Board of Trustees

LEAP Academy University Charter School is a public school chartered in New Jersey. The school is governed by its Board of Trustees, which holds the responsibility for governance, policymaking and oversight in all operational areas, including curriculum, personnel and finances.   

The Board is comprised of Rutgers University representatives, Public Members representing local and regional stakeholders, and Parent representatives who are parents at LEAP Academy.

The Board meets once a month and discusses major action items and all business related to the school.  All meetings are open to the public.

 

Officers

 

Chair  |  Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago
Dr. Santiago is a Distinguished Service Professor at Rutgers University and Director of the Community Leadership Center. She led the efforts to establish LEAP Academy and is a staunch supporter of charter schools statewide. At Rutgers-Camden she teaches in the Graduate Department of Public Policy & Administration.

 

Vice-Chair  |  Jennifer Perkins Young
Ms. Young is the Vice President for Public Affairs for Verizon New Jersey and is also involved in several community and charitable ventures.

 

Treasurer  |  Peter Burke
Mr. Burke is the Executive Vice President of Development for Brandywine Senior Living in Moorestown, NJ. Mr. Burke serves as Board Treasurer but is a non-voting member.

 

Secretary  |  Hector Nieves
Mr. Nieves is a small business owner in Camden City, NJ and is the parent of a current LEAP Academy student and a LEAP graduate who is currently in college at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

Members

 

Wendell Pritchett,  J.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Pritchett is the Chancellor for the Camden campus of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He is a former professor and Associate Dean for the Univ. of Pennsylvania Law School.

 

Danielle N. Askew-Lopez
Ms. Askew-Lopez is a parent representative for the board and is also a Secretary at the Office of Graduate & Undergraduate Admissions at Rutgers University–Camden.

 

Manuel Delgado
Mr. Delgado is the Executive Director of the Cramer Hill Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) in Camden, New Jersey.

 

Luis Garcia, , Ph.D.
Dr. Garcia a retired Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Rutgers–Camden and a Professor Emeritus with the Department of Psychology.

 

Marleen Gonzalez
Ms. Gonzalez is a parent respresentative on the LEAP Board of Trustees.

  Mira Lalovich-Hand, Ph.D.
Dr. Lalovich-Hand is the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness & Planning at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.
  Adam Lorber
Mr. Lorber is the General Manager of the Camden Riversharks, a professional baseball team in Camden, New Jersey.
 

Rory P. Maradona
Mr. Maradona is the Assitant Dean for Off Campus Programs, at Camden campus of Rutgers,
the State University of New Jersey.

  Maria E. Miranda
Ms. Miranda is a parent respresentative who also works as a Practice Administrator for Cooper University Hospital.
 

Brenda Ortiz
Ms. Ortiz is a parent representative and also works as a Business Specialist  at the Community Leadership Center- Rutgers University-Camden.

 

Benedetto Piccoli, Ph.D.
Dr. Piccoli is the Joseph and Loretta Lopez Chair Professor of Mathematics and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, both at Rutgers University–Camden.

  David Salas-de la Cruz, Ph.D.
Dr. Salas-de la Cruz is a Senior Application Engineer for Holtec International, a global energy technology company based in Marlton, New Jersey.
 

Mary T. Sheil
Ms. Sheil is the senior partner at 17 A Joyce Kilmer Associates, a property management firm in New Jersey.

 

Omar Villa
Mr. Villa is District Community Bank Manager/Vice President for Wells Fargo Bank.

 

Dyanne P. Westerberg, D.O., FAAFP
Dr. Westerberg has practiced medicine for over 25 years and is a Medical Chief in Cooper Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine and is also a faculty member at UMDNJ and RWJ Medical School and a Medical Director at the Coriell Institute. She is the chief physician at the Rutgers/LEAP Health Center, a health clinic on-site at LEAP Academy.

 

Raymond Yannuzzi, Ph.D.
Dr. Yannuzzi is the President of Camden County College.

 

Wanda Garcia (Board Liaison)
Ms. Garcia is the Associate Director of the Community Leadership Center at Rutgers University-Camden and serves as liaison to the LEAP Academy Board of Trustees, which is a non-member and non-voting post. 




 

Board Members

Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago
Jennifer Perkins Young
Peter Burke
Hector Nieves
Dr. Wendell Pritchett
Danielle N. Askew-Lopez
Manuel Delgado
Dr. Luis Garcia
Marleen Gonzalez
 
Rory P. Maradona
Dr. Mira Lalovich-Hand
Adam Lorber
Maria E. Miranda
Brenda Ortiz
Dr. Benedetto Piccoli
Dr. David Salas
Mary t. Sheil
Omar Villa
 
Dyanne Westerberg
Dr. Raymond Yannuzzi