Staff & Board of Trustees

2023-2024

Officers: 

Drue Stapleton - Rider University, President
Charles Snellings - Church & Dwight, Vice President
Elizabeth Miller - Mauser, LLC (retired), Treasurer
Jennifer Hsiao - ETS, Grants Chair Vessy Dusichka - The Pew Charitable Trusts, Immediate Past President

Trustees:

Kathie Baldassari - LTPS, Retired Pat Devlin - LTPS, Retired Kim Gelb - Paper Rock Design Studio Paula Levinsky Nancy Maloney - Coldwell Banker Realty Kim McNear - Anchor House Jeremy Ryan - Metamorphosis Agency
Catherine Taeffner - Princeton University Andrew Tunnard - HNTB Corporation Jessica Welsh - The Lawrenceville School

Ex-Officio Members:

Bonne Giglio - Lawrence Township Education Foundation
Arundel Clarke - Lawrence Township Board of Education
Stephen Murray - The Lawrenceville School
Rita Nini - Educational Testing Service
Rajneet Goomer - Lawrence Township Public Schools

DRUE STAPLETON

Drue Stapleton joined the LTEF Board in 2018, after relocating to Lawrenceville from West Virginia with his wife, Phoebe, and their two children in 2016. He started as Co-VP in 2020. He is the product of public school education, earning his doctorate from West Virginia University, Master’s degree from Salisbury University, and Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland, with each step of his academic preparation focused on education at various levels. A certified athletic trainer, he has held faculty and clinical appointments at WV Wesleyan College, Waynesburg University, and is currently a member of the faculty at Rider University. He has previously served as the Secretary, and later President, of the WV Athletic Trainer’s Association. He looks forward to giving back to the community which he and his family call home.

CHARLES SNELLINGS

Charles Snellings has been a Lawrence Township resident since 2006. He and his wife, Kelly, are proud to send their two children to Lawrence Township Public Schools. Charles strongly believes in supporting public education as a cornerstone of social justice and equality, and is excited to work with the LTEF board to bring new resources to our schools. Charles graduated from University of Georgia with a master's in marketing research, and currently heads the marketing research group at Church & Dwight.

ELIZABETH MILLER

Elizabeth Miller holds an MBA from Rider University and a BS in Business Administration from The College of New Jersey. Liz is currently a Vice President of Finance with Mauser USA, LLC and a Board Member of The Elixir Fund, a non-profit dedicated to improving the comfort and care of cancer patients and their caregivers. She has lived in Lawrence Township since 1993 and her son will shortly be entering his senior year at Lawrence High School. She is looking forward to supporting the mission of LTEF and assisting in ensuring that future students of LTPS benefit from the outstanding public school experience enjoyed by her son.

JENNIFER HSIAO

Jennifer Hsiao attended Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS) from K-12 grade. She and her husband are raising three children who attend LTPS. Jennifer has a B.E. in Engineering Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and M.S. in Global and International Education from Drexel University with a secondary concentration in Learning Technologies. In 2003 she moved back to Lawrenceville and worked for LTPS in the district technology and personnel departments, and finally as manager of the afterschool program. She has been with ETS since 2012 and is currently a Product Manager for the TOEFL Young Student Series, global English language assessments. In her spare time, she actively volunteers in the schools, performs as part of the resident company at Music Mountain Theatre and is President of the National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association. She believes the LTEF’s mission to enhance public education helps to bring equity to students across many subjects and is proud to be a part of the organization.

VESSY DUSICHKA

Vessy Dusichka joined LTEF’s Board in 2014, served as the Treasurer from 2015-2020 and then took over as President. She obtained her B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has been a Lawrence resident since 2008 and has two daughters who attend Lawrence Township Public Schools. Vessy is Senior Manager of Accounting at The Pew Charitable Trusts and has worked with nonprofits her entire career. She looks forward to giving back to the community with LTEF - a mission that is very close to her heart.

