Ex press Hopewell
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april 2026 FREE
Q&A with township mayor David Chait Interview by Joe EManski David Chait, who is serving his second term on the Hopewell Township, has served since the start of 2026 as mayor of the township for the first time. Chait, 41, spent last year as deputy mayor to Courtney Peters-Manning, who was his running mate in the 2025 township committee elections. Both won re-election and are beginning new three-year terms this year. Chait grew up in Edison and attended Edison public schools before heading to Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and later, a master’s degree in business administration. His mother was a special education teacher in the Monroe school district for 30 years. His father owned a video store, Cameo Video, with Chait’s grandfather during the early years of VHS video rental. Chait says that was when he first became passionate about small business. Today, in addition to serving as mayor, Chait is founder and CEO of Travefy, a subscription software business with more than 40,000 travel adviser customers around the world. Its customers are predominantly “solopreneurs” and small businesses, Chait says. Travefy has
an office in Hopewell Township. Chait started his career as a consultant at McKinsey and Company, going on to serve in the Obama administration as senior policy adviser to Karen Mills, the Cabinet-level administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. “I walked away with the entrepreneurial bug, and started Travefy soon after, while in business school,” Chait says. Chait’s wife, Amanda, has a degree in historic preservation and has worked both public and private sector jobs as an architectural historian and preservationist. She’s currently a full-time mom to daughters Julia (10) and Sally (7), who are 5th and 2nd graders at Bear Tavern Elementary. The family also has two goldendoodles, Lincoln and Nash. HE: Why did you decide to make Hopewell Township your home? David Chait: It’s funny how little decisions in life compound into big ones. We moved back East from Lincoln, Nebraska with a baby and dog in tow, landed in Princeton Junction, and very quickly started looking for the perfect place to raise our family. Nothing came close to Hopewell Township. Beautiful landscapes, countless parks, world-class schools, See MAYOR, Page 6
Hopewell Valley senior and Jack Stephan Scholarship winner Matt Helmrich, right, with his parents Jen and Rob at the annual George Wah Scholarship dinner. (Photo by Rich Fisher.)
Scholar-athletes recognized at annual George Wah dinner By Rich Fisher At the George Wah ScholarLeader-Athlete Awards Dinner, sponsored by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, all 19 high school honorees received a $1,000 scholarship. But only one can take home the Jack Stephan Scholarship of
$5,000. This year, Matthew Helmrich was the “Chosen One.” The Hopewell Valley Central High senior walked off with the night’s major award at the 64th annual dinner, held March 8. “As with all our StudentLeader-Athletes, Matt has excelled on and off the field,” chapter president Eric Hamilton said. “He has worked hard
Jack’s
to keep Hopewell a winning program but continues to also work hard to help the Hopewell community, especially those with special needs. “He strives to be the best student he can be and as a result, he has many options to choose from moving forward. His family and his teammates support him 100 percent in his future See DINNER, Page 14
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