Richard Conboy Lawrence, a teacher, innovator, and the Director of Fun at the Neil Klatskin Summer Camps at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, has built a life around being creative and forming connections. Since high school, he has gone from working with children and people with special needs at a camp to co-founding Conboy Manufacturing with his father and brother. Throughout this, he continued to combine his compassion with his creativity. With his teaching, his leadership, and his ability to make others laugh, Conboy brings his special energy to every space he enters, inspiring those who meet him along the way.
His journey began when he was 15 years old. “I started working with a 24-year-old non-verbal autistic man,” Conboy said. “And so I started babysitting him, and then when I was a junior in high school, I was told to get a summer job. So, I was put in contact with the special services program at the JCC, and I interviewed with them, and then I became a shadow for two special needs campers over the summer.” With this experience, Conboy was able to find his love for taking care of kids and adults with special needs. Conboy studied business at Ramapo College in New Jersey for one year until he switched over to his true calling: education.
“Every day is a different day, and, you know, some days they’re super energetic and outgoing, and some days they’re tired, and then that’s where I jump in to get them up and about,” Conboy said. He loves learning new things from his students and his colleagues and giving back to and helping his community. “Teaching in a classroom is the perfect place to do it,” he said.
Besides being a teacher, Conboy is also a leader and innovator. He came on board at the teen fellowship program at the JCC, where he leads a group of kids to gain confidence and become leaders themselves. “It’s about passing the baton to the next generation,” Conboy said.
Outside the classroom, his creativity led him to start Conboy Manufacturing with his brother and father. The company was created on the basis of his being a teacher and noticing students constantly drawing on their desks. What began as something that frustrated him eventually evolved into an innovation: a retractable desktop whiteboard with fidgets and organization tools. His invention has already been implemented in several schools and special education programs across Bergen County, allowing for both practicality and purpose.
A busy man he is, but it is known that Conboy’s work at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades holds a special place in his heart. As someone who isn’t Jewish, Conboy wasn’t sure if he was going to fit in when he first began working at the JCC. But it ended up quickly becoming like a second home to him. “I didn’t even know a place like this existed. But once I started, I saw how welcoming the community is,” Conboy said. “The Jewish values here—like tikkun olam (repairing the world)—are woven into everything, sometimes subtly, but always meaningfully. Those values have rubbed off on me, especially the idea of giving back and welcoming everyone. The JCC gives kids a sense of belonging. It helps them feel proud of who they are, and it builds community from a young age.” He sees the JCC as a space where people of all backgrounds come together, united by shared values of kindness and learning.
Today, whether he’s in his classroom, at camp, or brainstorming new inventions, Conboy continues to bring excitement into everything he does. “Tomorrow isn’t promised, so I try to make every Monday feel like a Saturday, making the most out of every day [I’m] given,” he said. His combination of creativity and caring shapes the students he teaches and reminds everyone around him to mimic his core values: that leadership starts with connection, and that having fun is the best way to learn.
