Our Team
Staff Members
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Cristhian Barcelos
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Russell Ben Ali
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Jorge Chavez
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Deborah Graham
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Mary O’Connor
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Rosa Marisol Ramirez
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Board of Trustees
Sally E. Rice, President
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Kathleen Mollica, Vice President
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Sally Rice is the President of the Board of Trustees of Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties, Inc. She has been a leader in literacy for almost four decades, first as Supervising Librarian and Coordinator of Adult Services for the East Orange Public Library and now as a retiree since 2006. Sally became active in literacy as the library’s representative to the Essex Literacy Consortium in the 1980’s. Through this work, she was invited to become a member of the Board of Directors of LVA Essex County. She continued her board service when the Essex and Newark LVA organizations merged in late 1993. Sally served as President from 1995-2006 and again from 2009 to date. She served as Board Secretary from 2007-2008. Other volunteer leadership positions include her work as a founding member and the first President of the Government Documents Association of New Jersey. Sally served on the Bernie L. Edmonson Community Education Center Advisory Council in East Orange and on several committees for the New Jersey Library Association. Sally earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s of Library Science from Rutgers University. She is also an active board member for her local public library Friends organization.
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Kathy Mollica is the Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties. She is also an active tutor and a trainer of tutors for LVA, an organization to which she has belonged and contributed to for more than 20 years Kathy is a career librarian. She retired as the director of the Passaic Public Library and once worked as the library's assistant director. In her retirement, she works part-time as a reference librarian for the Hawthorne Public Library, where she also heads the literacy program for LVA. Kathy is president of the Zonta Club of Passaic/Clifton, an organization that is active in community affairs. She earned a master's degree in library science from Pratt Institute in New York City.
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Nancy Tinney, Treasury
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Christine Malloy, Secretary
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Nancy Tinney brings years of library and public relations experience to the Board of Trustees of Literacy Volunteers of America, Essex & Passaic Counties. At the East Orange Public Library, where she is known as an exceptional reference librarian and branch manager, Nancy delivers comprehensive reference and technological services to patrons, all while supervising 12 full- and part-time library assistants. She also represents the library at community outreach events and serves on its marketing committee - - experiences that help her fortify LVA’s relations with the libraries we so depend on. She has a background in business, as well as in information services, and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a master’s degree in library and information science from Pratt Institute.
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Christine Malloy brings a love of teaching, fundraising and event planning to the LVA and is thrilled for the opportunity to contribute to her community. A former pastry sous chef at New York City's Gramercy Tavern (where she traded cooking lessons for Spanish lessons), Christine currently spends her time volunteering with Girl Scouts of America, several political organizations and her local school district. When she's not busy with her two daughters, you can find Christine running the trail by her house, teaching people how to make the world's best brownies, or reading a book. Christine is very excited about joining the LVA board and hopes to contribute immediately in a meaningful way.
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Birdean R. Clinton
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Jordan Fried
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Birdean R. Clinton brings over 20 years of experience in education to the LVA board. A strategic leader with proven expertise in school and district management, she has held teaching, teacher coaching, program facilitator, consultant, and school and district administrator positions in both urban and suburban school districts. Specializing in elementary education, she has worked in parochial, traditional public, and public charter schools. Birdean is most proud of the fact that she has taught and brought the joy of reading to hundreds of children.
She served as a Curriculum Reviser for Language Arts Literacy Grades 3-5, Reading Coach, and Registered Professional Development Provider for the New Jersey Department of Education. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Marymount College, Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Iona College, and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Kean University. Birdean is passionate about closing achievement and opportunity gaps for children and adults and believes that all citizens have the right to be literate. |
Jordan D. Fried is the current Treasurer of Literacy Volunteers of America Essex & Passaic Counties. Jordan has a successful career in business where he is known for his ability to build and implement service management models that provide breakthrough improvements in revenue, unit cost and customer satisfaction. He is currently the Vice President: Business Analytics and Pricing at Credit Suisse where he is responsible for the design and implementation of the product costing and charging process to business lines for their consumption of technology infrastructure products. Past positions include Bank of America, Vice President: Service Management and Strategy and AT&T Corporation. Volunteer activities also include Bridges Outreach to the Homeless and Board of Trustees and Financial Secretary of Temple B’nai Or. He received his bachelor of science degree in economics from Cornell University and his master’s of business administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
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Nitty Joseph
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Marleen Grabowsky
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Nitty Joseph is currently a Transitions of Care Pharmacist at Hackensack University Medical Center. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2012 with a Doctorate in Pharmacy. She enjoys fitness activities, reading, cooking and being involved in the community through activities such as volunteering as an ESL teacher and as a Sunday school teacher and youth group advisor for her parish. She joins the board of LVA this year hoping to learn, serve and have a positive impact on society.
