William R. Fernekes

Born in Jersey City NJ in 1952, William R. (Bill) Fernekes is a graduate of the Township of Ocean (Monmouth County NJ) public schools, Class of 1970.  He attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick NJ, graduating in 1974 with a B. A. in history and a NJ social studies teaching certificate.  His career began in September 1974 at Hunterdon Central Regional HS in Flemington NJ, where he taught both social studies and Spanish language courses from 1974 to 1987, after which he was appointed the district's supervisor of social studies, a post he held from August 1987 until his retirement in December 2010.  Since January 2011, he has taught courses in social studies education, human rights and education, global education and teacher preparation at Rider University and the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.  His graduate study in Latin American history (M. A., Rutgers Graduate School, 1978) and social studies education (Ed. D., Rutgers Graduate School of Education, 1985) significantly influenced his ongoing professional development and leadership roles in social studies education at local, state and national levels.  He has authored numerous articles, essays and book reviews, as well as four books:  Children's Rights:  A Reference Handbook (With Beverly C. Edmonds, ABC-CLIO, 1996), The Oryx Holocaust Sourcebook (Greenwood Press, 2002), The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education, co-edited with Gloria T. Alter (Rowlan and Littlefield, 2022) and Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism (Lexington Books, 2023).  A dedicated advocate of human rights education and social justice, he served as advisor/co-advisor of the Amnesty International campus chapter at Hunterdon Central Regional High School for 25 years, and he is currently a member of the national steering committee of Human Rights Educators USA, where he also hosts the monthly podcast Human Rights Education NOW!.  He resides in Flemington NJ with his wife Sheila, an award-winning jewelry artist.