Ginger Gold Schnitzer, director of government relations for the New Jersey Education Association, is retiring after a 22-year career with the organization.

The labor leader is pursuing an opportunity at St. Peter’s University’s Guarani Institute in March of 2019. She started working at the NJEA in 1997, and has served as the powerful organization’s director for 12 years.

“I’m going to go be an academic,” she told InsiderNJ. “The NJEA is as strong as ever because of our members. I’m confident that the future of the organization is bright.”

The position that Gold Scnitzer will fill at Guarani used to be occupied by Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31).