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LVA Board Member, Marleen Grabowsky, is on a mission. As a retired teacher from the Paterson school district and successful entrepreneur, down time to travel has become a priority. Marleen has travelled all over the globe and her passport is running out of pages. She has a bucket list that doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. Along with her passion for travel, Marleen enjoys knitting, she also belongs to the Book Arts Roundtable as a book artist. Marleen found the best part of her week is being an LVA tutor to a large conversation group in the Wayne Public library. Marleen said, “ I’ve come full circle and love being back in the classroom. The greatest reward is the sense of empowerment my students walk away with after a few classes of sharing and learning what brings us all together….the English language.
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Harsh Parikh
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Meisha A. Powell
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Harsh Parikh is a Principal at PGIM, the Global Investment Management Business of Prudential Financial, Inc. Prior to PGIM, he was Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Strategist at BNY Mellon Investment Management. He also worked for GMAC RFC and Countrywide Capital Markets in portfolio management and fixed income research respectively. Harsh earned his advanced business degrees from the University of Southern California and the prestigious EDHEC Business School in France. Harsh did his undergraduate studies in Computer Engineering at Gujarat University, India.
Harsh brings his expertise to the Literacy Volunteers of America board as a result of his passion to give back to the community in which he lives and works. He enjoys providing investment advice and business development plans to help grow organizations. Harsh, passionate about education, says he thoroughly enjoys teaching languages as well. |
Meisha A. Powell brings a unique background in psychology, law, and residential real estate sales to the LVA Essex&Passaic Counties Board of Trustees. Giving back to the community has always been at the forefront of Meisha’s career and she looks forward to supporting the mission of LVA. She began her career as an attorney for a large mid-town Manhattan law firm and participated in pro bono legal work, where she provided free legal services to organizations and individuals. Meisha is currently an associate real estate broker for a small boutique real estate company in Brooklyn.
She is also a runner and has run six marathons including the Chicago and New York. Her long-term goal is to run in all 50 states. She holds degrees from Temple University and Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law. |
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Clair von Schilling
Executive Vice President, Director, Corporate Communications, Penguin Random House
Clair von Schilling is Executive Vice President, Director, Corporate Communications at Penguin Random House. In this global role, she oversees media relations, internal communications, branding, and social responsibility including corporate giving, and public affairs. Prior to Random House she was Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony Music, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Bertelsman, and Government Affairs Representative of Mazda division of Ford Motor Company.
Von Schilling’s volunteer activities include her role as Secretary of the Board of the Penguin Random House Foundation, Head of Global Social Responsibility Council for Penguin Random House, volunteer baker and server at Toni’s Kitchen, and ESL teacher for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia. She holds a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Von Schilling’s volunteer activities include her role as Secretary of the Board of the Penguin Random House Foundation, Head of Global Social Responsibility Council for Penguin Random House, volunteer baker and server at Toni’s Kitchen, and ESL teacher for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia. She holds a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Trainers
Thomas Conlon
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Mary Kao
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For over a decade, Thomas Conlon has been a member of Literacy Volunteers of America Essex & Passaic Counties. Thanks to Tom’s strong commitment and dedication, he was the catalyst in starting a partnership with the Passaic Public Library where he is also an instructor. His vision and hard work opened the door for many students and instructors. Tom is also a tutor trainer.
