Board of Trustees

		Ann E. Wallace Board Chairperson Ann E. Wallace, PhD, Chair, TECCS parent, and a founding member of the school, first began working on creating a new charter school in Jersey City in 2006. From her work at TECCS to her job as a professor and Assistant Chair of the English Department at New Jersey City University, Dr. Wallace has devoted her professional life to serving the educational needs of students in Jersey City. Dr. Wallace has also been active in various other Hudson County nonprofit organizations, having served on the boards of the Fund for a Better Waterfront and the Hoboken Clergy Coalition Shelter, and she has a background in fundraising and management consulting.
		C. Berwick Board Vice Chairperson Ms. Berwick is an editor, journalist, and educator with more than 15 years experience in magazines and newspapers. She worked under tight deadlines as a culture reporter for Bloomberg News and as senior editor at The Week magazine. As a freelancer, she has reported on art, culture, and urbanism for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, New York, Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, ARTnews, and Next City, among other outlets. As founding president and current board member of Bike JC, she has helped build the state’s largest network of bike lanes in Jersey City and continues to work for safe streets and affordable transit. She holds a masters degree in education from Teachers College/Columbia University and a bachelors in English and Humanities from Stanford University. She is also a TECCS parent. Back to the top
		Guillermo (Will) de Veyga Board Member Guillermo (Will) de Veyga, MBA, is a business professional with over 12 years of experience in personnel relations, property management, business development, and higher education. Currently working in the Office of the Provost at New Jersey City University (NJCU), Mr. de Veyga provides student advisement and conflict resolution, coordinates curriculum alignment, handles employee personnel issues, and develops and monitors the annual budget. He also currently serves as an adjunct faculty member, volunteers as a mentor to young children, and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy at Seton Hall University. Back to the top
		Edward Goodall Board Member Edward Goodall is a Jersey City resident and TECCS parent. Mr. Goodall has taught in New York City independent schools for 14 years and worked as a market maker on the American Stock Exchange. In early 2007, he saw the educational opportunity provided by TECCS for Jersey City's families and so became a founding member. Edward is the Chair of the Facilities Committee - leading the move to find space for our K-8 school as well as keeping up with daily facilities issues. Back to the top
		Sabrina Meah Board Member Sabrina Meah, an educator for over 14 years, serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Peshine Avenue School in Newark, NJ, one of Newark’s Renew Schools focused on turning around years of poor academic performance. During her years as a school leader and classroom teacher at two start-up schools, Ms. Meah facilitated the development of a data-driven culture where teachers target instruction to meet the individual needs of their students. Prior to her role at Peshine, Ms. Meah served as Supervisor of Curriculum & Instruction at a successful Newark charter school. At this school, she oversaw the implementation of the data-driven approach to instruction, served as the key developer of the school’s math program, and taught 8th grade math, with her students achieving some of the highest math scores in Newark. In addition, Sabrina Meah wrote the Math and Science curriculum for two Wisconsin charter schools and trained staff on data-driven instruction. She was a guest speaker at Harvard University Principals’ Seminar and Boston Arts Academy Summer Institute for Arts in Education in 2009. Ms. Meah is a resident of Jersey City and has a Masters Degree in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Back to the top
		Sonya (Terry) Still Board Member Sonya is currently a legal, regulatory and compliance consultant to the financial services industry who was formerly affiliated with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, NJ Bureau of Securities and a General Counsel to mid sized broker-dealer. As a 35 year resident, she has experience with private and public education in Jersey City, NJ, raising a graduate of McNair Academic High School and Carnegie Mellon University. She has served as a proud Trustee of TECCS of Jersey City since January 2011. Back to the top
		Peter Went, Ph.D Board Member Peter Went, Ph.D, is a Jersey City resident and a proud TECCS parent. Currently, as a Director at CLS Bank International he works on adding additional currencies to CLS's global settlement risk mitigation system. Prior to his career in financial services, Dr. Went was on the faculty of Bucknell University and taught at universities in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Went has written several books and countless articles on financial regulation, financial risk management, and financial economics. He serves on the board of Woodlands Financial Services Corporation. He earned his Ph.D in finance at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, his M.Sc at the Stockholm School of Economics, and his LL.M at Stockholm University. As a former educator, he believes in the importance of providing access to high quality education to all students irrespective of their background. Back to the top
