Denise T King
- Working for You
I am Denise T. King and am looking forward to representing you in the New Jersey legislature as your Senator. As a CEO with almost forty years in the state system and private sector of health care I know how to get things done in the right way and for the right price.
Why I am Running
For the past 12 months I have headed up a COVID response team for Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, NJ assuring that patients, staff and the almost 400 clinicians were safe during active COVID. After which I coordinated the staff and patient testing program and then the COVID vaccination program for all 600 staff, 130 patients, volunteers and families. We recently completed over 1,200 vaccinations without wasting any of the precious vaccine! I saw staff be furloughed, patients and staff lose their lives and people wondering will there be a future.
This experience has made me look at our elected representatives of the 23rd legislative district and what they were doing for residents of the 23rd?.
They were doing nothing.
Nothing.
Now I know you can assist people with getting COVID vaccines when they can’t navigate the system, that you can support people and business during a pandemic so that they can survive after the pandemic is over.
If I know this, why don't they?
As a CEO I have 30 years managing budgets for large state developmental centers and private healthcare organizations across three different state systems.
For 16 of those 30 years I have been the CEO of Woodbine Developmental Center, Oak Hills Of Somerset, KY, and Central Virginia Training Center, Lynchburg, VA. In these roles I answered to the Commissioner of the Departments of Human Services in those states, thus two ranks down from the Governor. These duties have given me experience in running very large operations with up to 500 patients, 1200 staff; and $60 million dollar Budgets which were developed with the General Services Administration of those states’ Fiscal Offices.
During these years I learned how to make the most of the state dollars during good times and lean times - so yes, I do know how to squeeze a nickel!!!
The majority of my career has been advocating for the public welfare for people with developmental disabilities. I now want to take it to the next level and advocate for the people of LD 23.
I have always been involved in my professional associations to assure that there we were building capacity in the community for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association; New Jersey Hospital Association ; APDDA- Association for Public Developmental Disabilities Administrators.
My campaign is not a one size fits all campaign. Each of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties have issues unique to them, and needs to be advocated for as such.
About Me
I am a Jersey born girl, the youngest of (5) children and was raised on a farm in Milmay, NJ in Atlantic County. My father died at 59 when I was 16, and from then I and my sisters cared for my mother until she was (90). My family now includes my husband, four children of my own and seven grandchildren.
I attended University of Pennsylvania- School of Nursing on a scholarship. I was raised as a Catholic and am a practicing member of the Metchuchen Diocese, and attend Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Annandale.
My husband was my colleague at Matheny Medical and Educational Center; we found our values and goals in life were the same, and the rest is history. I am an avid dog lover and previously owned a six acre kennel in South Jersey, and have rescued over 16 dogs in the past 40 years. Currently we have a two year old American Bulldog/ Staffordshire Terrier rescue.