Tom brings decades of community engagement to LVA. Beginning with multiple positions at the Society of African Missions, Tom has served as pastor, personnel recruitment coordinator, education coordinator and even chief operating officer. In many trips abroad, Tom has worked with a wide variety of people from various cultural and language backgrounds. Closer to home, Tom’s previous positions have been in the non profit sector helping ex offenders in their search for employment and educational opportunities. Tom was also employed as a GED instructor at La Casa Don Pedro in Newark. |
Mary Kao has been a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America since 2001. She became a tutor trainer in 2007 and since then has trained hundreds of tutors. In 2014 she was awarded "Educator of the Year" at the LVA Annual Awards Ceremony. Literacy has been extremely important to Mary, in large part, due to her mother's struggles. She saw her mother fight to overcome many of life's obstacles because she was denied an education in her homeland of China. Her mother immigrated to India, where Mary was born and raised. Mary's mother worked as a seamstress, embroiderer and a cook but was excluded from other jobs because she could not read or write in English or the Chinese and Indian dialects she spoke. Among the things she passed on to Mary was a deep respect for literacy and education. Mary is an origami artist and teacher who was taught this ancient form of paper folding at age three from her father. Over the years, Mary has led dozens of tutor training workshops and taught multiple students for LVA. Mary graduated with a BA in interior design from Washington State University. She worked in retail as a designer and managed her own business as well.
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Mary O’Connor
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Nina Peyser
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Mary O’Connor is a trainer, a tutor of multiple students and one of the lead tutor support workshop presenters at LVA Essex and Passaic Counties. In a 43-year career in education, she worked as an English teacher in the New York City school system, a religious studies teacher at several New Jersey Catholic high schools, an assistant principal and principal at Marylawn of the Oranges Academy in South Orange. She retired in 2008. She became an LVA tutor in 2010 and was certified as a trainer three years later. Mary earned a bachelor’s degree at St. John’s University and a master’s at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University.
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Consultant and administrator, Nina Peskoe Peyser, has dedicated her long spanning career to health care and educational enterprises. Nina utilizes her talents in a multitude of organizations ranging from Passaic County Community College to establishing her own consulting business for leading organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At PCCC, she holds a position as a learning specialist teaching workplace readiness skills and providing literacy and ESL support to low-income students.
As a champion for health care, Nina was Executive Director of the Department of Grants Management and Research Support, while simultaneously acting as Executive Director of the Chemical Dependency Institute. In these positions, she conceived and implemented programs to facilitate research, education, clinical services and advocacy in substance abuse and AIDS. Nina has been a Master Tutor Trainer with Literacy Volunteers of America for over a decade |
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Darnelle Richardson
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Carolyn Van Doren
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Darnelle Richardson has been a leader in adult education for almost 30 years. She has been a Master Trainer with Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey since 2005 and has recently joined LVA Essex & Passaic Counties’ roster of tutor trainers.
Darnelle ‘s studies in education and business led to her current position at the Jersey City Public Library Literacy Program where she wears many hats. Darnelle is Program Coordinator, Tutor Trainer and Instructor. She leads a team of staff and volunteers to achieve the best possible outcomes for the diverse population of students her organization serves. Along with working with basic literacy and ESL students in improving their speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of English, Darnelle also finds time to teach Public Speaking classes. Darnelle has been a member of Toastmasters International, Jersey City since 2005. She received the Distinguished Toastmaster award in 2013, the organization’s highest educational/leadership honor. |
A retired human resources manager who has recruited and hired more than 100 technical employees for IT and engineering jobs, Carolyn Van Doren is both an LVA literacy tutor and a trainer of basic literacy and ESOL tutors. She joined the organization as a volunteer in 2008. Carolyn is the former vice-president of the Girl Scouts of Essex County and also served as a national delegate, a board member and the chairperson of several committees for the organization. In her management career, Carolyn specialized in finding positions for displaced workers, negotiating with labor unions, arbitration, and employee grievance procedures and policies. She is a contributing writer for the Minority Interchange Newsletter. Carolyn received a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Counselling from Upsala College.
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