The Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Board of Directors has unanimously elected Jeffrey Laurenti of Trenton to be its new Board Chair as of September 1. He replaces Irene Etkin Goldman of Ewing, who was Board Chair from January, 2004 until August, 2024. Ms. Goldman will continue as a Board member with the title of Chair Emerita. Laurenti, a resident of Trenton’s Chambersburg neighborhood and native of New Jersey’s capital city, served as executive director of policy studies at the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) and as director of foreign policy programs at The Century Foundation. Before entering the U.N. arena, he served as executive director of the New Jersey Senate majority. A graduate of Trenton Central High School, he earned his A.B. at Harvard College, magna cum laude; and his M.P.A. at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. “We are excited to have such a deeply informed and experienced leader in the nonprofit and political realms as our new Board Chair. CFPA faces profound challenges such as major wars in Ukraine-Russia and the Middle East; a new nuclear arms race emerging between the US, Russia, and China; and the pandemic of gun violence in the US–now the leading cause of death for those 21 and under. Jeff Laurenti will be a major asset to CFPA addressing those,” said the Rev. Robert Moore, CFPA Executive Director since 1981. “Mobilizing citizens for peace, when influential voices suggest the quickest and best solutions come through overwhelming force, has never been easy,” said Laurenti. “Yet against all odds it has notched major successes and overcome powerful lobbies, starting with the partial nuclear test ban President Kennedy negotiated in 1963, through the nuclear rollbacks of the Reagan-Bush years, to the deep nuclear cuts of Obama’s time. Many of those gains are now in jeopardy. “I have admired and assisted the work of the Coalition ever since it was a key leader in passing the statewide Nuclear Weapons Freeze referendum in 1982,” Laurenti added. “I am deeply honored to have been asked to help lead CFPA in a new time of peril, and hope to help inspire a new generation to embrace the urgency of this cause.” ************ On October 12, the Tulpehaking Nature Center will host a public event celebrating 10 years of service to Mercer County residents and visitors. Attendees will have a chance to enjoy family-friendly activities, live animal presentations, guided nature walks, cake and ice cream. Tulpehaking Nature Center is located at 57 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, N.J. 08610. The Saturday event lasts from 12 noon until 4 p.m. County Executive Dan Benson and Mercer County Park Commission Executive Director Joe Pizza will provide brief remarks. Opened in 2014, The Tulpehaking Nature Center is situated at the entrance to Roebling Memorial Park and serves as the educational gateway to the Abbott Marshlands. Operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, Tulpehaking Nature Center’s offerings have expanded to include award-winning school programs, homeschool and scout programs, and experiences for seniors to connect with nature. Since Tulpehaking Nature Center’s opening, Mercer County has continued to invest in the area, from initiatives to restore the wetland ecosystem of Roebling Memorial Park to park improvements such as a new “green infrastructure” parking area at the park’s Spring Lake entrance. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].