The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the Stevens Cooperative School, as in all independent schools. Where Stevens differs is that parents in the school elect trustees every April, rather than trustees electing themselves, as is the case on the typical independent school board.
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The trustees serve staggered two year terms, and in a typical year, the board functions with roughly 15 trustees. Any parent can run for the board of trustees, as long as they are a member in good standing of the cooperative. Parents can also nominate other parents for the role. Trustees frequently serve more than one term, and are encouraged to do so. It is hoped that after trustees have served some time on the board that they will take on an officer position. The officers of the board form its executive committee and include: the Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Vice Chairs of Development, Jobs, Membership and Strategic Planning.
The Board also can have up to four non parents; they are called community trustees. This group may include educators, community leaders, alumni parents, and local businesspeople.
Below is a list of trustees serving in the 2009-2010 school year:
Jan Abernathy, Chair. Jan has served as a trustee of Stevens Cooperative School since 2003. She was elected Vice Chair, Jobs in 2004 and Vice Chair, Membership in 2006. She is the senior editor of two real estate trade publications, and the education columnist for The Parent Paper. Her previous board experience includes being a board chair of the Open Housing Center of New York, and founding chairman of Dreams Into Action, a non-profit mentoring organization for teen girls in New York City. She also served on the advisory board of The Door, a youth services agency, and is currently a member of Northwestern University’s Alumni Admissions Council. Her daughter Noe is in 6th grade and her son Sam is in 2nd grade.
Berj Akian, Trustee. Berj was elected a trustee in 2008. Berj is Founder and CEO of ClassLink. Since 1998 ClassLink has been delivering any computer anytime access to instructional software and files to students and teachers. ClassLink serves hundreds of schools across the U.S. Berj and his wife Suzanne have three daughters at Stevens’ Hoboken campus, in Kindergarten, 3rd grade and 5th grade.
Iris Alfonso, Vice Chair, Development. Iris was elected to her current post in 2008. Prior to that she served for three years as a trustee. She manages International Fidelity Insurance company located in Newark, Nj, the largest independent surety bonds company and the largest bail bonds company in the United States. Prior to this, she managed a small, prestigious law firm, with a national practice in criminal appeals. She was the recipient of Perseverantia Vincit Award at Temple University. She has volunteered for the Starlight Foundation, Make a Wish Program. Her daughter, Tais, is in the 4th grade.
Dave Carty, Treasurer. Dave was first elected a trustee in 2002, and became Treasurer in 2003. He has worked for several small and large companies in various management positions. Most recently he was an International Business Development Manager for Bestfoods Corporation, now a part of Unilever, with sales, marketing, budgeting, forecasting, and product development responsibilities. Dave has an MBA in finance and marketing from NYU. He is currently a stay-at-home dad and and active volunteer in the community. Dave is a den leader with the Cub Scouts, a religious education instructor with Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hoboken, an assistant coach with the Hoboken Little League, and an assistant basketball coach with the Stevens Cooperative JV team. Dave's three children attend the Hoboken campus, Max and Caroline in the 7th grade and Clare in the 3rd grade.
Cordelia Chansler, Community Trustee. Cordelia is the first Stevens alumni elected to the board of trustees, and began her term in November 2009. She is a research associate for Notch Partners LLC. A graduate of the Spence School in New York City as well as Wellesley College, she served on the proxy voting committee of Wellesley’s Board of Trustees as well as the Investment Committee of that Board. She is active in local political campaigns and her volunteer work includes the Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Joyce Doyle, Trustee. Joyce was elected to her position in 2008. She is in Community and Business Development for Erbach Communications Group. Her previous board experience includes serving St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church. She has a daughter, Gretchen, is in the 5th grade and her son Bruce is in 3rd grade, both in Hoboken.
Donna Garban, Trustee. Donna was elected in 2008. She also has served on the School’s Investment Committee since 2007. She was elected Trustee of The Jubilee Center in Hoboken in 2007. A Vice President at Goldman Sachs until 2007, she has also volunteered as a Girl Scout Leader. She has three children in the Hoboken Campus, Penelope in the 4th grade , Petra,in 2nd grade and Perrin in Kindergarten.
Kathleen Gallagher, Secretary. Kathleen was elected Secretary of the Board of Trustees in 2008. Prior to being elected to her current role on the Board, she served as a general trustee for the 2007-08 school year. Kathleen is a School Social Worker in the Jersey City Public Schools in the Department of Special Education. Her son Andrew is in 1st grade and her daughter Cara is in the 6th grade at the Hoboken Campus.
Zoe L. Hausër, Head of School. Zoë came to Stevens in 1995 when there were 135 students in 3s - 4th grade and has overseen the school's expansion to 370 students in 2s - 8th grade on two campuses. She received her Bachelor's in Education from Southampton University in England and a Master of Arts from New York University. Prior to heading Stevens, Zoë was a parent and administrator at the City & Country School in Manhattan, one of the oldest progressive schools in the country. Currently she co-chairs the Accreditiation Committee of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, served on the NJAIS Board of Trustees for eight years and was also its Chair. She is on the Board of Trustees of the Montclair Cooperative School, a Trustee of St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church in Cape May Point and Senior Warden of Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City.
