The New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials recognized some of the best in education at an awards ceremony Oct. 23 at Workshop 2024 in Atlantic City.
Chanta L. Jackson, the NJSBA’s vice president for legislation/resolutions, presided over the ceremony, which was also attended by numerous officials and school leaders, including Dr. Richard Bozza, executive director of NJASA; Susan Young, executive director of the NJASBO; Dr. Tom Connors, NJSBA’s vice president for finance; and Barry Fitzgerald, NJSBA’s vice president for county activities.
Below is a list of the individuals honored during the ceremony.
NJSBA’s Board Member of the Year
Since 2005, the NJSBA has honored a local board of education member whose work has had a positive impact on the education of children in their community.
An independent out-of-state panel reviews the nominations and identifies the individual who will be honored as New Jersey’s School Board Member of the Year.
The 2024-2025 Board Member of the Year is Charles Caraballo, president of the Bloomingdale Board of Education in Passaic County.
Caraballo has achieved his Certified Board Member, Master Board Member and Certified Board Leader designations through NJSBA’s Academy Program. He served on the NJSBA Legislative Committee from 2017-2023.
You can learn more about his achievements in a recent School Board Notes article announcing him as the winner of this year’s award.
Regional Superintendents of the Year Honored
During the ceremony, NJASA honored its Regional Superintendents of the Year. They are:
- Region I recipient: Jack Hurley, chief education officer, Rutherford School District.
- Region II recipient: Dr. Tami R. Crader, chief education officer, Neptune Township Schools.
- Region III recipient: Dr. Thomas G. Farrell, chief education officer, Brick Township Public School District.
“On behalf of NJASA, it is a privilege to acknowledge and congratulate New Jersey’s 2025 three regional superintendents,” Bozza said. “They are remarkable chief education officers with vision, imagination and compassion for the students, staff and the communities they serve.”
The next step in the process for the three regional recipients will be the selection of a New Jersey candidate to participate in the American Association of School Administrators’ National Superintendent of the Year Award. A committee of NJASA past presidents and former Regional Superintendents of the Year will select the 2025 New Jersey Superintendent of the Year.
Learn more about the Regional Superintendents of the Year.
School Business Administrator of the Year
Several NJASA officers were on hand to honor the School Business Administrator of the Year. The honor went to Dr. Diane Fox from the Middle Township School District.
According to the school district’s website, Fox began working as MTSD’s business administrator and board secretary in June 2012 following her tenure as Cape May County Special Services School District’s assistant business administrator and business administrator.
New Jersey State Teacher of the Year
Stefanie Lachenauer, a dedicated civics and mindfulness teacher at Montgomery Upper Middle School in the Montgomery Township School District, Somerset County, was honored as New Jersey’s State Teacher of the Year.
She is a graduate of Douglass College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and earned her master’s degree in elementary education, specializing in middle school social studies, from Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
Her work centers on empowering students to be agents of change while fostering their personal well-being.
She has received accolades such as the Montgomery Middle School Parent Teacher Association Staff Appreciation Award and the Somerset County Paul Krauss Award. She has also shared her expertise internationally, presenting at the Global Leadership Summit in Berlin, Germany on sports and wellness.
