About Fang Gong

Meet Fang

​​Fang Gong is a Livingston Board of Education member, public education advocate, community volunteer, and parent of two children in Livingston Public Schools. Her daughter is entering sixth grade at Mount Pleasant Middle School, and her son is entering third grade at Burnet Hill Elementary School.  Fang and her husband have lived in Livingston since 2010. As both a Board member and an LPS parent, she understands public education through the responsibilities of governance and the everyday experiences of students and families. She believes strong schools are sustained not by any one person, but through partnership among students, families, educators, staff, administrators, Board members, and the broader community.

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Elected to the Board in 2023, Fang has spent her first term listening, learning, and building a deeper understanding of the district. She has served in committee and liaison assignments involving curriculum, equity, policy, long-range planning, strategic planning, the Parent-Teacher Council, and several Livingston schools.  Through this work, Fang has focused on responsible oversight, stronger school-family communication, greater transparency, and decisions centered on educational excellence and the well-being of every student. She believes effective Board service requires preparation, independent judgment, respect for differing perspectives, and the ability to work constructively as part of a team.

Fang also serves as Livingston’s voting delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association, representing the district in the Association’s Delegate Assembly and statewide school-governance discussions. She earned the NJSBA New Board Member Boardsmanship Certification and has completed the training and credit requirements associated with the next certification level. In 2026, she was selected to serve on the NJSBA Nominating Committee Task Force.

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For Fang, continued training is not about titles. It is part of the responsibility she accepted when voters elected her—to understand governance, policy, ethics, public finance, and the long-term consequences of Board decisions.  Her work in education policy has also extended beyond Livingston. As a JerseyCAN Policy Fellow, Fang developed a proposal for responsible artificial intelligence governance in K–12 public education, grounded in:  Transparency · Equity · Ethics.  The proposal later advanced into companion legislation in the New Jersey Legislature as Assembly Bill A5184 and Senate Bill S4469. Fang completed the fellowship with an Excellence Award. The experience reinforced her belief that meaningful progress comes through research, listening, collaboration, and the persistence to carry an idea from discussion toward action.

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Born and raised in Tianjin, China, Fang came to the United States in 2005 to pursue graduate study. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and induction into Pi Alpha Alpha, the honor society for public affairs and administration. She also completed graduate-level training in project management through George Washington University.  Her early public-service experience included internships with the United Nations and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Her professional background includes higher education administration, international programs, nonprofit research, communications, and project management, with experience at Rutgers University, Montclair State University’s School of Business, and the Global Education Center.

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Beyond the Board, Fang remains actively involved in Livingston civic life. She serves as Vice Chair of the Livingston Chinese Association and has helped develop community partnerships, civic engagement programs, cultural events, and volunteer initiatives. She has also participated in organizations supporting the arts, the library, voter education, disability inclusion, diversity, and local history.

Her service has been recognized through the Essex County Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month honor, the Hazel Frank Gluck Award from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, and the United Chinese Americans Outstanding Community Service Award.

Fang is seeking re-election because the work ahead will require experience, responsible management, clear communication, and strong teamwork. As Livingston considers important decisions about the future of its schools, she is committed to listening carefully, explaining issues honestly, working collaboratively, and helping build the public understanding and trust needed to move the district forward.

Her commitment remains:

Accountability in how decisions are made and public resources are managed.
Belonging so that every student and family feels heard and respected.
Compassion in how the community approaches difficult choices and supports one another.

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Fang believes lasting progress is rarely the work of one person. It comes from people who stay engaged, accept responsibility, communicate openly, and work together toward a shared goal.