Expert Details
K-12 Education, Special Education and Student Discipline, Labor Relations and Human Resources
ID: 738118
New Jersey, USA
Expert has a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Cairn University, a Master of Science degree in Education from St. Joseph’s University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Rutgers University. He is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), safety specialist, and international NGO and public manager.
His leadership experience extends from New Jersey to South Africa. From special education to serving the most vulnerable, he has fought for equity and inclusion in schools, communities, and the workplace. He was recently honored as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for his work locally and internationally. During his career, he has served as a trusted executive leader, superintendent of schools, director of human resources, director of learning and development, teacher, advisor, and advocate across the education and nonprofit sectors, including founding an organization focused on transitioning wounded and trauma affected soldiers from war to life and career and leading an orphanage and boarding school in South Africa. He has partnered with community leaders and developed enterprise-level solutions, optimized district-wide operational processes, maximized efficiencies, and reduced costs. Being chosen to lead high-profile efforts, in environments where aggressive deadlines are a priority, has characterized his success to date.
His expertise includes executive leadership in education, labor relations and all aspects of human resources; special education and all student matters; strategic planning; authoring, securing grant funding and sources of revenue; and instituting highly effective improvement efforts.
Competencies include:
- Growth, Innovation & Change Management
- Training, Mentoring, & Succession Planning
- Evaluation & Professional Development
- Staff Engagement, Development & Wellness
- Cross-Functional Team Collaboration & Leadership
- Social & Community Advocacy & Media Relations
- Conflict Resolution, Diversity & Inclusion Enhancements
- Policy Implementation & Compliance Management
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2008 | Degree: MA | Subject: Educational Leadership and Administration | Institution: Cairn University |
| Year: 2001 | Degree: MS | Subject: Special Education | Institution: St. Joseph's University |
| Year: 1998 | Degree: BA | Subject: Biology | Institution: Rutgers University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2020 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Executive Director | Department: Human Resources |
Responsibilities:▪ Managed the full employee lifecycle of human resources for 1600 employees.▪ Hired 280+ new employees and executed the planned attrition of 80 staff members by developing and implementing a new systems approach to enhance the effectiveness of hiring, onboarding, learning, development and evaluation protocols. ▪ Met or exceeded targeted onboarding and mentoring objectives and program expectations. ▪ Ensured Board and leadership success through negotiations and grievance procedures for seven collective bargaining agreements. ▪ Led the redesign, training, and effective use of the district’s Human Resources Information System. ▪ Improved policies and protocols for leave of absences, workers compensation procedures, and attendance tracking. ▪ As Affirmative Action Officer, conducted hearings and investigations for sexual harassment and discrimination cases. ▪ As 504 Workplace Accommodations Officer, improved COVID-19 measures for a healthy and safe workplace environment. ▪ Planned and launched a successful social media campaign for employee recruitment and retention. ▪ Consistently achieved mediation and employee relations resolutions. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2014 to 2020 | Employer: Mount Holly Township School District | Title: Superintendent of Schools | Department: Board of Education |
Responsibilities:▪ Spearheaded the daily operations and strategic priorities of a $25M school district, serving 200+ employees and 1,110+ students.▪ Developed and implemented a 5-year Strategic Plan to bolster educational growth and unify the district’s Mission and Vision. ▪ Achieved $3.8M+ in additional early childhood funding through federal and state grant opportunities to date. ▪ Led 150+ professional development efforts across the district and managed leadership and instructional coaching programs. ▪ Completed a $20M referendum project, planning and enabling two highly successful organizational restructuring initiatives. ▪ Expertly negotiated two Collective Bargaining Agreements in 2015, 2018 for improved staff efficacy. ▪ Officially recognized for 100% accuracy and compliance in State and independent audits in 2017, 2019. ▪ Achieved over 90 adoptions on new policies and regulations over a six year period. ▪ Received See America in Color’s Civic Spirit Award, No Place for Hate recognition, and memberships into the Education Excellence through Equity Network (E3), NJDOE Equity for all through bolstering the attainment of social, community, and equity objectives. ▪ Sourced 176 volunteers, an 880% increase, and community wide events by 266% through organizational rebranding ▪ Improved chronic absenteeism by 8%, black student achievement by 7% and disadvantaged student achievement by 6%. ▪ Earned district “School Safety Specialist Certification;” oversaw safety protocols, and emergency procedures. ▪ Authored and awarded $32,000 in grants for wellness programs, resulting in newly established wellness and nutrition policies. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2009 to 2014 | Employer: Mount Holly Township Public Schools | Title: Director of Curriculum and Instruction | Department: Academic Office |
