Nancy Becker: Building Community, Changing Systems, and Leading with Heart
How a young woman from the Bronx became New Jersey’s trailblazing advocate for ethics, women’s leadership, and community impact
Nancy Becker has spent decades shaping New Jersey’s civic and political life with quiet determination and unwavering ethics. Today, she brings that same steady vision to her role on CMAP’s board. We sat down with Nancy for an Open Doors conversation about the moments that defined her, the values she returns to, and the legacy she hopes to leave behind.
Where did you grow up, and what shaped those early years?
I grew up in New York City and attended the Bronx High School of Science, one of the most respected public high schools in the country. My father passed away when I was young, which left a significant emotional and practical gap in my life. But I also remember him as someone who never restricted us. He believed deeply that I could do anything I wanted, and that sense of permission stayed with me.
I was also very close to my younger sister, who went on to build a long and fulfilling career in physical therapy. After high school, I attended the University of Michigan, where I majored in English literature, and later earned a master’s degree in English language and literature from Manhattan College.
Were there role models who influenced your journey?
My father’s belief in me was foundational. Eleanor Roosevelt was another important influence, one of the few visible female leaders at the time. Her courage and advocacy for women helped me see the world differently. But in many ways, because there were so few female leaders to look toward, I had to teach myself how to become the kind of woman I hoped to meet: principled, effective, and unafraid to lead.
What setbacks shaped who you are today?
After completing my master’s degree, I moved to Princeton and hoped to pursue a PhD in English literature at Rutgers. In my interview, I explained that I could work only part-time while caring for my young children, and I wasn’t accepted. That rejection left me unsure of what to do next. I didn’t know Princeton well, and I didn’t yet have a community.
So I looked outward and began volunteering with a nonprofit, Common Cause. Several years later, I became its executive director. That role reoriented my path—it introduced me to policy, advocacy, and community impact.
Eventually, I left to start my own lobbying firm, becoming the first woman in New Jersey to found and run her own lobbying business. It wasn’t easy at first, but the work grew, gained attention, and ultimately sustained me for thirty years.
What personal accomplishments matter most to you?
I was married to my husband for forty-eight years, and raising our two children is one of my greatest joys. At a time when few women held corporate or political roles, he encouraged me to pursue them—and he meant it.
I’m proud of the inspiration my career gave my children and grandchildren. I’m also proud that my firm employed mostly women, offering opportunities that were still rare when I started.
What core values guided your work?
Ethics. Always ethics.
Whether in nonprofit leadership or running my own firm, I needed clients whose values aligned with mine. The moral culture of my businesses mattered just as much as the professional work we produced. Ethics is not just a professional standard; it is a way of living.
What do you hope your children and grandchildren remember about you?
I hope they remember me as someone accomplished but also loving, present, and supportive. I’ve built close relationships with my grandchildren individually, not just through their parents, and I treasure that. I want them to know that they can always come to me. Trust has always been essential to me, and I hope they carry that forward.
How has serving on CMAP’s Executive Committee shaped your view of aging and community?
I’ve served on the Executive Committee for two years, leading the Strategic Planning Taskforce. This work is essential—not just planning programs but imagining the future of aging in Princeton.
CMAP’s growth since the pandemic has been remarkable. Hybrid programming has expanded access and reduced isolation for people who might otherwise be alone. That, to me, is transformative.
I have also been proud of CMAP’s commitment to diversity. Through strategic planning, we’ve worked to build more inclusive participation, including expanded programming for Latinx and Asian community members and more outreach across economic and cultural backgrounds. Understanding the challenges of aging—from dementia to social isolation—helps us shape education and engagement for the whole community.
What life lessons have stayed with you?
Patience—not the passive kind, but the kind that trusts the long arc of effort.
I didn’t expect to achieve everything quickly. I believed that if I worked with integrity and surrounded myself with people who shared those values, things would unfold as they should.
Mentorship has also been central to my life. Because I grew up without much mentorship myself, I recognized how crucial it was. I created a yearlong mentorship program during Governor Christine Whitman’s administration to train women for leadership roles in government. Many of those women went on to become judges and public officials.
Later, at Rutgers’ Eagleton Institute of Politics, I created a lobbying-focused mentorship program specifically for women, including a handbook I wrote to teach effective advocacy.
If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Part of me wonders what would have happened if I had gone to law school. But the truth is, my life moved quickly after college—marriage, young children, shifting opportunities—and everything eventually came together in a way that felt right.
So the advice I’d give myself is this:
Trust the process. Keep your ethics. Take the long view.
And be patient. The life you’re building is worth the wait.
