Vote Raab, Roberts & Malespina
Team SOMA 2015 For SOMSD School Board
TUESDAY NOV. 3RD POLLS ARE OPEN 6AM - 8PM
Vote 1D - Raab - 2D - Roberts & 6D - Malespina
Team SOMA 2015 believes our district is at a critical juncture and to improve we must focus on these goals:
COMMUNICATION- so that all stakeholders can understand and help develop smarter policies
COMMON SENSE - to admit when something isn't working and change course.
COURAGE - to ask the tough questions so we can make sound decisions.
Check Out Our Website For More Info:
Polling Place Information:
Marian Raab- Bio
Marian is a non-practicing attorney who has been working as a financial and legal editor and writer for more than 20 years. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Credit Union Journal, a weekly financial newspaper, and currently works as a freelance editor/journalist. Marian was previously Managing Editor of Financial Executive magazine and Associate Editor of the New Jersey Law Journal.
A 14-year resident of the Tuscan neighborhood in Maplewood, Marian has been active in township community affairs and politics. She was elected to the Maplewood Democratic Committee twice, serving as a Democratic District Leader. Marian is also a local organizer for Save our Schools New Jersey, a nonpartisan, grassroots, volunteer organization of parents and other public education supporters and is a co-founder of South Orange/ Maplewood Parents for Quality Education.
She led the opposition to the second application of Hua Mei, the “boutique” Mandarin-immersion charter school that attempted to open twice in Maplewood. (Former district Superintendent Brian Osborne estimated that if Hua Mei had been approved, the district would have had to set aside about $500,000 to fund its first year.)
A long-time member of the Tuscan Elementary School PTA, Marian is the former chairperson of the school’s Safety Committee, where she worked closely with the Maplewood Police Department and township government to improve driving and pedestrian sidewalk conditions in front of the school.
Marian is married to Matthew Goldstein and has two boys in the public schools—William, a 7th grader at Maplewood Middle School, and Ethan, a 3rd grader at Tuscan.
Shannel Roberts - Bio
Shannel is the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey.
A 10-year resident of Maplewood’s Hilton neighborhood, Shannel is actively involved at St. John’s Community Baptist Church in Newark and is a former member of the NAACP Education Committee serving the Oranges and Maplewood.
Shannel founded the Essex County Chapter of Little Sistahs in the Know Inc., a literacy program focused on boosting the self-esteem and positive self-image of young black girls. She organized a career fair at the Hilton Library and invited professional women of color and entrepreneurs to demonstrate to the girls the endless possibilities for achievement.
She also co-founded R.O.S.E.S., an afterschool leadership and peer mentorship program to raise self-esteem and promote academic excellence through community service. She serves on the board of WOFABE, the largest African Dance and Drum festival in New Jersey. WOFABE will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary at the NJPAC in November.
Shannel is a passionate supporter of cultural arts and education with a focus on dance, music and leadership. She has also been actively involved in the rights of children with special needs as well as tenants’ rights and low-income housing issues.
She is married to Mike Roberts and a proud parent of Sarai, an 11th grader at Columbia High School.
Elissa Malespina - Bio
Elissa has been an educator since 1998, and for nine years was a school librarian in the South Orange/Maplewood school district, first at Columbia H.S. and then at South Orange Middle School. Elissa was the 2014 winner of the Bammy Award for School Librarian of the Year, given by the Academy of Arts and Education. She is formerly the Supervisor of Education Technology, 6-12 STEM and Professional Development for the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District. This year she followed her passion back to the library, Elissa is now the Librarian at Somerville Middle School.
A nationally-recognized educational speaker, trainer and presenter who has been featured on NPR and in numerous magazines and websites, Elissa recently worked with Sage Consulting Group LLC where she helped address achievement gap issues in the South Orange/Maplewood schools. She has also consulted with the school district on communication issues.
A resident of South Orange for more than two decades, Elissa has been active in the community as a volunteer at numerous town events including Celebrate South Orange, Village Beautification, National Night Out and more. She was also a trustee for the South Orange Public Library and is a co-founder of South Orange/ Maplewood Parents for Quality Education.
Elissa is married to Joseph Malespina, a lifelong resident of South Orange and a 1994 graduate of Columbia High School. Their son, Matthew, is a 7th grader at South Orange Middle School
Contact Us:
Email: candidates@soma2015.com
Website: http://soma2015.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somaboe2015/
Twitter: @somaboe2015