Trenton – Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Bergen/Passaic) was named to the Executive Committee of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, the statewide association that oversees high school athletics in New Jersey. The Executive Committee is the governing board of the NJSIAA, which sets the rules and regulations for high school athletics at public, private and non-public schools and conducts tournaments and crowns champions in thirty-one sports.
Assemblyman Wimberly was selected by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.
“I personally understand the impact high school athletics play in a young kid’s life,” said Assemblyman Wimberly. “Especially in communities where families work hard to keep their children involved in positive activities, extracurricular sports are the saving grace for many inner-city children providing a place for them to grow, be encouraged and to excel. It will be an honor to serve on the Athletic Association Board and help to ensure school programs are accessible, supportive and safe for New Jersey’s students.”
Assemblyman Wimberly has served as an Assistant Football Coach at Eastside High School for 6 years, Head Baseball Coach at Eastside High School for 7 years, Head Football Coach at Paterson Catholic for 15 years and is currently the Head Football Coach at Hackensack High School. He is also currently the Joint Recreational Coordinator for the Paterson Public Schools and the City of Paterson. Previously, he served as a member of the Paterson City Council, and as director of the Paterson Division of Recreation. He received his Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Virginia State University. Assemblyman Wimberly and his wife, Kimberlynn, have four children: Justin, Jared, Jordan and Jaden, all involved in sports.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, founded in 1918, is a voluntary, non-profit organization made up of 433 accredited public, private and non-public high schools in the state. The New Jersey Association joining with the other forty nine State Associations constitutes the National Federation of State High School Associations which has represented the best interests of high school athletics since 1920, and today represents 22,000 schools, more than 330,000 coaches, and almost 4.5 million high school athletes.