Arlene M. Olla is an 11-year resident of Hamilton Township. She was born and bred in Poughkeepsie, NY, and relocated to the central NJ area in 1984.

Arlene's background is as a communications and marketing professional, primarily in the medical/pharmaceutical area. She graduated in 1981 with a BS degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, following two years of pre-medicine studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. While at the University of Colorado, she was vice president of the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists/SDX.

Following her graduation, Arlene worked as a reporter for a chain of weekly newspapers in Millbrook, NY. She then moved into the medical editing and writing field, first as an assistant at Emergency Medicine, a biweekly medical journal published in New York; as a writer, managing editor and editor of a range of medical magazines for companies in Ewing, NJ, and Newtown, PA; and as an editor and pharmaceutical industry analyst with Scott-Levin Associates, Newtown, PA.

In 1988, Arlene joined Bristol-Myers Squibb and spent more than 13 years managing corporate and divisional communications for an international audience. She managed U.S. and Europe-based teams of writers, photographers and publication designers, and helped develop the strategies to more effectively use a combination of print, video and Web-based tools to communicate with employees worldwide.

In 2002, she began a consulting career in communications and marketing and also became a licensed Realtor. She currently works out of ERA Advantage Realty Inc. in Cream Ridge.

Arlene and her husband Donald have a three-year-old son (as well as a 10-year-old German Shepherd dog). She is an active member of her community, and currently serves as president of the Hamilton-based Family of Friends, an organization that promotes family life and community spirit among mothers and their young children. She also is a member of Kiwanis International.