LAEF Officers & Board Members

Board members as of April 10, 2008

Michelene Assad — President
Term ends: 2011
Michelene Assad is Senior Director of Total Data Solutions at Ventiv Sales and Marketing, based in Somerset, New Jersey, where she has continued to build on a long, successful career in management, data analysis, and business problem-solving. A graduate of Rutgers University where she earned a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Business, she went on to earn an AAS in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University. Michelene moved to West Amwell with her husband Richard in 2001. They have two daughters, Jasmine and Vanessa Jade, who both attend West Amwell Elementary School. Michelene brings her extensive experience in data management to her work with the LAEF board.

Tracy Giannattasio — Vice-President
Term ends: 2009
Tracy Giannattasio has lived in Stockton for over ten years with her husband Andrew who is a member of the Stockton Borough Council. They have four children Grace, Jacob, Isabella and Camilla who are enrolled in the Stockton Borough Elementary School. Tracy attended Albright College and Kean University where she received a BA in Elementary Education and Sociology. She has worked as an assistant teacher and has served on the Stockton Board of Education for 6 years. While on the Stockton School BOE she chaired various committees and was its Vice-President for 5 years. Tracy is currently a catechist at St. John the Evangelist and is also active in the PTO. Her interest in serving on the LAEF is grounded in her love for her children and in the belief that the more exposure children have to the fascinating world around them, they more they will want to actively engage in it.

Rich Tettemer — Treasurer
Term ends: 2010
Rich Tettemer was raised in Lambertville and attended both Lambertville Public School and SHRHS. After living together in Lambertville for six years, Rich and his wife, Deborah, moved to West Amwell in 1989. They have two sons, Zachary, who attends SHRHS, and Nathaniel, a student at West Amwell Elementary School. Rich works as an Operations Manager at Dendrite International in Bedminster, NJ, where he administers client relationships for all functional areas, services and projects for select corporate clients. He has an AAS degree in Computer Science and Data Processing from Mercer County Community College and is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute in Pennsylvania. Rich joined the LAEF in 2004 in order to work together with our schools to provide an exceptional learning experience for all the children in our community. In his capacity as the Foundation's treasurer, Rich issues checks for grants and tracks the flow of financial data.

Holly Schnell-McAndrew — Secretary
Term ends: 2009
Holly Schnell-McAndrew has lived in the Lambertville/Stockton area since 1999. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Holly has worked for various non-profit agencies including: Call and Response - a Maryknoll program located in Oaxaca, Mexico and Central America, Lutheran Family Services' adoption/foster care and refugee family services in Littleton, Colorado, and ETI of Bucks County as an advocate for the Employment with Disabilities Act. Holly spent several years in Honduras and Guatemala studying and working in conjunction with the University of Guatemala on an environmental project. She is currently employed by Lisa James Otto Country Properties in Stockton, NJ and holds licences as a real estate agent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition to her work with the LAEF, Holly is a member of the LPS PTA. Holly and her husband, John Molenari, live in Lambertville with their daughter, Lily, who attends Lambertville Public School.

Nina Cally
Term ends: 2011
Nina Cally joined the board in the fall of 2005, and her wide-ranging experience in public relations makes her a valuable addition to the Foundation. After graduating from Syracuse University?s Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1985, Nina worked as an editor, direct mail marketer and photographer in Boston and also as an employee of Grand Circle Travel. She moved to the Lambertville area with her husband James in 1999 and has been active in community work ever since. A member of the Swan Creek Rowing Club, the West Amwell PTO and the Jesus School Parents Support Group, Nina has also served as a member of the SHRHS 5-Year Strategic Planning Committee. She has three sons, Paul, Jes and Matthew, who attend the West Amwell Township Elementary School. Nina is currently serving as Chair of the West Amwell Subcommittee of the Program Committee and is also the Chair of the Volunteers Committee.

Barbara Coe
Term ends: 2010
Barbara Coe has lived in Lambertville with her husband, Bruce, for 11 years. Together, they have five grown children and 12 grandchildren. Barbara was a Senior Vice-President at Young and Rubicam Advertising in New York until 1994 when she moved to this area. Prior to her advertising career, she taught for many years in an innovative elementary school program in Westchester County. She received a BA degree from Vassar College, a Masters in Psychology from Columbia University, and an MBA from Pace University. Since 1994 Barbara has used her marketing skills to assist non-profits in the region. She is a trustee of Isles, a community development organization in Trenton, has served on the board of Fisherman?s Mark, and has done fundraising for Womanspace. Barbara has had a long-standing interest in education issues and a strong belief that education is the means to improving individual lives. She joined the LAEF board in 2004 as a way to act on her beliefs and increase community support for our public schools. Barbara is the Chair of the Nominating Committee and is also a member of the Public Relations Committee.

