Meet the Board of Education Candidate: Kristin Cohen

Cranford voters will choose Board of Education members in the Nov. 3 election. Union County Life is sharing candidate answers collected by TAPinto Cranford, which asked each candidate, including Christopher Kolibas and Derrick Rose, to answer the same set of questions. This profile features incumbent Kristin Cohen, who is seeking reelection after three years on the Cranford Board of Education.

Cohen said she believes deeply in a high quality public education system that prepares every student for success in life. She said schools should offer a challenging academic curriculum that encourages critical thinking and should support the whole child emotionally, mentally, and socially. She said she has tried to represent children, families, community members, and taxpayers while guiding the district to new levels of excellence in fiscally responsible ways.

Cohen earned a bachelor of science in biology from Mary Washington College, now the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She later earned a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Maryland Baltimore and entered the Rutgers University Newark graduate nursing program in 2018 to work toward a doctorate. She works as a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth.

Cohen has lived in Cranford for 20 years. She and her husband moved to New Jersey from Maryland in 2006. She has three daughters in Cranford schools, including a junior at Cranford High School, an eighth grader, and a fifth grader.

Cohen said the district recently opened tuition free full day kindergarten and is completing the largest set of capital improvements in more than six decades. Her next priority is adding air conditioning to every classroom across the district’s eight school buildings. She said classrooms often become too hot on many spring and fall days, and the district’s current solution of moving to a half day schedule means students miss important instruction time.

Cohen also said recent energy efficiency projects and solar panel installations will help offset expenses.

TAPinto Cranford’s interview series includes the same questions for all Board of Education candidates. Christopher Kolibas and Derrick Rose are also on the ballot.

Find more Cranford election coverage, school news, and local updates on Union County Life.

Q: Who is Kristin Cohen?
A: Kristin Cohen is a Cranford resident and incumbent member of the Cranford Board of Education. She is running for reelection after three years on the board.

Q: When is the Cranford Board of Education election?
A: The election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Q: Who else is running for the Cranford Board of Education?
A: TAPinto Cranford identified Christopher Kolibas and Derrick Rose as the other candidates.

Q: What is Cohen’s top priority if she is reelected?
A: Cohen said her next priority is adding air conditioning to every classroom across the district’s eight school buildings, so students do not have to move to a half day schedule on hot days.

Q: What is Cohen’s professional background?
A: Cohen is a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth. She holds a bachelor of science in biology and a bachelor of science in nursing, and she entered a Rutgers University Newark graduate nursing program in 2018.