Members of the Board

 

 

Katie joined the Board of Education in January of 2022.

She and her husband Yemi have lived in Morris Township since 2008. They have 3 daughters in 11th, 9th, and 7th grades, attending Morris County Vo-tech as part of the Academy for Performing Arts, Morristown High School, and Frelinghuysen Middle School.

Katie has spent her entire career in education.  She started in NYC public schools at PS 200, James McCune Smith School. After coming to New Jersey, she taught 5th grade for 11 years at Far Hills Country Day School before moving into learning support in their academic learning lab.  She then became the Center Director of the Morristown Lindamood Bell and is currently the Head of School for Fusion Academy.

Katie has a bachelor’s degree in Education from Smith College.

Katie has been an active volunteer in the school district, serving as Co-President of the Hillcrest and Alexander Hamilton Home and School Associations.  She was a member of the board of trustees of the Morris Educational Foundation for 2 years.  

Current Committees:  Chair of Negotiations, Member of Policy, Finance and Governance.

Past Committees; Chair of Human Resources.

Term Expires:  December 2024

Contact: katie.cole@msdk12.net

 

 

 

Meredith joined the Board of Education in January of 2018.

Meredith has lived in Morristown, NJ for thirteen years with her husband, Erick and her two daughters ages 16 and 14, one attends the middle school and the other the high school. 

Meredith has a B.A. in Psychology from Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA.  She also has an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Antioch University.  

Following graduation from Holy Cross, Meredith worked for fifteen years as a community organizer advocating for citizen involvement and community improvement both in the Midwest and Central America. Meredith also worked as a high school Social Studies teacher and as an Early College Awareness mentor for the federal program GEAR UP.  

Meredith is a past Co-President of the Alexander Hamilton Home and School Association and served on the K-5 Parent Advisory Council, advocating for parent involvement and school improvement.  She now serves on the Board of Directors for Table of Hope in Morristown. 

Current Committees:  Chair of Board Governance, Member of Curriculum, Human Resources and Finance. 

Past Committees: Member of Policy. 

Term Expires: December 2026

Contact: meredith.davidson@msdk12.net 

 

Lucia has been a member of the Morris Plains Board of Education since 2002.

Lucia has been living in the community for 50 years between Morristown and Morris Plains. She is a proud alumni of Morristown High School. She and her husband raised both of her boys in Morris Plains who are also graduates of the high school.

Lucia is a former Human Resources Manager at Honeywell International. She is currently working as a Paraprofessional at Whippany Park High School.

Morris Plains is a send-receive district with Morristown and she has been serving as the liaison to the Morris School District Board of Education all 9 years.

Past Committees: Member of Human Resources.

Term Expires:  December 2024

Contact: lucia.galdi@msdk12.net 

 

 

Cary joined the Board of Education in January of 2023.

Cary was elected to the Board in January 2023.  Cary and his wife Alice have lived in Morristown since 1996 and had two children attend the Morris School District graduating in 2008 and 2009.

Cary has been involved in various activities and leadership roles in Morristown over the last 25 years. In addition to coaching various youth sports teams through the years, he also was president of the Morristown Grapplers youth wrestling organization and initiated funding for an MEF scholarship for a graduating MHS wrestler.  He has served on the Town of Morristown’s Environmental Commission and Zoning Board, including serving as Chairperson for two years.  He has also represented Morristown on the Morris County Open Spaces Trust Fund Committee.  Currently, in addition to serving on the school board, Cary is a Commissioner on the Morristown Parking Authority and board member for From Houses to Homes, a locally-based not-for-profit building homes and operating a school in Guatemala.

Cary grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BS-Civil Engineering and with an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and currently works for Verizon in Global Business Development.

Current Committees: Member of Finance, Policy and Governance. 

Term Expires: December 2025

Contact:  cary.lloyd@msdk12.net    

 

Linda joined the Board of Education in January of 2019.

Linda has been a resident of Morris Township for more than 35 years. Her daughter graduated from Morristown High School and, in 2023, her two grandchildren are attending Frelinghuysen Middle School.

As an AT&T executive, Linda completed sponsored Executive Education Programs at the University of California – Berkeley (International Business and Economics), as well as the University of New Hampshire (Strategic Management). She also attended Boise State University in Idaho, majoring in Business Administration. 

In her professional life, Linda was a corporate executive with AT&T, NCR, and others, providing international and domestic clients in a variety of industries with consulting services focused on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of business operations. Her skills and experience include process redesign, customer operations, service delivery, business transformation, service line management, and strategy development, as well as dealing with the human resources and change management elements associated with making major operational modifications. Since 2010, she has managed her own consulting practice which specializes in public sector customer operations and shared services.

Linda has served continuously for nineteen years as a member of the Morris Township Planning Board and is a Volunteer in Service with Global Volunteers, teaching conversational English to middle school students internationally.   Previously she volunteered as an AARP Tax Counselor for fifteen consecutive years, serving low income and elderly residents in Morris County; was a member and Secretary of the Morris Arts Board of Trustees for six years, working to integrate Arts in Education; and also served on the K-5 Parent Advisory Council for three years, with focus on elevating early grade learning in the Morris School District.