KATHIE BALDASSARI

Kathie Baldassari has been a Lawrence resident since 1983.  She has a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.S. in Elementary Counseling from Shippensburg University, where she was awarded a 2-year graduate assistantship.  After substitute teaching while her children were young, she taught at Princeton Montessori and the Chapin School. Kathie joined Lawrence Township Public Schools in 1986, teaching Academic Support Instruction (ASI) to 4-6 graders at Lawrence Intermediate School for 26 years, until her retirement.  She received the 1997 Excellence in Teaching Award.  She also was awarded several reading-related grants from LTEF.  Kathie and Roy have 2 adult children who are LTPS graduates, and 3 grandchildren currently attending Lawrence Township Public Schools. Kathie’s hope is to encourage more staff to utilize the LTEF resources to benefit our wonderful LTPS students.

PAT DEVLIN

Pat Devlin joined the LTEF board in 2018, a year after retiring from 38 years in Lawrence Township Public Schools. Both she and her husband, Pete, are graduates of Lawrence High, as well as their two daughters. She has lived in Lawrence the majority of her life. Pat taught grades 2 and 3 at Ben Franklin Elementary School, as well as grades 4,5, and 6 at Lawrence Intermediate. She was also an Academic Support Instructor (ASI) at LIS. She has received numerous LTEF grants at both schools. Pat is looking forward to helping teachers enrich their classroom routines by applying for grants that enable both the teachers and the students to go beyond the daily classroom experiences. She hopes to encourage peer collaboration and brainstorming.

Kim GELB

Kimberly has lived in Lawrenceville since 2004 along with her husband, Charles. She has two children in the Lawrence Township public schools and has volunteered in our schools over the last 7 years. Kimberly graduated from Monmouth University with a degree in marketing, and minor in fine arts. She is currently the creative director and owner of Paper Rock Design Studio, a boutique, full-service creative studio located in Lawrenceville, working with educational, healthcare and nonprofit institutions. She is excited to join the LTEF and support its mission to create lasting educational achievement and creativity for all Lawrence public school students.

PAULA LEVINSKY

Paula Levinsky has lived in Lawrence for 20 years with her husband and 3 children. While her children attended Lawrence Township Public schools, she was an active volunteer and substitute teacher. She is the Director of Donor Relations & Planned Giving at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County. She has an MBA from St. John’s University and a BA from Rutgers. She is passionate about giving back to the community and especially helping youth reach their greatest potential. Paula is excited to join the board.

NANCY MALONEY

Nancy Maloney joined the LTEF Board in 2022. Nancy has lived in Lawrenceville with her husband for the past 18 years. They have two sons who are currently LTPS students. Nancy was a member of the 1st graduating class from Rider University and graduated with a degree in finance. Nancy is currently a realtor at Coldwell Banker in Princeton. Previously, she worked at Bloomberg LP for 24 years. She has been very involved in the schools and local community, including her time as: VP of the Ben Franklin PTO; President of Lawrence Little League; Treasurer of Slackwood Fire Co Ladies Auxilary; board member for the Just Fight Foundation and; and community volunteer for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Gratitude Program. After volunteering for the LTEF for several years, she’s excited to get further involved through her work as a board member.

KIM MCNEAR

Kim McNear has lived in Lawrenceville since 1998. Her two children attend Lawrence Township Public Schools and Kim has worked with various PTO's in the district. Kim attended Temple University where she earned her BSW and Rutgers University where she obtained her Masters in Social Work. Kim has 30 years of non-profit experience. For the past 12 years, Kim has served as the Executive Director of Anchor House, Inc. She is active in her community and church. Kim is passionate about helping youth achieve their full potential and looks forward to working with LTEF.

