I’m Brian.
I was born and raised in New Jersey, although I didn’t grow up in West Orange.
My parents moved here from Ohio because of my dad’s job. He worked for Anheuser Busch. One of their main concerns was that the town we moved to had a good school system for my sister and I to attend, and they ended up moving to Edison shortly before I was born.
It was a great place to grow up, and I lived there for a while after I graduated from college. But eventually I found myself in a similar situation – looking for a home for my family.
When my wife and I started dating, she lived in South Jersey. We did the long distance relationship thing for a while, but as things got more serious she considered getting a new job in North Jersey. We planned to move in together.
She had three children from her previous marriage, and so our primary concern was where her youngest daughter would go to school. Where in Essex County were there great schools, where we could actually afford to live, and where the community was diverse and inclusive enough for our family to fit in?
We came up with a short list, and West Orange rose to the top. After a few months of house hunting, we bought our house and moved in. We never gave it a second thought, and we grow to appreciate the town a little more every day.
The West Orange Board of Education
In 2021, I stepped up to serve on the West Orange Board of Education. A person I respected – Terry Trigg-Scales – had decided not to run for re-election. It didn’t seem like anyone else was willing to step into the void that she had left, and so I decided to run for her seat.
After one year on the Board, my colleagues elected me President. I’ve served in the position since then. In that time, we’ve promoted Hayden Moore to be our Superintendent, and I’ve had the honor and privilege of being his partner in running the school district. We work together to manage an organization with a $200 million budget that is responsible for the education of almost 7,000 students,
We have a track record to be proud of:
- We’ve rolled out universal preschool, and every child in West Orange now has a chance to attend free, high quality pre-k.
- We’ve air conditioned all of our elementary schools, providing our students with a modern and safe learning environment.
- We’ve utilized grant funds to create additional classroom space throughout the district.
- We’ve adopted new ELA and Math curricula, and as they’ve been implemented we’ve seen academic gains.
- We’ve adopted balanced budgets in tough economic times, and we’ve steered clear of the economic disasters that have befallen our neighboring school districts.
- We’ve made these investments without taking on additional debt.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve steered the ship with steady leadership. Although we may disagree at times, the Board always works together to do what’s best for our students and school communities. This stands in stark contrast to past Boards – and to the Council and Mayor in recent years – where infighting was common and disagreements got in the way of progress.
My Professional Background
I started my career as a classroom teacher. For over a decade, I taught high school social studies at East Orange Campus High School.
I taught a variety of classes, including US History and AP American Government. I also had the opportunity to work with broad spectrum of students – including high performing students, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners. Civics education and an awareness of current events were always cornerstones of my classroom.
Throughout that time, I was also involved as an advisor for multiple extracurricular activities. Among other things, I was the longtime advisor of the Yearbook Club. I worked with students who had a passion for photography to document their school year, and in the process I had the opportunity to witness students thriving in all kinds of environments. To this day, it’s part of why I advocate for all extracurricular activities – from sports to performing arts and everything in between.
As a teacher I became heavily involved in my union, the East Orange Education Association. I eventually transitioned to being a Uniserv Field Rep with the New Jersey Education Association. In that role, I dealt with administrators and attorneys, negotiating contracts, arbitrating grievances, and advocating for public policy. I believe in the importance of unions in building and maintaining America’s middle class, but this work also taught my a great deal about the budgetary constraints facing school districts and municipalities.
Currently, I work as a senior business intelligence analyst at NJEA. That’s a fancy way of saying I help people in the organization understand data and use it to make decisions. I have a technical background from my younger days, and this has given me an opportunity to sharpen my coding and analytical skills. It’s helped me immensely in understanding school funding and other issues facing the Board of Education.
Finally, I have a long history of interest and involvement in politics. As an NJEA member, I sat on committees that lobbied government officials, and I’ve met with state and federal lawmakers to advocate for education policy. I’ve completed many different political trainings and fellowships, and I’ve built a network of contacts throughout Essex County and throughout the state. I even worked for C-SPAN for a bit in Washington, D.C.
My Education and Training
After graduating from Edison High School, I attended Rutgers University. I studied History and Political Science, and I eventually applied to the Graduate School of Education to complete the five year program in Social Studies Education.
I graduated with my EdM in 2007 and started teaching in East Orange. A few years later, I returned to Rutgers to pursue an EdD. My area of research was social studies education and educational technology. I learned a ton through my coursework and my research, and I was also able to take the courses necessary to obtain my Supervisor certificate. Ultimately, I struggled to find the time to dedicate to my dissertation. I eventually opted not to finish, and I’m currently ABD.
One of the great things about my time at Rutgers, though, was that it afforded me the opportunity to complete a graduate fellowship at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Eagleton is a non-partisan institute within Rutgers that brings students from various disciplines together to understand the political process. I was a Governor’s Executive Fellow in the Class of 2014. This experience taught me a great deal about how government works and about how to work with people from different political stripes to get things done.
Other notable professional development opportunities and fellowships include:
- House Fellows Program with the US House of Representatives Historian’s Office (2010)
- C-SPAN Teacher Fellowship (2013) and Senior Fellowship (2015)
- New Leaders Council NJ Fellow (2016)
- Amistad Curriculum Institute
- MSUNER Leadership Associates Program
- National Endowment for Humanities Seminar at the New York Historical Society – Race and Politics in the Civil War
- NJ Council of Humanities Seminar on Literacy and Democracy
Other Fun Facts
I was a founding member of the Civic Trust in Newark and a supporter of the Citizen’s Campaign. Along with Harry Pozycki, I had the opportunity to address the NJ State Board of Education about civics education. I was also invited to make a presentation with recommendations about civics to the State Board’s Strategic Planning Committee.
As a member of NJEA’s Congressional Contact Committee, I made several trips to Washington, D.C. to lobby our federal legislators. We met with members on both sides of the aisle, and through these trips I learned how to have constructive dialogue about educational issues with people whose political views I disagreed with. If you’re interested, ask me sometime about my first meeting with Representative Leonard Lance.
I’ve been a runner on and off throughout my life. I’ve run over half a dozen marathons, and I’ve been on a running streak since November 30, 2021. Most days, you’re liable to catch me running the trails at South Mountain Reservation or the loop around the Orange Reservoir. I’m a member of the Essex Running Club, and I’m looking forward to the return of the STOP for Nikhil 5k Race this September.
When I was younger, I was in the band. I played the full gamut of brass instruments, from trumpet up to sousaphone, and I spent four years in the Edison High School Marching Band. I come from a musical family – my dad marched for the Ohio State University, my grandfather spent World War II in the army band, and there are countless other accomplished musicians in my family tree.
I live in the St. Cloud neighborhood with my wife, our two youngest kids, our cat, and our dog. Our oldest cat, Apollo, recently passed. My older sister lives in Gettysburg, PA, and she and her husband are both college professors. My parents are retired, and they only recently left our home in Edison to move to Jackson.
