You’re invited to un après-midi à Paris!

The Junior League of Greater Princeton (JLGP) Spring Tea returns to TPC Jasna Polana on Thursday, April 25th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. The 2024 Spring Tea is a great way to celebrate the JLGP’s commitment to women’s leadership development and impact on the community. As this year’s largest fundraiser, the Spring Tea supports our mission, programs, and outreach, and allows us to continue our work of empowering women leaders and serving our community.

Click here to purchase tickets or sponsorships.

If you have any questions about sponsorships, please contact Kiyana Richardson, the JLGP’s Development Manager, by email at development@jlgp.org or phone at 609.256.1471, option #4.

Attire: Festive spring- think pastels, florals, jumpsuits, dresses, fun blazers and of course, a fascinator if you have one you’d love to don. The event is Parisian themed.

Speakers

Ambika Alagona

Nurse Practitioner, Jersey Coast Vascular Institute

Ambika Alagona is a woman of many hats. By day, she is a Vascular Surgery Nurse Practitioner at Jersey Coast Vascular Institute, part of Ocean University Medical Center. By evening, she is a mom to a bright six-year-old boy and a Disney loving four-year-old girl. Ambika is a Doctoral Candidate, graduating next month from the University of Pennsylvania with her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. Her pursuit for higher education has guided Ambika along a wonderful path of learning and, in turn, teaching Undergraduate nursing students at Monmouth University and Georgian Court University. She balances her life as a Reiki master and avid lover of holistic modalities. Her love of exercise and meditation has trickled down to her career and emotional success. Ambika’s mantra that she lives by is to consciously create your habits, because your habits unconsciously create your reality.

Nelida Valentin

Vice President of Grants and Programs, Princeton Area Community Foundation

Nelida Valentin serves as Vice President of Grants and Programs for the Princeton Area Community Foundation, where she supports the foundation’s mission of “promoting philanthropy to advance the well-being of our communities forever”. Born and raised in Newark, NJ, Ms. Valentin began her career in public service in 1987 with the State of New Jersey. Prior to PACF, she served as Director of Cluster and Business Development at NJIT’s Innovation Institute. Notably, Ms. Valentin served as Executive Director of the Newark Workforce Investment Board.

Ms. Valentin was appointed to the Board of Directors of Stockton University in 2016 and is currently Board Chair. She also serves as Board Manager of The Regional Foundation.

Nelida holds a bachelor’s degree from Stockton State University and a master’s degree from Rutgers University – Eagleton Institute. She is a graduate of Leadership New Jersey and received a certificate in the Art and Practice of Leadership series at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Politics at Harvard University.

Brenda Ross-Dulan

Founder and Managing Principal, The Ross-Dulan Group

Brenda Ross-Dulan is Founder and Managing Principal of The Ross-Dulan Group, a boutique, diverse, woman-owned strategy consulting firm.

Previously, Ms. Ross-Dulan led the M&A integration of the Southern New Jersey Region of Wachovia and Wells Fargo—the largest merger in the banking industry. She also established RD Capital Partners to demonstrate that investments in underserved markets can be both transformative and profitable.

In October 2023, she was elected to the board of directors of the NJ Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Ms. Ross-Dulan has extensive experience in non-profit board governance. In January 2020, she became the first African American female to lead a majority chamber in the State of New Jersey.

She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and was ranked as one of the nation’s most powerful women in corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine. Ms. Ross-Dulan holds a BBA from Howard University and an MBA from UCLA.

JLGP Scholarship Program

Each year, the Junior League of Greater Princeton awards scholarships to female high school seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service and voluntarism. This year, the Junior League of Greater Princeton is awarding three $1,000 scholarships for excellence and leadership in ongoing volunteer activities and commitment to the community. Recipients must reside in the Junior League of Greater Princeton service area (Mercer County, New Jersey, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, as well as neighboring portions of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset Counties in New Jersey).

2024 Scholarship Committee

Lauren Ingargiola, Chair

Minda Alena

Lauren Berger

Amanda D’Angelo

Nichole Pine

Carolyn Plotkin

Jackie Schiffer

Rachel Seimetz

Sarah Sullivan

2024 Scholarship Recipients

Alena Buckland

I am a senior at Somerville High School. I enjoy gymnastics, exercising, reading, studying, and spending time with friends and family. Outside of academics, I believe it is important and necessary to give back to the community. What I have found most fulfilling has been volunteering as an American Sign Language teacher at a local elementary school in a low-income area, a Kindergarten reading tutor, and serving as officer of several community service clubs. I plan to attend Lehigh University in the Fall to study Finance.

Zobia Chaudhry

As a student at Nottingham High School, I am immersed in a rich academic environment, nurturing my passion for neuroscience while actively participating in organizing Red Cross blood drives, fundraising for the American Heart Association, and supporting the American Breast Cancer Foundation. Outside of school, I volunteer at RWJ hospital, aiding in various capacities, from translating to transporting patients. Concurrently, I am also a volunteer coach for NJTL-T and a tournament coordinator, empowering low-income students through tennis. With aspirations to become a neurologist or neurosurgeon, I hope to utilize my career to foster community well-being. Thus, in the future, I aim to offer free health education classes, debunk medical misconceptions, and foster trust between communities and medical institutions. By providing holistic care and promoting vital medical skills, I aspire to support community growth and wellness.

Veronica Ma

My name is Veronica Ma and I am a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro North High School. I am passionate about debate, menstrual equity, and education for all. In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry, reading, sewing stuffed animals, and drawing. During my undergraduate studies, I plan to pursue English or Comparative Literature while continuing my passion for social advocacy on campus.

Thank you for supporting the JLGP!

MAJOR DONORS

Caroline Clouser

Hitomi Margadonna

SPONSORS (AS OF APRIL 8TH)

CITRON

Kiyana Richardson

Uta Steinhauser

OOLONG

Kathryn Herspiegel

Corinne Orlando

Carolyn Plotkin

JAUNE

Minda Alena

Leigh Harman

Ronnie Hock Garden & Landscape, LLC

Lace Silhouettes

Mercedes Benz of Princeton

Elizabeth Salita

Ruth Sayer

Pam Walker

3 Helping Hands

BLANC

Deborah Brown

Madolyn Greve

Kristen Prentice

Mara Pugliese

RISE

Katherin Romero

Kathryn Royal

Kathy Russo

Katherine Stephens

IN-KIND DONORS

Costco

Integrated Fitness

JM Group

McCaffrey’s

Moon Over Lavender and Sugar Farm on the Brook

The Switlik Foundation

Trader Joe’s

Wegmans

VENUE HOST

TPC Jasna Polana

SPEAKERS

Ambika Alagona

Brenda Ross-Dulan

Nelida Valentin

VENDORS

Brooke Straiton Photography

Jay Kelsey

Madame Cupcake

NJ DJ Sings LLC

Southern Inspiration Collection

VOLUNTEERS

Lauren Ingargiola

Carolyn Plotkin

Kristen Prentice

Casey Waltz