Bruce H. Bergen, Chairman
Bruce H. Bergen is the Chairman of the Raritan Valley Coalition and was a Union County County Commissioner (previously known as Freeholder) from 2013 until 2018. He is a lifelong resident of Union County and lives in Springfield. He is associated with the Cranford law firm of Krevsky, Silber & Bergen, and has been a practicing attorney for more than 40 years. He currently serves as the Union County Counsel.
Appointed twice as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s District XII Attorney Ethics Committee, Bergen served as Chairman in 2009-2010. He is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Cranford and has been named a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Bergen serves as a Trustee of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys, the state municipal attorney organization affiliated with the New Jersey League of Municipalities and as Associate Editor of the Institute’s Local Government Law Review. In 2005, Bergen was designated a Diplomate in New Jersey Local Government Law. Throughout the years, he has been honored for his legal and public affairs accomplishments by various organizations.
Peter S. Palmer, Immediate Past Chairman
Peter S. Palmer is the Immediate Past Chairman of Raritan Valley Coalition and a former Somerset County Commissioner. He is a lifelong resident of Somerset County and Bernardsville. He served in the US Army Signal Corps and earned an Honorable Discharge as a 1st Lieutenant and he acquired his Bachelor’s Degree at Cornell University and received his Master of Science Degree at Princeton University.
Palmer also completed courses for NJ State accreditation as a Certified County and Municipal Finance Officer and while in office as chairman has participated in various service activities. He has also received various awards like the NJ Association of the Counties Freeholder of the Year in 2011 and the NJ Conference of Mayors Leadership Award in 2007. He also managed award winning construction of his own landmark commercial building in Bernardsville from 1991-1993.
Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded
Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded is currently the Chairwoman of the Union County Board of County Commissioners. She was elected to the board in November of 2018 to serve her first three-year term as Commissioner. In 2021, Palmieri-Mouded was re-elected to her second term. She just completed 2023 as Vice-Chairwoman and is now serving as Chairwoman for the first time in 2024.
She announced a series of initiatives for 2024, titled “Growing Together in Union County,” with a few key focuses on enhancing connectivity, inclusivity, supporting seniors, mental health, women’s initiatives, and fostering family connections.
Chairwoman Palmieri-Mouded’s vision includes launching a new app and updating the county’s website for residents’ easy access and senior enrichment programs that focus on social activities, swim lessons, and a Seniors Against Scams program. Addressing mental health, the Chairwoman introduced the Train the Trainer Mental Health Program and she emphasized her support for women, relaunching the Union County Commission on the Status of Women. Her family connections involve a reading and tutoring program, expanded youth programs, a mobile sensory unit, and the purchase of aquatic wheelchairs. Lastly, a motivating literacy initiative, inspired by a young resident, Ben Steinberg, who was present at the reorganization meeting, that will introduce inclusive books in 116 Union County public elementary school libraries.
As a Commissioner in 2021, Palmieri-Mouded served as Chair of the Open Space Recreational & Historic Preservation Trust Board. During that time, the Trust Fund Board awarded $1.455 million in matching grants for the Kids Recreation, Greening Union County and Preserve Union County initiatives. She also served on the Fiscal Committee as well as the Public Works and Facilities Committee.
Palmieri-Mouded also served as the Commissioner Liaison to Advisory Boards, including the Union County Performing Arts Center Board of Trustees, the Youth Services Commission, the Homeless Trust Fund Advisory Board, the Advisory Board on the Disabled, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Union County College Board of School Estimates.
In 2022, she chaired Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee of the Commissioner Board, and served on the Fiscal and Parks & Administrative Code committees.
Chairwoman Palmieri-Mouded earned a B.A. in English and an M.P.S. in Criminal Justice Leadership from St. John’s University in Staten Island, New York. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for the University’s Division of Student Affairs as the Assistant to the Dean before becoming Associate Dean for Student Life. She also taught freshman level courses for several semesters.
In addition to teaching courses and managing a large financial budget, Palmieri-Mouded supervised many projects, events, activities, and programs. She oversaw all student organizations and planned and organized various experiences and off-campus community service projects for the school and the local community.
After the premature birth of twins, Palmieri-Mouded made the decision to leave St. John’s University and stay home to take care of her children. Currently, she serves as class parent at her children’s elementary school, along with other volunteer roles.
A lifelong resident of Union County, Palmieri-Mouded was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, and now lives in Westfield with her husband George and their five children: Matthew, Christopher, Nicholas, Ryan and Adeline.
Bette Jane Kowalski, Alternate
Bette Jane Kowalski is a Commissioner from Union County. A lifelong resident of Cranford, she has a Master’s degree in Journalism from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
She has promoted shared county-local services and has worked to add hundreds of acres of land to the Union County parks system. She was recently honored by the Union County Women’s Political Caucus as a Notable Woman in Politics, and by the United Way of Greater Union County with the 2013 Dell Raudelunas Spirit of Caring Award.
She has served on numerous boards and committees including the Human Services Advisory Council, the Economic Development Committee, the Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board, and the Policy and Administrative Code Committee.