Professor Bernadette P. McPherson is an attorney, an educator, and former elected official. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English Magna Cum Laude from La Salle University in 1983. She received her Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law in 1986 and is a member of the bar of the State of New Jersey.

In 1999 she was first elected to office as a Councilwoman in Rutherford, New Jersey.  Bernadette went on to serve as the Mayor of Rutherford from 2000 to 2007. She served as a member of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2003 to 2011 and as its Chairwoman in 2004 and 2005.  As Chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee from 2004 to 2010 she devoted herself to issues of importance to all first responders and justice initiatives for juveniles and the elderly.

Since August 2011, she has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the Law and Police Science Department.  Professor McPherson is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Felician College in Rutherford where she teaches Political Science.  She is a Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Millennium Strategies, a grants consulting firm that specializes in assisting local government agencies with a particular emphasis on FEMA assistance.

Professor McPherson remains active in politics. She was an integral component of Congressman Bill Pascrell’s historic and victorious primary battle in the 9th Congressional District of New Jersey in June of 2012.  She was Pascrell for Congress Co-Chair and Director for Outreach and Operations in the 2012 General election.