Current Committees: Chair of Finance, Member of Curriculum, Governance, and Negotiations. 

Past Committees:  Board Vice President, Member of Policy.

Term Expires:  December 2024

Contact: lindak.murphy@msdk12.net

 

 

Susan joined the Board of Education in January of 2020.

She has been a resident of Morris Township for 18 years with her husband, Jason and their three sons who attend Sussex Avenue School, Frelinghuysen Middle School and Morristown High School.

Susan received a B.A. from Rutgers University, a K-8 Teaching Certificate from The College of St. Elizabeth and an Associate School Library Media Specialist Certificate from Rutgers University. She has been an educator for 21 years, employed by Hanover Township Public Schools since 2003 and has worked as a first grade teacher, second grade teacher, a third grade teacher, and is currently a school librarian at Salem Drive Elementary School. Prior to teaching, Susan was a publicist for 5 years for Edelman Public Relations, Jason Weinberg & Associates, and Baker Winokur Ryder LLC.

Current Committees: Chair of Curriculum, Member of Human Resources and Finance. 

Past Committees:  Member of Finance. 

Term Expires: December 2025

Contact:  susan.pedalino@msdk12.net    

Vivian joined the Board of Education in August of 2021 and was elected in January of 2022.

She has lived in Morristown for nine years. She has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Vivian has a B.A. in Spanish as well as one in Elementary Education from Kean University.  She also has a M.A. in English as a Second Language as well as one in Educational Leadership from Kean University.  Vivian has a PHD in Language, Literacy, and Learning from Fordham University. Vivian has forty three years of experience in public education and is currently Interim Director of Bilingual Education, English As A Second Language and World Languages from the Perth Amboy School District.  She has also had many of her works published as well as many citations.

Vivian has served on the board of trustees of many schools in New Jersey and served on many N.J. state educational committees.

Current Committees:  Member of Curriculum and Policy. 

Past Committees: Member of Human Resources and Finance.

Term Expires:  December 2024

Contact:  vivian.rodriguez@msdk12.net  

Alan was appointed to the board in late 2019 and elected in January of 2021.

Alan has lived in Morris Township since 2006 with his wife and two daughters.  His youngest daughter attends the high school.

Alan has a B.A from Wesleyan University and an MB.A. from Columbia University.   He is an HR executive who currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer for AIG in their Life & Retirement Division.

Current Committees: Member of Human Resources, Negotiations and Finance. 

Past Committees: Chair of Human Resources.

Term Expires: December  2026

Contact:  alan.smith@msdk12.net 

 

 

Melissa joined the Board of Education in August of 2018 and was elected in January of 2020.

A 1985 Morristown High School graduate, Melissa has lived in Morris Township since 2005 with her husband.  She has one daughter who graduated from MHS as well.

Melissa earned a B.A. in Sociology from Bucknell University and has her M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Melissa’s corporate experience includes various leadership roles in several Fortune 500 companies including JPMorgan Chase.

Melissa‘s current community involvements include Junior League of Morristown where she is a Past President and Hillside Hose Ladies Auxiliary where she is the Membership Chair.  She also serves on the Morristown Morris Township Joint Municipal Alliance. Some of her past involvements include President of Hillcrest Home and School Association, Trustee of Morris Educational Foundation, Library Board of Morristown and Morris Township and Committee Chair for Mansion in May.

Current Committees: Chair of Human Resources, Member of Board Governance and Negotiations.

Past Committees: President and Vice President, Chair of Negotiations and Policy, Member of Curriculum, Finance and Policy. 

Term Expires:  December 2025

Contact: melissa.spiotta@msdk12.net 

 

Beth joined the board in January of 2021.

Beth has lived in the Washington's Headquarters area of Morristown with her husband since 2013, both having grown up in nearby Mendham. Beth has a son who attends elementary school.

Beth is a graduate of Muhlenberg College (B.A. in English, cum laude) and a graduate of Penn State Dickinson School of Law (J.D.). Beth has been a licensed attorney in the state of New Jersey since 2004. She began her law career as a judicial law clerk in Morris County for the Honorable David B. Rand, P.J.S.C. and then spent the following eleven years at mid-size law firms and then Thomson Reuters.

Beth is a former long-time member of the Junior League of Morristown and served as the President of the Washington’s Headquarters Neighborhood Association for four consecutive years. She also served on the Morristown Zoning Board of Adjustment for nearly five years. Beth served as Treasurer of the Home & School Association and as Co-Chair of the Scholastic Book Fair for the last two years. Currently, Beth is a member of the Board of the Morristown Area Little League and runs the snack stand at Ginty Field.

Current Committees:  Chair of Policy, Member of Curriculum, Human Resources, Governance and Negotiations.

Past Committees: Member of Finance. 

Term Expires:  December 2026

Contact: elisabeth.wall@msdk12.net