Rebecca Kramnick, Trustee. Rebecca is a lawyer and senior manager at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo), a nonprofit in the South Bronx. WHEDCo develops affordable, green housing and provides social services to community residents. Rebecca joined WHEDCo in 2005 after serving for four years as a senior staff attorney at Lawyers Alliance for New York, a nonprofit law firm which advises New York City’s community-based organizations. At Lawyers Alliance, Rebecca specialized in advising nonprofits on employment law matters and liability issues affecting youth-serving nonprofits. Rebecca has lectured frequently to groups on legal issues affecting nonprofits. She is a co-author of The Volunteer Workforce: Legal Issues and Best Practices for Nonprofits. She currently serves on the Board of the Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, a top-performing public charter school in the South Bronx recently reaccredited by New York State and is a founding board member of Ibis Reproductive Health, an international nonprofit based in Cambridge, MA. Her daughter Madeline is in 8th grade at Stevens and her daughter Anna is in 4th grade.
Frances Lapinski, Trustee. Fran was elected as a trustee in 2009 and is recently retired from the financial services industry. First specializing in the introduction of new information technologies, Fran became a leader in industry organizations and a national spokesperson for corporate personal computer systems implementations. She later served on the Corporate Advisory Boards for InfoWorld, Computerworld and Technology Managers Forum. Following positions in product development and program management, Fran retired as the e-Commerce Product Manager at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. Her prior experiences included consulting in manufacturing, and eight years in college instruction, administration and advocacy both on campuses and in Washington DC. A twenty year Special Olympics Volunteer, Fran has always been active in her church, serving as Treasurer, and supporting Youth Education and Community Outreach Ministries including Habitat for Humanity, soup kitchens, and the Family Promise (Interfaith Homeless) network. She has served as co-chair of Stevens Cooperative School’s Community Connections Committee and was a member of the Golf Outing Committee. Fran and her partner, Reverend Melissa Hall, have a daughter Katherine in the 7th grade
Kim Lew, Trustee. Kim was elected a trustee in 2007. She is the Director of Investments at The Carnegie Corporation of New York, the first private foundation in the United States. Her previous board experience includes the Port Liberte Condominium Association, Aljira, an art gallery in Newark, New Jersey and Treasurer of the Essex Hudson Chapter of Jack & Jill of America. She also currently serves on the Investment Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union. Her daughter, Kalli is in 4th grade in Hoboken.
David Lowry, Community Trustee. David was elected a community trustee in September 2008. He is the Head of School at The Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, New Jersey. Dr. Lowry received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology as well as a Master of Science from Teacher's College, Columbia University. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Haverford College. Dr. Lowry has worked in the field of education for more than 40 years and his experience includes extensive work in accreditation. Currently Dr. Lowry co-chairs the Accreditation Committee of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS). Additional professional affiliations include membership in the Country Day Headmasters Association of the United States, as well as the Accreditation Commission of the National Association of Independent Schools.
Laura Miani, Trustee. Laura is a Senior Vice President of Equity Sales/Trading at Miller Tabak. She was co-chair of the Golf Outing Committee in 2007 and chair of that committee in 2008. Prior to that, she served in various roles on the school’s Annual Auction Committee. Laura and her husband Rich have a son Matthew in the 5th grade and a daughter Caroline in Kindergarten, both in the Hoboken Campus.
Jaclyn Sills Dellegrazie, 2nd Grade Head Teacher. Jackie has been a teacher at Stevens since 2005 and the Faculty Representative to the board since July 2008. She worked for a year as the Assistant Teacher in the Hoboken 2nd grade, after which she became the 2nd grade Head Teacher at the Newport Campus. She has a Bachelor's in English Language Arts from Hunter College and a Masters in Reading from New Jersey City University. She is an active member of the Stevens community, participating on the accreditation, personnel, and faculty mentor committees. Prior to working at Stevens, Jackie taught at a 2's program on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as at an English Language Learning School, also in Manhattan.
Steven Sperber, Trustee. Steven was elected to the board in 2009. He has been actively involved with the Cooperative as a member of the Faculty/Student Basketball Game and Space Committees. His previous board experience includes serving on the Executive Committee of the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong where he led social and volunteer programs. Steven also served as Chair of the Real Estate Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Steven recently took on a more active role with his Synagogue in Hoboken, chairing the Building Committee for the United Synagogue of Hoboken. Steven is a commercial tenant representation real estate broker with CB Richard Ellis. He and his wife Phannee have one son, Tony, who is in the 7th grade at the Hoboken campus. Tony is the 6th generation of their family to live in Hoboken.
Cynthia Tavlin, Community Trustee. Cynthia was elected a community trustee in July 2009. She is the parent of two Stevens alumni and has been a member of the Stevens community since 1999. Cynthia served on the Stevens Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2008, four of those years as secretary. As a writer, she has covered a variety of educational issues in independent, charter and public schools. Cynthia is currently an associate creative director at Erbach Communications Group, where she works with many non-profit organizations and educational institutions on branding and marketing efforts and aligning communication plans with strategic goals.