It’s official as (left to right) Bruce Padula, Jennifer Halcrow, and Karen Saad participate in the January 7 Fair Haven Board of Education meeting after being sworn in.
Press release from Fair Haven School District
At a reorganization meeting held on January 7, Fair Haven residents Jennifer Halcrow, Bruce Padula, and Karen Saad were sworn in as members of the borough’s Board of Education. The three new members, all of whom were duly elected to full three-year terms, will serve on the board along with Michael Bernstein, Claudia Brasch (Vice President), Mark Mancuso (President), Tracy Rehder, Jeffrey Spector, and Randi Walker.
The oath of office was administered by Board of Education Attorney Anthony P. Scarrillo. Among those in attendance and offering congratulations and support was former Board member Katy Frissora, who was thanked for her eight years of dedicated service by Mancuso. Frissora and Cathy Alescio, who served one term of three years, both did not seek re-election this year when their terms expired.
Former Fair Haven Board of Education Members Katy Frissora (left) and Cathy Alescio (right) are pictured with with Viola L. Sickles School Principal Cheryl Cuddihy.
Jennifer Halcrow’s family has resided in Fair Haven for eight years, and she has three children attending Viola L. Sickles and Knollwood schools. Halcrow, who was drawn to Fair Haven by the excellent educational opportunities and strong sense of community, has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and hopes to apply her skills toward achieving educational goals.
Bruce Padula has been a Fair Haven resident since 2010, and a New Jersey resident since 1996, when he moved here to attend Seton Hall University Law School after graduating from Villanova University. An attorney and partner in the law firm Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs in Matawan, Padula has a son in Kindergarten and a daughter who will begin Kindergarten next year.
Karen Saad discovered the borough of Fair Haven during a lunch stop at an establishment on River Road. She “fell in love” with the town and is now a resident with three children, who are currently students in the school system. Born and raised in New Jersey, she graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant. She worked for the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm based in Washington D.C prior to moving back to New Jersey to raise her family.
Both Alescio and Frissora expressed a desire to see Fair Haven schools continue to be unique, as well as maintain their focus on developing confident learners.
“Cathy Alescio and Katy Frissora will be greatly missed by the Board and district,” said Mancuso. “The amount of time and energy they poured into their terms on the Board are a testament to their strong work ethic and absolute devotion to our schools and children.”
