjunct faculty exploitation, and the three-plus-one baccalaureate degree bill (3+1). She is a recognized leader in higher education by legislators and higher education administrators.
Tardi’s op-ed writings on higher education issues have been published by The Star-Ledger, Bergen Record and Philadelphia Inquirer, among other outlets. She has extensive experience in local and state negotiations, grievance, mediation and higher education policy.