Tara Canavera is a social worker who has lived with her husband Eric in Highland Park since 2007. They have two children, daughter Samantha (21) and son Jared (12). Tara is a case manager at Community Care Behavioral Health in Piscataway and she has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Kean University.  

Tara has been an active volunteer in the Borough for the last 12 years. She has been a member of the Commission on Universal Access for over a decade. Tara also has served as a member of the Human Relations and Recreation commissions and was a founding member of the Borough's Public Information Committee. 

Tara has been involved in the local school system as well, as the co-president of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council and as a PTO board member. She also served as a parent representative to the hiring committee for the school district and as a member of the Highland Park Board of Education's Communications Task Force in 2014. 

Prior to becoming a social worker Tara was a portrait photographer. Once the company she worked for closed, Tara and her family faced financial hardships. It was these hardships that made Tara interested in getting involved in government, as she saw an economic divide in the community. 

Tara is passionate about the town being truly inclusive to all the residents, protecting the environment, and finding ways to stabilize taxes, by bringing in more businesses to the town. As Councilwoman she will serve on the Arts, Finance, and Recreation committees.