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Former Andrus Awardee Finds Purpose in Service
Dale Caldwell’s natural calling
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Dale Caldwell says the secret to happiness in life is simple: balance.
He’s a regular on the tennis court. He serves as the state’s Democrat-elected lieutenant governor, who was voted into office in November 2025 on a ticket with Gov. Mikie Sherrill. She also appointed him secretary of state, New Jersey’s top elections official. He sets aside time each week to prepare a Sunday sermon for Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, where he is pastor.
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“Kind of a little secret of mine is I try to push myself spiritually, mentally and physically, and so it just brings balance,” Caldwell says.
That thinking has helped sustain decades of volunteer service. When AARP New Jersey presented Caldwell with its 2021 Andrus Award for Community Service — the organization’s most prestigious state-level volunteer honor — he had already served on a variety of volunteer organizations’ boards for a combined 49 years.
Volunteer service, for Caldwell, who turns 66 in July, is practically a birthright.
Four generations of his family have been ministers. Caldwell can trace his lineage back to African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Morris Brown, for whom Morris Brown College in Atlanta is named. His father, the Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell Jr., marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His mother, Grace Caldwell, taught school for 50 years.
“You grow up in that family, and you think a lot about those who are struggling,” he says. “You feel that it is part of your duty to actually do something for those who are hurting.”
He carries Proverbs 31:8-9 as his guide — the call to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Those verses connect his ministerial roots to every board he has joined and every student he has advocated for.
Rooted in Education
Much of Caldwell’s service has been rooted in education. For 26 years, he was on the New Brunswick Board of Education, six of them as president. Jennifer Shukaitis, an associate professor at Rutgers University who served with him for part of that time, says he was a principled yet approachable leader.
“He had a very strong sense of justice and fairness, especially when it came to the students,” she says. His credo, if Shukaitis were to describe it, “was justice and access for all students.”
Caldwell also spent almost 25 years on the board of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, 21 of them as president. The statewide body provides specialized education and services for students with disabilities. During his tenure, the organization grew from one with a $35 million budget to one with a $160 million budget.
“He was not afraid of change, not afraid of expansion,” says Nadia Romano, the commission’s current superintendent. “Dale always said this is the most vulnerable population, and it’s our job to make sure we’re educating them and caring for them.”
Beyond education, Caldwell developed an anti-poverty concept he calls Entrepreneur Zones — small-business ecosystems that provide job training and social-emotional support in low-income communities. He helped push the concept into state legislation and chaired a New Jersey Economic Development Authority working group that studied its viability. A related emphasis appears in the mission of the Black Excellence Alliance, a nonprofit he co-founded.
An avid tennis player, Caldwell also founded the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in Richmond, Virginia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton, an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in education from Seton Hall University.
At the time of presenting Caldwell’s award, AARP New Jersey then-State Director Stephanie Hunsinger, speaking of his work to create jobs, said his volunteerism “is improving life ... and helping people to age with dignity and purpose.”
What would Caldwell say to potential volunteers?
“Once you find a community you want to volunteer in,” he says, “there’s a happiness that defies human understanding that comes from helping others.”
More on Volunteering
- Explore AARP Volunteer Opportunities
- Read Stories of AARP Volunteers Making an Impact
- Learn How to Nominate Someone for AARP's Top Volunteer Award
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