Millburn Education Foundation Names New Board, Plans Exciting Events

The Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills has named a new Executive Operating Board (EOB) and Board of Trustees (BOT). Taking the helm of the EOB are veteran President Amy Talbert and longtime volunteer and board of trustees member Sheila Bouri. The BOT will be led by Chair Shannon Aronson, Vice-Chair Michelle D. Bergman and Secretary Lauri Palomaki.

Plans for the current school year include annual fundraisers such as Millburn Schools Rock, Cocktails and Conversation, and the Millburn Film Festival. New to the event roster is the upcoming An Evening of Honor, in which Millburn High School Principal Dr. William Miron and Past President of the Education Foundation Debbie Rieder will be presented with the Crystal Apple award for their service to the township’s schools.

The Board of Trustees was formed three years ago in an effort to establish an endowment for the Education Foundation that would allow the group to expand upon its efforts to enhance the education of the students of Millburn-Short Hills. Currently the fundraising organization gives back to the schools in the form of grants and gifts to the schools in the categories of science, technology, the arts and nature. With an eye to the future of the Millburn school district and budgetary concerns, the BOT plans to ramp up its efforts to raise significant funds to support all seven Millburn-Short Hills schools.

The event will take place on November 4, 2014 at The Crystal Plaza in Livingston and will include a cocktail hour at 6:30 pm followed by a seated dinner at 7:30 pm. Renee Minter, Millburn parent and stand-up comedian, will emcee the event. Tickets ($200 per person), sponsorships and tribute ads are available online.

The 2014-15 Executive Operating Board (EOB) includes: Co-Presidents Amy Talbert and Sheila Bouri, Executive Vice-President Lauri Palomaki, Treasurer Julie Israel, Asst Treasurer Paula Simonetti, Secretary Neena Jindal, VP of Fundraising Simon Westfall-Kwong, VP Communications and Publicity Micole Richter, VP Grants Robin Eichler and Lauri Palomaki, Membership Chairs Katie Foster and Ruchi Bhardwaj, Technology Chair Peggy Nadkarni, and Alumni Chair Ana DeMeo.

The 2014-15 Board of Trustees (BOT) includes: Chair Shannon Aronson, Vice-Chair Michelle D. Bergman, Secretary Lauri Palomaki, Tom Cook, Sheila Bouri, Debbie Rieder, Robin Eichler, Katie Foster, Micole Richter, Jan Tran, Rumy Sidhu, Simon Westfall-Kwong, and John Zeitler.

All township residents are encouraged to participate in Education Foundation meetings and events. More information on the group, including meeting dates and locations, can be found here.

Information courtesy of Micole Richter.