Kathy Ferry
Term ends: 2011
Kathy Ferry is a 2nd grade teacher with a Masters degree in Elementary Education. Her husband, Will, is a social studies supervisor and a member of the LPS Board of Education. She has two children, Patrick and Shannon, who attend Lambertville Public School. Kathy is a strong supporter of innovative educational programs and has been an LAEF board member since 2000. In addition to her activites with the Foundation, Kathy also devotes time to the Lambertville community by coaching cheerleading, teaching religious education, leading her daughter?s Brownie troop and as an active member of the PTA.

Audrey Frankowski
Term ends: 2010
Audrey Frankowski joined the LAEF board in 1996, serving initially as Treasurer and currently as Chair of the Program Committee, which reviews grant requests from teachers. She received her undergraduate degree in Theater Arts and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Performing Arts Management. After working in NYC and on-the-road with theater productions, Audrey and her husband, Rich, a theatrical technical director, settled in Lambertville. Their daughter is now a graduating senior and their son a 7th grader at SHRHS, and often over the years all four members of Audrey's family have worked together on the same school production. Through LAEF grants, this is Audrey?s fifth year directing 3rd and 4th grade LPS students in a play by Shakespeare for performances before the entire school and community. Audrey recently directed an outstanding performance of Gilbert and Sullivan?s The Pirates of Penzance at SHRHS. Though her main reason for joining LAEF was to help fund ?wish list? experiences for our students that could not be funded in the traditional way, her strong belief that the arts are critical to a child?s education has led her to focus particularly on bringing excellent opportunities to experience the arts to our schools.

Elizabeth Griffin
Term ends: 2009
Elizabeth Griffin has lived in Stockton and Delaware Township since 1973. She has worked in fields as diverse as banking, finance, film, and wine and liquor. She retired from Merrill Lynch Asset Management as a Senior Vice President, Manager Equity Trading. Elizabeth has a BA from St. John's University and is fluent in French and Spanish. She has a strong belief in the importance of community involvement as exemplified by her board membership on the Phillips Mill Community Association, Women's Crisis Services of Flemington, and the Riverside Symphonia where she has served as its Chair for many years.

Dana Kurtbek
Term ends: 2009
Dana Kurtbek became an LAEF board member in 2000, and since that time she has been instrumental to the success of many Foundation projects. She currently serves as chair of the Transition Subcommittee of the Program Committee and, in that capacity, she helps facilitate teacher-generated grants focusing on the ?transition? grades, i.e. 6th through 8th grades. In addition to her participation with the LAEF, Dana has long-standing involvements with several other local community-service organizations.

Phil Mackey
Term ends: 2011
Phil Mackey helped found the LAEF, and he is a charter member of its board. An education researcher, consultant and writer, he has lived in Lambertville for 18 years. Phil received a Ph.D in History from the University of Pennsylvania, taught at Rutgers University and was an executive with the New Jersey School Boards Association before becoming a private consultant. His many books include Your Public Schools: What You Can Do To Help Them and three editions of New Jersey?s Public Schools: A Biennial Report for the People of New Jersey. Phil brings his extensive knowledge of educational issues and his passion for excellence to his work with the Foundation. He is also a member of the Lambertville Zoning Board of Adjustment and chair of the Lambertville Community Dispute Resolution Panel. Phil is currently serves as Chair of the Public Relations Committee.

Robert Maggio
Term ends: 2010
Robert Maggio is a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Music Theory and Composition in the School of Music at West Chester University in West Chester, PA. A graduate of Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, Robert composes music for theater, dance and the concert hall. He is on the advisory board of the Riverside Symphonia and has served as an adjudicator for numerous professional and academic music competitions nationally. He lives in Lambertville, NJ with his partner, the artist Tony La Salle, and their daughter.

Chris Morgan
Term ends: 2010
Chris Morgan has lived in the Lambertville area since 2005, most recently in West Amwell. He has four children, including two school-aged children who have attended both LPS and West Amwell Elementary. Chris is a graduate of Lehigh University and the President and CEO of Corbeau Technologies, Inc., the software consulting firm that he founded to provide services to the financial industry. In addition to activities related to LAEF, Chris serves as a Trustee on the Hunterdon Medical System Board and volunteers his time coaching youth sports. The beneficiary of a great public education, he hopes to leverage his experiences to enrich the education and lives of  others.

