I’ve read that the COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest crisis humanity will likely face in our lifetimes, and find myself wrestling with the same concerns we all are, 1) how we can address the immediate needs of our members; 2) how can our members help those in need, and 3) how can our organizations best navigate the fiscal repercussions of the pandemic. On a good day any one of those would be a major feat to take on, but these days we’re "all in" on all of them every day, which can feel daunting. However, every day when I wake up and read the headlines, I find myself absolutely humbled by the resolve of our healthcare workers and others that risk their lives (not to mention the lives of those closest to them), I look over at my wife, and I think about how lucky I am to have the luxury of working from home. Whatever else happens that day, I throw myself into my work knowing that in some small way, I’m keeping things moving and am extremely fortunate to be exactly where I am. When it all feels a little overwhelming, I think of Winston Churchill’s famous quote, “If you’re going through hell, keep going,” essentially meaning the fastest way through a problem is straight through it without giving in to fear…or giving up. If he could get through what his generation was tasked with, with bombs dropping all around them and no certainty about whether or not they would actually win their fight, there’s no way we can’t get through this.”

Dr. Robert Spangler, Associate Executive Director of Operations & IT, NJSBA