Liz Is An Extraordinary Patch Community Leader

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — Without community leaders, Scotch Plains wouldn’t hum along nearly as smoothly as it does. We’d miss their contributions in big and small ways.

Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize these often unsung community leaders and celebrate their contributions.

This submission comes from Kim Charles, a Scotch Plains reader who nominated Elizabeth (Liz) Nolley Tillman.

How do you know this community leader?

Liz and I are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated where she currently serves as President of the Phi Eta Omega Chapter, serving Scotch Plains, and greater Union County, and its Ivy Dream Foundation.

What does this community leader do?

An active community volunteer, Liz is the immediate past Chair and current Vice Chair of the South Brunswick Commission on Women. She was appointed as a Commissioner in 2019 and elected as Chair in 2020. She assumed the role of Vice Chair in 2021.

Through her efforts, the Commission established an Instagram page to connect with the Township’s students, delivered virtual editions of its annual Career Pathways and Leadership Conference and annual Domestic Violence Walk during the pandemic, and awarded nearly $5,000 in scholarships to local female high school students.

It was under her leadership that the Commission added a dignity drive component to its annual domestic violence walk in 2020. Since then, the Commission has donated nearly 10,000 personal care and feminine hygiene products to women’s shelters serving South Brunswick and its surrounding communities.

She has also served as a member of the Rutgers Customer Experience Advisory Board, member of the CMO Council and the Global Society of Empowered Women.

Liz is also a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, where she has held a number of positions at the chapter, regional, and international levels during her 34 years of consecutive service. She currently serves as Cluster IV (New Jersey State) Co-Coordinator for Alpha Kappa Alpha’s North Atlantic Region and is President of the Phi Eta Omega Chapter, serving Scotch Plains, and greater Union County, and its Ivy Dream Foundation.

She is also Parliamentarian and Social Action Co-Chairman of the National Pan Hellenic Council of Central Jersey. In this capacity, she has led the effort to raise and award over $20,000 in scholarships to college bound high school students across Union County; developed Phi Eta Omega’s Shark Tank Youth Entrepreneurs program; created a Teen Town Hall to facilitate engagement between new and future voters and elected officials; co-chaired statewide voter call out days that reached over 30,000 voters in advance of New Jersey’s primary and general elections; conducted numerous voter registration and education events; led a statewide effort among New Jersey’s historically Black fraternities and sororities that raised $5,750 to preserve the historic Shady Rest Golf and Country Club House, the first African American-owned golf and country club in the United States; served on the planning committee of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Juneteenth Celebration; hosted pop-up shops designed to support Black-owned businesses; advocated for womens and teen related issues as a co-organizer of AKA’s Day at the Capitol in Trenton; raised thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer, Sickle Cell and Pre-Eclampsia research and prevention; collected thousands of food items, snacks, clothing, books and school supplies to benefit youth across Union County; and hosted dignity drives collecting over 3,000 feminine hygiene products donated to women in need across Union County.

Her prior roles held at the local chapter level include serving as Parliamentarian, Bylaws Committee Chairman, Technology Chairman, Recording Secretary, First Vice President, Program Chairman, Financial Development Chairman and Publicity Chairman. Her service at the regional and international level includes serving as Regional Communications Chairman, Communications Committee Chairman for the 69th Boule, Regional Technology Committee Chairman, Regional Webmaster, and Registration Chairman for the North Atlantic Regional Conference and as a member of the International Technology Committee.

Why do you believe the community leader should be recognized or honored?

Liz is an extraordinary community leader and volunteer and a go-getter. She gives unselfishly of her time and talents and is an advocate for women's issues. She is the immediate past Chair and current Vice Chair of the South Brunswick Commission on Women where she led efforts to help victims of domestic violence, inspire students by creating a career and leadership conference and created programs that awarded $5000 in scholarships to local high school students. Liz has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated for more than 34 years where she served in various leadership positions, and has led the efforts to, raise and award over $20,000 in scholarships to high school students in Union County, and has been involved in voter registration drives, preservation of the historic Shady Rest Golf and Country Club, served on the planning committee of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Juneteenth Celebration and raised thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer, Sickle Cell and Pre-Eclampsia research and prevention. There is nothing Liz won't do to help others, and she always is the one in the room who says, "I'll do it".

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the community hero?

Although Liz has a fulfilling professional career, she ALWAYS finds time to serve her community. Even in her career, she is helping others. Professionally, she has over 30 years of marketing and communications experience and currently is owner of Purpose Filled Coaching, LLC where she is a coach and consultant who helps high-achieving corporate women align their careers with their purpose. She is a two-time Amazon best-selling author who has written two powerful self-help career books, and is a motivational speaker who helps individuals achieve purpose-filled living, work-life balance and other professional development-related topics.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.

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