Elizabeth Torres |
Elizabeth Torres has worked in the housing and community development field for the past 14 years. Her first job was with a national nonprofit starting as a receptionist and then spending 10 years growing through the ranks and ultimately responsible for creating 84 units of affordable housing leveraging over $15,000,000 of financing from HUD, CHFA, and DECD.
Today, Ms. Torres is the Executive Director of Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, Inc. a community housing and development organization focused on creating affordable housing, healthy homes and providing homeownership counseling for low income families. Since coming to Bridgeport, Ms. Torres has completed 25 units of affordable housing leveraging over $4,000,0000 of public and private resources and is working on another 53 representing over $10,000,000 of community investment. Ms. Torres has expanded BNT's operations to include Pre Purchase Homeownership Counseling and a Healthy Homes Initiative. Her most recent success includes securing a $2,000,000 three year grant from HUD to implement the City of Bridgeport's first Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP).
Ms. Torres is also a member of the New Haven Board of Education and serves as the Treasurer for Casa Oto–al, Inc. Last but not least she has two children and one grandchild.
Administration & Finance Committee (Chair)
Term expires: 05/2012 elizabeth@bntweb.org |
Michael R. Nast |
Michael R. Nast, a graduate of New Haven Public Schools and Fordham University, was Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools from 1994 to 1999, having risen through the ranks of Stamford's school system from high school principal to the top post. He started his career as a science teacher at James Hillhouse High School. Administrative positions held in New Haven include chairman of the Science Department at Hillhouse, assistant principal at Wilbur Cross High School and principal at Cross.
Upon retiring from the Superintendent's position in Stamford, Mr. Nast served as an educational consultant to many school districts in New England and New York, worked for the Education Alliance at Brown University, and served as interim Superintendent for both the Amity Region 5 and New Hartford School Districts. He currently is an adjunct professor in the University of Connecticut Administrative Preparation Program and is a consultant to the Center for Secondary School Redesign in Rhode Island.
Administration & Finance Committee
Term Expires: 9/2012 mrn252@comcast.net |
Dr. Carlos Antonio Torre |
Dr. Carlos Antonio Torre earned three degrees at Harvard University: an Ed.M. in Human Development; a Certificate of Advance Studies in Administration, Planning and Social Policy; and a Doctorate of Education. He is, currently, Professor of Education at Southern Connecticut State University; former President of the New Haven, Connecticut Board of Education (member: 1993-2003 also 2006 to the present); and a Fellow at Yale University, where he served for seven years as Assistant Dean of the College and a member of the Psychology faculty. Dr. Torre is an elected member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Puerto Rico and was awarded the Academy's Medal of the Academician. Other awards include: the Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences' first award for "humanitarian, ground-breaking contributions to the understanding of the mind through the application of dynamical science perspectives to educational psychology"; the Connecticut Association of Latin Americans in Higher Education (CALAHE) award "for contributions made toward the improvement of educational opportunities for Hispanics in higher education"; and others. Through the use of Recurrence Quantification Analysis, Dr. Torre's research seeks to identify characteristic patterns in the autonomic nervous system associated with particular emotions, (i.e., the emotions children experience as they learn). His publications include: articles on non-linear dynamics applied to education; a book-length research monograph on the triadic nature of the mind and university students' quality of thinking; chapters on educators "Eugenio Maria de Hostos and "Michael Apple"; an edited volume on Puerto Rican Migration; and a book in-progress on the "Ecology of Education.
President
Curriculum Committee
Term expires: 9/2013 Carlos.Torre@yale.edu |
Susan R. Samuels |
Susan R. Samuels came to New Haven to attend Quinnipiac University. Later, Ms. Samuels graduated from Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 1987, attended Albertus Magnus College in 1990, and most recently became an honors graduate of the medical assistant/secretary program at Sawyer School (2006). She is a Justice of the Peace, and an independent contractor with the United States Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.
Curriculum Committee (Chair)
Term expires 9/2011 srsboemem08@yahoo.com |
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. |
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.
Click here to visit the Mayor's Web Site. jDeStefanojr@newhavenct.net |
Alex Johnston |
Alex Johnston is Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN). As ConnCAN’s first employee, Alex launched what is now regarded as one of the nation’s leading state-level education reform organizations. In the five years since, he has led ConnCAN’s effort to advocate for state policies that will ensure every Connecticut child has access to a great public school. In 2009, ConnCAN achieved three major legislative victories through its ‘Mind the Gaps’ campaign: overhauling the state’s teacher certification rules, opening up stores of longitudinal student achievement data to the public and securing $8 million of funding for the expansion of high-performing public charter schools in the midst of an $8 billion state budget deficit.
Before helping to found ConnCAN, Alex Johnston directed operations at the New Haven Housing Authority, working as a member of the management team tasked with turning the agency around from the brink of receivership. A graduate of Harvard University, Alex received a D. Phil. in politics from Oxford’s Lincoln College on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he studied the impact of government funding on nonprofit service providers. Alex serves as the sole external member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ business planning working group and serves on the state commission charged with developing Connecticut’s P-20 data system.
