Polow wins Jefferson Award

MILLBURN, NJ — Nancy Polow, owner and director of Suburban Speech Center in Short Hills, was awarded the NJ State Governor’s Jefferson Award in the executive leadership award category. Polow graduated from Columbia High School in 1964 and lived in South Orange until 1995.

The Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 as the official program of the United States Senate to recognize public service and volunteerism. In New Jersey the awards are also the official recognition program of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism.

Polow is recognized both locally and nationally as a leader in the field of speech-language pathology. She is known for her extensive volunteer work in the New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association. She was recognized by her NJSHA colleagues when they awarded her “The Outstanding Clinical Achievement Award,” “President’s Award for Excellence” and the “Honors of the Association.” Her most recent award, the Distinguished Professional Service Award, was received in 2014 from NJSHA. Nancy has been featured on CBS “This Morning,” as well as the National Geographic Network. Besides holding positions as president, vice president and convention chairperson, her work with Gov. Thomas Kean was instrumental to the passage of the licensure bill in 1984.

Polow also was invited to volunteer and participate at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University. Her achievements were recognized by the Scientific Learning Corporation when she was presented with the Leadership Award and the first Pat Wilson Award.

Polow established Suburban Speech Center 40 years ago and has served as director since that time.