Ed Potosnak is a science teacher and small business owner who will bring real world experience to Congress to help America get its edge back.
Ed was born and raised in New Jersey and grew up working at his family's small business, which manufactured affordable batteries for communication devices used by law enforcement. He put himself through Rutgers University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a Master's degree in Education. As a student at Rutgers, Ed was extremely active in campus life. He served as President of the Rutgers University Glee Club, and conducted independent research in Organic Chemistry, all while working on and off campus to help pay for college expenses.
Career:
After receiving his Master’s degree, Ed taught high school chemistry at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School and served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University. Ed was active in the school community as Director of the high school’s musical, Science Advisor, and took the lead in assisting faculty to leverage technology to provide a more interactive and effective experience for students. He partnered with local scientific, biotechnology, and technology companies to bridge the gap between classroom curriculum and the skills needed in industry to solve real world challenges.
Looking to inspire students to achieve in science, Ed established advanced courses in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at Bridgewater-Raritan. Ed brought his entrepreneurial spirit to his school where he procured grants totaling over $93,000 in support of separate projects to: develop a program in which high school students teach science lessons to intermediate school students; fund high school students' independent study research projects; support SCORE, a mentoring program which matches students to research advisors in local industry; and modernize education technology across the school district. He also established need-based scholarships to allow students from low-income families to participate school in extra-curricular activities.
To supplement his teaching income and defray the costs of student loans, Ed started a small business doing home repairs, taking advantage of his business skills and construction talents.
In 2007, Ed was selected for the highly competitive Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, bringing him to Washington, DC to use his classroom experience to advise members of Congress on education policy. He received the Einstein fellowship twice, working in the DC office of Congressman Michael M. Honda. While in Washington, Ed recognized that too many members of Congress were career politicians who are more concerned with protecting their own jobs than with saving or creating jobs in the communities they represented. Ed was inspired to run and use his real world working experience as a teacher, scientist, and small business owner to help the communities in New Jersey’s 7th district get our edge back.
Hobbies:
Ed enjoys reading, tennis, golf, skiing, singing, home improvements, cooking, SCUBA, hiking, running, biking, rock climbing, and camping.
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