Ocean County Library Commission

Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari

Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari has served as a member of the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 1981 and is a staunch advocate for consumers, seniors, education, tourism, and the local business community.

Freeholder Vicari promotes doing business locally through his "Buy in Ocean County" program. He works with agencies and organizations that improve opportunities for business and jobs in the county as well as serving as liaison to the county seat's Business Advisory Council. He works closely with Ocean County's Workforce Investment Board to ensure training and education is available to help individuals qualify for employment opportunities.

As liaison to the Ocean County Airpark, he has overseen more than $14 million in improvements of which the federal and state governments paid 95 percent of the cost. He continues to spearhead a successful economic stimulus program providing seminars on doing business with the county and with the military. Several thousand people have attended the information sessions. With more than 160,000 older adults calling Ocean County home, Freeholder Vicari serves as Chairman of the Ocean County Office of Senior Services making certain quality programs and services are delivered to the county's senior residents.

He also serves as liaison to the Ocean County Library system.

As liaison to tourism, Freeholder Vicari guides the county's Matching Grants program, which helps fund non-profit organization efforts to benefit from the tourism economy.

He has received the Monmouth-Ocean Development Council Silver Gull Award for business achievement, the Toms River-Ocean County Chamber of Commerce Award for leadership and service, and has been honored as an Outstanding Leader by the Ocean County Tourism Advisory Council. He is a recipient of the 2004 Governor's Tourism Elected Official Leadership Award and the Southern New Jersey Development Council's Economic Development Award.

A Dover (Toms River) Township Committeeman from 1980 to 1994, Freeholder Vicari served as mayor of the state's tenth largest community five times.

After graduating St. Peter's College, Jersey City, he earned his M.A. in education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is retired as Superintendent of Schools for Berkeley Township.

He is the recipient of the March of Dimes Franklin Award and chaired the annual Walk America for 16 years. Named by the Columbia Civic League, the Italian-American Cultural Society of Ocean County, and UNICO as "Man of the Year" he also has been honored by numerous other organizations and civic groups including the Toms River Student Loan Fund. He received the Ocean County Probation Department's Community Service Award and the 26th Annual Adolph E. Woolley Good Scout Award. He is a member of the Columbia Civic League of Ocean County, Italian-American Cultural Society, the Seaside Italian-American Club, and the Central Ocean County Region Italian-American Social Club.

Freeholder Vicari has served as Board Director in 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014. He was sworn to his 11th three-year term on the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Jan. 4, 2012.

He and his wife Joyce, have two adult children, Dina Marie, and Joe. The family attends St. Justin's R. C. Church in Toms River Township.