Responsibilities:▪ Supervised Learning and Development, Curriculum Design and Program Implementation and oversaw Early Childhood, English as a Second Language, Talented & Gifted, Virtual Instruction, Federal Programs, Extended School and Family Programs.▪ Facilitated 500+ hours of professional development for teachers, leaders, and educational specialists. ▪ Crafted, secured, and oversaw $600,000 in grant funding per year for NCLB, Race to The Top, and Project Lead the Way, by cultivating successful programs for disadvantaged youth. ▪ Achieved a 9% reduction in student achievement gaps via challenging programs and expectations, and collaboration with community through citizenship curriculum, and infusing 15 Service-Learning Projects annually into all grade levels. ▪ Developed Units of Study by instituting Backwards Design Model, Essential Questions, and Enduring Understandings. ▪ Implemented the “Project Lead the Way’s Gateway to Technology” Robotics Program, focusing on engineering, robotics and automation, design and modeling, and green architecture courses by continuously improving learning and programming strategies. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2002 to 2009 | Employer: Mount Holly Township Public Schools | Title: Special Education Teacher; Special Education Literacy Resource Coach | Department: Special Education |
Responsibilities:Selected to lead transformational efforts after the district received the New Jersey Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Educational Achievement in Literacy (IDEAL) grant. Taught grades 2, 3, and 4 and grades 5 and 8 in special education.▪ Drove district instruction initiatives by actively pursuing 300 hours of training and coaching intervention strategies. ▪ Increased standardized reading test scores 9% for general education, and 5% for special education students. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2007 to 2009 | Employer: F3, LLC | Title: Vice President | Department: Disabilities |
Responsibilities:Established a company focused on aiding wounded and trauma-affected soldiers in transitioning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2006 to 2008 | Employer: Pinnacle Career Institute | Title: Instructor | Department: Academic |
Responsibilities:Instructed 15 online vocational technology courses for degree-specific careers in business, finance, and human resources. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2004 to 2006 | Employer: University of Phoenix | Title: Adjunct Professor | Department: Academic |
Responsibilities:Responsible for facilitating and instructing online Psychology and Special Education courses for 10 semesters. |
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Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| Global Goodwill Ambassador, Member USA Cohort AmeriCorps, Volunteer |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| School Administrator License Principal License Special Education Teacher License School Safety Officer Professional in Human Resources Certification International NGO and Public Management Certification HR Certification Institute, Professional in Human Resources Certification Performance Excellence Group, Systems Thinking, Design Thinking Leadership & Strategic Thinking Consultant Certifications Cornell University, International NGO & Public Management Certification Program |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| New Road Missions, Board Member & VP Education New Jersey Equity Consortium, Curriculum and Instruction Chair Young African Leaders Initiative, Course Developer |
Additional Experience
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Presentations & speaking engagements: New Jersey Convening on Diversifying the Teaching Workforce, CJPRIDE - Pride in Recruiting and Retention Mid-School Math National Conference, Strategically Design Your Middle School Mathematics Achievement Plan TECHSPO New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Did Technology Kill Social Emotional Learning? Safe Schools Initiative National Conference, What the Best Schools are Doing to Provide a Safe Environment National Association for the Education of Young Children, In Defense of Whole-Child Curricula NJASCD Early Childhood Summit, Implementing the Quality Rating Improvement Scale Teach Better National Conference, The Future is Now |