Judy Bergtraum brings to the Panel for Educational Policy a lifetime of experience in education and a strong commitment to New York City’s children. The daughter of two prominent civic leaders, she is part of their legacy: her father, Murry Bergtraum, was a member of the NYC Board of Education from 1969-1973, first serving as Vice President, and then as President during the period of decentralization. Ms. Bergtraum’s mother, Edith Bergtraum, was a teacher at PS 143 for 25 years, and a 19-year member of Community School Board, District 25. Murry Bergtraum HS for Business Careers in Manhattan is named in honor of her father and Edith K. Bergtraum, PS 165 in Queens in honor of her mother.
Judy absorbed her parents’ passion for helping children. After graduating from Forest Hills High School, she went on to receive her BA and Master of Science in Special Education from Boston University and then returned to New York to become a teacher. She taught elementary school students, both general and special education, in Queens.
Aiming to increase her opportunities to impact large educational decisions, Ms. Bergtraum decided to pursue a law degree. She graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1984, and went on to work in a variety of City government jobs, including Director of Special Education Data Tracking for the Board of Education, Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services for the City of New York, and First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. Judy served on Community School Board 25 from 1994 until the local boards were replaced by Community Educational Councils; she then served as President of District 25’s CEC until 2008 when term limits required that she step down.
She also serves as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library, as well as Secretary of the Board of Directors for Fedcap, a not-for-profit organization that provides training and job opportunities for people who have barriers to employment.
She is currently working at the City University of New York (CUNY), as Deputy to the Vice Chancellor for Facilities, Planning, Construction and Management.
She can be contacted at:
JBergtraum@schools.nyc.gov