		Robyn Grodner Schneider Board Member Robyn Schneider , an attorney who was born in Jersey City and owns Morlees, a business in Jersey City. From her work as an attorney at Advocates for Children an educational not for profit to her job as a business owner and Special Education attorney, Ms. Schneider has devoted her professional life to serving the needs of students and families in Jersey City and New York City. Ms. Schneider has also been active in various other Hudson County organizations, having served on the board of the Historic Special Improvement District, and she has experience in fundraising. Back to the top
		Michael Billy Board Member Back to the top
		Charlene Falls Board Member, FSA Representative Back to the top
		Brian Platt Board Member Brian's passion for improving the quality of education for all students began during his tenure as a Teach For America corps member and kindergarten teacher in Newark Public Schools (Newark, NJ). After teaching, Brian also worked for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, and was formerly a captain of his local volunteer fire department. Brian currently works in the Mayor's Office for Mayor Steven Fulop here in Jersey City. He is also a weightlifting instructor at Crossfit Jersey City and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at Columbia University. Back to the top
		Jessica Adamo Board Clerk Jessica Adamo serves as the Board Clerk to the TECCS Board of Trustees. Jessica has a B.S. in Marketing from Seton Hall University and an M.B.A. in Management and Marketing from Montclair State University. She currently works at Stevens Institute of Technology as a Pre-Award Development Specialist in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Her background includes experience in post-award grant management, also in higher education, as well as event coordination in the private sector. Jessica also gained Board Clerk and Board Member experience at another Jersey City charter school prior to joining the TECCS-JC family. Back to the top
		Marta Bergamini Principal Marta Bergamini, Principal, has been an educator for 14 years and TECCS’ Principal since the school’s inception. During her career she taught Spanish to first through eighth grades and established herself as the lead teacher for the district. In 2007, she was awarded the Governor's Teacher Recognition Award. Shortly after, she was recognized for her work improving the professional development of teachers. Mrs. Bergamini holds a masters degree in Educational Leadership. Back to the top
		Nicholas Puzo School Business Administrator Nicholas Puzo, School Business Administrator at TECCS, has been licensed as a Certified Public Accountant since 1979. Prior to earning a School Business Administrator Certificate from the NJ Department of Education and a Qualiified Purchasing Agent Certificate from the NJ Department of Consumer Affairs, Nick spent over 20 years in public practice specializing in areas of not-for-profit, finance and management science. Nick was a founding member of University Academy Charter High School, Jersey City, which began operations in 2002. He has also served as a consultant to Discovery Charter School in Newark. Back to the top
A Note to Those Considering Board Membership
The Ethical Community Charter School (TECCS-JC) of Jersey City is a state funded Charter School. It offers a unique education that integrates academic skills, the arts and sciences, physical education, moral education, and community service. All children of Jersey City are eligible for admission to TECCS’ ethics centered program. At present, it operates kindergarten, first, second, and third grades and will add one grade a year until it provides a full K-8 education. TECCS is dedicated to uniting its families and the broader community in working toward the long-term goal of improving the quality of education for all of the children of Jersey City. TECCS is managed by a voluntary Board of Trustees that represents the Jersey City community and the wider community of those committed to offering all our children an exciting and effective education. The responsibilities of the Board of Trustees are to set strategy and policy for the school, to plan and oversee its budget and operations and to work with the principal, faculty, and staff in the continuing development of the school. We are looking to expand the Board’s membership to represent a wider range of Jersey City’s diverse communities and a wider range of skills. Board membership is a productive contribution to the development of Jersey City. We have experienced tremendous growth as a community in the past decade, as new construction and renovation, the development of the Light Rail, and the extensive development of waterfront offices and hotels has changed our community. The people of Jersey City need a school system that can match that growth. In short, we need first-rate educational opportunities for all our children. By participating in a charter school board, concerned citizens make a tangible contribution to help Jersey City become a more vibrant, livable and worthwhile community for all of us. The Board meets for one Saturday morning a month. Board members are expected to contribute some additional time at their discretion for activities that range from: managing infrastructure issues, fund raising and grant writing, and advising on policy. For example, recently, the board has reviewed faculty and staff benefits, advised on ways to manage health insurance costs, discussed collaboration between TECCS and a new primary school in South Africa. If you would be interested in making this sort of contribution to our community, we would like to hear from you. Please contact Edward Goodall – Chair of Board Recruitment – at TECCS: .

A Note to Those Considering Board Membership