P.O. Box 1236 ● Trenton, NJ 08607 ● info@elfnj.org

Four Named to Serve on State-Level Education Foundation

TRENTON, July 15, 2009 — Four new members were recently appointed to the board of trustees of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey. Established last year by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the foundation secures non-tax revenue to advance effective public school governance through the training of local school board members and research.

The four newest members of the foundation’s board include:

• Maria Alamo, former member of the Nutley Board of Education, and founder of the Nutley Educational Foundation
• Kevin E. Ciak, Immediate Past President of the New Jersey School Boards Association, and a member of the Sayreville Board of Education
• Kathleen M. Kisko, assistant secretary of state, New Jersey Department of State
• Kevin Lau, Esq., a partner at Greer Scocca & Lau, LLC, Marlton

Recent state law and regulation restrict the use of public funds for board member training, limiting the extent of programs offered to the state’s local school board members. By securing grants and other non-tax revenue, the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey will enable NJSBA to expand the variety and depth of its board member training.

Approximately 4,800 men and women serve on New Jersey’s local boards of education. They receive no compensation for their service.

“Effective local school board leadership is critical in delivering a vital government service to more than 1.4 million New Jersey children each year,” said Harry J. Delgado, NJSBA president. “Public education constitutes over one-third of the state budget and well over half of the average community’s expenditures.”

The Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey began operating in December 2008 as a not-for-profit organization, approved under the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1954, section 501(c)(3). Its Board of Trustees sets policies, establishes the annual budget and oversees finances, determines annual goals and objectives, advises the chief executive officer and provides advice on potential funding sources.

The four new members, each appointed in June by a vote the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey’s Board of Trustees, will serve on the 11-member board. Ciak and Alamo will serve to 2010; Kisko and Lau’s term will run to 2011. The other members of the foundation include:

• David C. Hespe (chairman), associate professor, Educational Leadership Department, Rowan University; former New Jersey State Commissioner of Education
• Christopher Emigholz (treasurer), vice president for education policy, New Jersey. Business and Industry Association
• John Bulina, vice president for finance, New Jersey School Boards Association; member, Tabernacle Township Board of Education.
• Dana Elizabeth Egreczky, vice president for workforce development, New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce
• Stephanie Fisher, county liaison, Camden County Human Relations Commission; former president, Camden County School Boards Association; former member, Eastern Camden County Regional Board of Education
• Ellen Mushinski, director of educational initiatives, New Jersey Network
• Lloyd Rosenberg, principal, DMR Architects, Hasbrouck Heights

Marie S. Bilik, executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association, is the foundation’s chief executive officer and, by virtue of her office, serves as a non-voting member of the board.