Morley Panyko
Term ends: 2010
Morley Panyko moved to Lambertville with her husband Matt in 1980. She began her many volunteer activities on behalf of education when her oldest son began attending kindergarten at LPS in 1989. She became an active PTA member and initiated a program that enabled the school to receive free computers. Morley?s first tenure as a Lambertville Education Foundation member began in 1996 after she volunteered to work on the creation of a media center at LPS. She remained on the board until she was elected to the SHRHS Board of Education, where she served a three-year term. She then returned to the newly-expanded LAEF. Morley currently works with the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, where she runs the MIS unit in support of numerous assistance programs for the aged and disabled. She has two boys, Jesse and Ian, who both attended LPS and graduated from SHRHS. Jesse is working toward a double major in Astrophysics and Math at Penn State, and Ian is working toward an Art Education major at Barton College. Morley believes that both benefited greatly from our local schools with their small nurturing environments.

Carl Weber
Term ends: 2008
Carl Weber was born and raised in the Lambertville area. He lives in West Amwell with his wife, Linda Black Weber, and their two children, Connor, a 7th grader at SHRHS, and Aaron, a 4th grader at West Amwell Elementary School. Carl works as the Fine Wine Manager for Flemington Central Liquors and was previously a private piano instructor. He has a BS in Music Education from West Chester State University. Carl joined the LAEF in 2003 with the intention of helping to promote a quality learning experience for the children in our area?s public schools, and he is Chair of the Fund-Raising Committee. He also served for many years as a volunteer coach for youth basketball and baseball.

Former Presidents

Ed Berchtold
Ed Berchtold grew up in Pennington, New Jersey and moved to Lambertville with his wife, Pam in 1982. Their two children attended Lambertville Public School and are currently in college. Ed was the Charter Treasurer of the LEF and also served as President from 1995 to 1999. He became a board member in the hope of helping to fund new and innovative technology programs unavailable to the school at that time. While successful in these efforts, Ed's two favorite grants during his tenure on the board were Dolores Dragan's "String of Pearls" and the all-school production of "Fiddler on the Roof". In 1999, Ed left the Foundation to serve a three-year term as a member of the Lambertville Board of Education.

Bob Dahl
Bob Dahl joined the LEF board in 1994, and he served as its President from 1999 to 2002. He has lived in Lambertville with his wife, Barbara Fordyce, and their two children since 1986. A life-long New Jersey resident, Bob received a BA from Princeton University and an MS from Rutgers University. He and his wife run a mapping company, which they formed in 1985. In addition to his years of service on the Foundation board, Bob has served in numerous volunteer roles, including as a Big Brother and a Peace Corps member. He retired from the LAEF board in 2005.

Jim Mastrich
Jim Mastrich joined the LAEF board in 2000, and he served at its president from 2002 to 2007. His long-standing belief in the ability of community members to make a real difference has led Jim to become an advocate for enriching public education in this community and to establish sports programs to develop character in children. Jim also serves as a board member of the Kindness Counts Foundation, and he is a former board member of the Riverside Symphonia. Since 1987 Jim has been a resident of Lambertville where he lives with his wife, Kathryn, and their two elementary school-aged boys, Zachary and Devin. An author, licensed psychologist and certified sports psychologist, he is listed in the USOC sport psychology registry. Jim earned his doctorate from Rutgers University in Counseling Psychology and has a private practice in Kingston.

Gail Richardson
Gail Richardson was the Charter President of the Lambertville Education Foundation. She has been a resident of Lambertville for more than 35 years. Gail and her husband Michael Hendricks raised two daughters, Abby and Taylor, who attended Lambertville public schools. Gail is a strong proponent of public education. She is a past appointee to the NJ Governor's Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service and is a former VISTA volunteer. She has served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern NJ. and the NJ Women's Summit. Gail is employed as a Union Representative for The Communications Workers of America Local 1034. She received her BA in Psychology from The College of New Jersey and her MSW in Social Policy Analysis from Rutgers University.

Honorary Board Member

Gerald Stern
Gerald Stern, the first Poet Laureate of New Jersey is the newly elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. He has taught at Temple University, New York University, and, for 14 years at the acclaimed University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop. Gerald is the author of 14 books of poetry, including This Time: New and Selected Poems, which won the National Book Award fro Poetry in 1998. He is the recipient of numerous poetry prizes and fellowships, and in 2005 received the Wallace Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of American Poets. His poems are said to be "not only great poems, memorable ones, but ones that get into your heart and stay there". Gerald lives in Lambertville with his partner and fellow poet, Anne Marie Macari, and believes strongly in the importance of arts in education and in the work of the Lambertville Area Education Foundation.