Term Expires: 9/2011
alex.johnston@conncan.org |
Selase Williams |
Selase Williams, Southern Connecticut State University Provost, views himself as a bridge builder, but of the metaphorical sort -- bringing together people from different backgrounds, connecting students to faculty and creating new links between Southern and the communities it serves.
Williams, the first provost in SCSU’s 112-year history, began his duties on Sept. 2, 2005. He is serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs and his responsibilities include overseeing all academic programs at Southern and playing a key role in the day-to-day operations of the university. As the second highest ranking individual at the university, he will be acting president when the president must be off campus for a significant period of time.
Williams previously served as an academic at California State University at Dominguez Hills for 11 years, 10 of those years as dean of the college where he supervised nearly 200 full-time faculty, 175 part-time faculty and 42 technical/clerical staff. In his last year at Dominguez Hills, he participated in the solicitation of more than $2 million in gifts from private and corporate donors. He also developed partnerships with public schools and community colleges that streamlined the process to enter into bachelor’s degree programs at California State.
His commitment to quality education for all students, but especially those who have historically been deprived, spurred him to become a founding member and board president of the New Designs Charter School in Los Angeles.
He believes those accomplishments have prepared him well to be an effective leader on campus and in the Greater New Haven community.
“It is my strong belief that we, as educators and educational administrators, have a responsibility to empower people of all races, ages, religions and genders with the knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve their personal and professional goals,” he says. “Our location in an urban community and our standing as a public institution are strengths. I think it would be fair to think of ourselves as ‘the people’s university.’
Williams initiated several projects while at Dominguez Hills, including a first-year student success program, the establishment of policies and procedures to effectively diversify the faculty, and attracting millions of dollars in grants to support faculty and student research. He plans to explore similar initiatives and goals here at Southern.
Williams says he is a strong advocate of international education. “I have traveled extensively during my lifetime – to Asia, South and Central America, Africa and Europe. I have to say that these were life-altering experiences. I want our students to have the opportunity to experience that.”
Back at home, Williams describes his management style as a “collaborative decision maker.” “Ernest Hemmingway once wrote, ‘No man is an island.’ I agree with that. I want to build teams of people.”
On a personal note, Williams said he is a strong supporter of the arts – especially music. “I love jazz and I started playing the drums when I was 10 or 11 years old.”
He also is an avid golfer and also hits the tennis courts for an occasional match. “I have found golf to be a very humbling experience, but also one in which you can learn a lot about yourself and other people. You learn about the need for patience and discipline because your game is never going to be perfect.”
Williams and his wife, Deborah, a talented artist and curator, reside in New Haven. He has two adult daughters – Beth and India, and a 12-year-old daughter, Nubia.
Curriculum Committee
Term Expires: 9/2010 WILLIAMSW1@southernct.edu |
Ferdinand L. Risco, Jr. |
Ferdinand L. Risco Jr. is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Educated in the Philadelphia Public School System, he graduated from William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs prior to enrolling in Temple University where he received a Bachelors’ of Business Administration degree.
Mr. Risco was a Distinguished Military Graduate and the recipient of a USAA Army ROTC Scholarship at Temple University. Commissioned as a Regular Army Infantry Officer, Mr. Risco’s First assignment after completing a host of schooling to include the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course and Airborne School was B Co, 2nd BN 7th IN (M) Fort Stewart, Ga. were he served as a Platoon Leader. While at 2/7 IN (M) he served as the Battalion Support Platoon Leader, the Battalion Maintenance Officer and ultimately severed as the Commander’s Staff Advisor of Logistics (S-4) responsible for an annual operating budget and equipment in excess of $125 million.
After a medical discharge from the Armed Services, Mr. Risco embarked on a business career in which his professional experiences have included work in the corporate sector, Federal and State Government agencies. He began his corporate development with Airborne Express (now DHL) as a Field Services Supervisor and Hiring Manager. Mr. Risco’s next professional experience was with the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group. After only six months with the company Mr. Risco was promoted to the level of Department Manger. His responsibilities included leading the Warehouse Operations in one of the 54 manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Mr. Risco is currently employed with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority –Metro North Railroad. Prior to his recent promotion, he managed the daily activities of five unionized supervisors, seventy-six craft personnel, representing multiple unions; maintenance activities, including equipment overhaul, running repair work and inspections of 342 pieces of rolling stock. Now, he serves as a Manager in the Labor Relations Department for Metro North Railroad.
Mr. Risco completed his graduate studies and received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of New Haven. Mr. Risco is extremely involved in his community and has served as Chairman, Board of Directors, Edgewood PTA, After-School Program. He is a member of several professional and fraternal organizations from which he has received many awards and accolades. Mr. Risco is married to Stacy, his wife and business partner. They have 4 children and reside in New Haven, CT.
Administration and Finance Committee
Term Expires: 9/2013 ferdinand.risco@alum.newhaven.edu |