JEREMY RYAN

Jeremy Ryan attended Lawrence Schools starting in kindergarten and graduated from Lawrence High School, followed by a Bachelor of Arts from Muhlenberg College. After twenty years of creative and digital consulting, entrepreneurship, teaching, and leading digital transformations for companies in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and around the U.S., Jeremy and his family returned to Lawrenceville. He is a co-founder at Metamorphosis Agency, an agency here in Lawrence that helps clients with branding, marketing and communications, and digital infrastructure, as well as a partner and CMO at Real Central NJ Soccer, a pre-professional club in Mercer County. Jeremy and his wife, Monika, are very proud to have two children who are both attending Lawrence Township Public Schools.

CATHERINE TAEFFNER

Catherine Taeffner joined the LTEF Volunteer Committee in 2018, volunteering time to assist with fundraisers. She joined the LTEF as a board trustee in 2019. She took on the role of Treasurer in 2020. She has one child who attends Lawrence Township public schools, and one who graduated Lawrence High in 2019. She volunteers her time to various organizations and is excited about the opportunity to continue to support the LTEF mission. Catherine holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration & Computer Science from Rider University and currently works as a Business Manager at Princeton University. She is excited to join a thriving local Foundation that ensures the growth and viability of the Lawrence Township schools.

ANDREW TUNNARD

Andrew Tunnard Andrew and his wife, Janie, have lived in Lawrenceville since 2000 where they raised their two daughters who both attended Lawrence Township schools and are graduates of Lawrence High School. Janie is also a teacher in the school district. Andrew is the Assistant Commissioner for Operations at the New Jersey Department of Transportation where he as worked since 2011. Prior to that he worked in the private sector at several companies, and also served in the United States Navy where he retired after 22 years (combined active and reserve) as a Commander. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Virginia Military Institute and Masters in Business Administration from Marywood University. He looks forward to assisting LTEF continue its success and contributions to our community.

JESSICA WELSH

Jessica Welsh joined the board in September 2020 after joining The Lawrenceville School as Director of Communications and External Relations. Before joining The Lawrenceville School, Welsh was the Director of Marketing and Communications at The Haverford School, a pre-k-12 school for boys outside Philadelphia. She began her career at a marketing public relations agency in Atlanta, where she specialized in crisis communications and strategic communications planning. She has held several consulting roles for clients in the healthcare, nonprofit, education, and real estate industries. Welsh earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Geneseo and is the co-chair of the Marketing Committee for Project HOME’s Rising Leaders group. She has two children in public school and is passionate about advancing education for the benefit of all members of the community.

EX-OFicio MEmbers

Arundel Clarke

Arundel has been a member of the Lawrence community since 2006. He is married with 2 children where his youngest is attending Lawrence Intermediate School and is a part of the Special Needs community. He has a Bachelors in Telecommunications and Business Management, is a certified EMT, and a Special Olympics coach. His past teaching experience was with grades Pre-School to 6th grade as a computer, gym teacher, and after school coordinator of a private school back in the early 2000s before switching careers as a Technical Engineer. Other roles involved with the youth include camp counselor, mentor, and special needs advocate. Recently appointed as a Lawrence School Board member, he continues to strive and serve in the best interest of the youth in the district.

Stephen Murray

Stephen is the Head Master of The Lawrenceville School. He assumed that position on July 1, 2015. Prior to arriving at The Lawrenceville School, he had extensive private school leadership experience. Most recently he was the Head Master of University School in Shaker Heights and Hunting Valley, Ohio.

Rita Nini

Rita is the Community Relations Consultant at ETS. She has served as ex-officio on the LTEF board since 2010.

RAJNEET (Pimmi) Goomer

Rajneet Goomer is an award-winning director of student services and DEI expert. Her 17+ year career in education and New Jersey public schools has been rooted in equity, diversity, and inclusion for students, families, and staff. Goomer believes in supporting the whole child, including families and staff, as a cornerstone of ensuring a culture of belonging and providing equitable access and supports for all students to be successful. Ms. Goomer began her career in the South Brunswick School District as a speech-language specialist before transitioning to administration. She entered Robbinsville Public Schools as the supervisor of student services before taking on the director of student services role a year later. Ms. Goomer has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in speech-language pathology, both from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). She also holds a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University.