Sparta Education Foundation Welcomes Four New Trustees to Its Board

Trustee

Erin Shearer

Erin Shearer is a claims and risk management professional with over 20 years in the insurance industry. She now serves as a Risk Mitigation Analyst at Allstate, where she guides field teams through complex, high-exposure claims. Erin holds the CPCU and AIC designations. Erin and her husband, Robert, have three boys in the Sparta schools, ranging from elementary to high school. All three wrestle and play lacrosse, and Erin serves on the board of the Youth Wrestling program and the High School Wrestling Booster Club. Passionate about her community, Erin looks to make a difference wherever she can, bringing her leadership, coaching, and problem-solving experience to supporting Sparta students and families.

Trustee

Heather Barth

Heather Barth has over 15 years of experience as a paralegal, having dedicated her career to the same law firm. Throughout her career, she has developed strong organizational, communication, research, and problem-solving skills, along with a keen attention to detail. These skills provide a valuable foundation for supporting the Sparta Education Foundation’s initiatives, assisting with planning and decision-making, and contributing to the organization’s continued success.

Heather and her husband are proud parents of two daughters who attend Sparta Public Schools. As a dedicated parent and community member, she is passionate about enriching educational opportunities for all students. She believes every child deserves access to diverse, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences that recognize their individual needs, strengths, and abilities.

Through her involvement with the Sparta Education Foundation, Heather hopes to combine her professional experience with her passion for education to help create innovative opportunities that inspire students, enhance learning, and empower every child to reach their fullest potential.

Trustee

Jessi Cino-Orwig

Jessica Cino-Orwig is a creative leader, mom, and proud member of the community. With more than 20 years of experience as a creative director at agencies including McCann and Ogilvy, Jess has built her career around bringing big ideas to life and helping brands connect with people. Today, she leads an international creative team at Accenture Song.

Born and raised in the area, Jess loves that her daughter, Grace, gets to grow up in Sparta and experience all that this community has to offer—including its incredible schools. She is excited to bring her creativity, strategic thinking, and experience launching successful campaigns to SEF and its fundraising efforts.

Jess holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media and Design from James Madison University. She and Grace also volunteer with O.S.C.A.R. Outside of work and volunteering, Jess enjoys cooking, tackling home-renovation projects, traveling, and spending time with her husband, Ron, Grace, and their three pups. She’s traveled all over the world, but still believes there’s no place like home.

Trustee

Kate Hannum

Kate Hannum has been in pharmaceutical advertising for over 25 years; nearly as long as she has lived in Sparta. She is a published author and a Vice President, Creative Director who specializes in developing compelling, evidence-based medical content. Kate and her husband, Matt, have 4 children who attend Sparta schools, ranging from elementary to high school. Growing up in Pennsylvania in a family of teachers, Kate is passionate about SEF’s ability to elevate children’s educational experiences. Kate looks to combine her marketing skills and understanding of the importance of education into increasing community involvement in SEF, thus enabling more opportunities to enrich our children’s public school experience.

Intern

Stuart Askin

Stuart Askin is a 17 year old junior at Sparta High School. He is largely interested in video production & editing and specializes in photo & video journalism. Outside of his internship, he spends his time creating videos for the school news as well as training & teaching as a black belt in his karate dojo. He hopes to attend SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) or RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and major in film. He looks forward to expressing his passion for his community as well as producing content through this internship.

Intern

Srishanth Jakka

Srishanth is a junior in Sparta High School who is passionate about leadership, finance/business, and helping the community. He enjoys being part of the robotics team, competing in DECA, and playing for the school’s tennis team. He’s also created his school’s Investment club where he leads students in learning about investing and participating in competitions. He enjoys finance and hopes to pursue a career in it. He is excited to join the Sparta Education Foundation as a student intern to contribute to the community while gaining hands-on experience in marketing, communication, event planning, and community outreach. He looks forward to supporting educational opportunities for Sparta students.

Intern

Aislinn Riley

Aislinn Riley is a Junior at Sparta High School and has lived in Sparta for over 15 years. Some of her largest passions include public speaking, volunteer work, and being creative. She is on the Debate and Mock Trial teams at school, where she plans meetings and even designs flyers to help market the clubs. A couple months ago, she started organizing art-related fundraisers at the Sparta Food Pantry to bring more awareness to the charity. She is currently planning to be an attorney who specializes in student rights and education. As an SEF intern, Aislinn is not only excited to learn about student needs, but to gain more experience in community outreach and event planning. Studying education is deeply important to her and she hopes to do as much as she can to make a difference!

Treasurer

Tricia Wood

Tricia Wood has over two decades of combined real estate development, construction and property management experience with a project portfolio of $1B throughout the Northeast New Jersey and New York markets. Tricia was also one of the founding Co-Chairman of the Mack-Cali Women’s Leadership Network during her employment at Mack-Cali and she also worked on the National Standards Committee during her Tenure at Mill Creek Residential. Tricia is currently a Partner for Convergence Rental Housing Group and the owner of Tri-Source Consulting, LLC. She has a strong background in managing, planning and executing large real estate projects. Tricia intends to bring her skills in project management, design, contract negotiation & review, permitting and managing budgets to the Sparta Education Foundation (SEF) to help create and execute the most successful SEF fundraising events. Tricia has also been a proud resident of the Sparta community since 2004. She has four children and has experienced firsthand the level of support and resources that have been provided to each of her children as students within the Sparta Public School district. She is looking forward to executing successful fundraising through SEF to help enrich and promote Sparta Public Schools as a whole.

Trustee

Pamela Miller

Pamela moved to Sparta in 2020, and is currently the VP of Product Development for a health and wellness company based in Texas. She previously worked as a columnist for San Antonio Woman Magazine, and was the Senior Digital Strategist at a marketing firm in charge of multiple campaigns and social media accounts for the City of San Antonio. With three children in Sparta schools, she believes strongly in giving back to the schools and in the SEF’s mission of enhancing Sparta students’ education.

Trustee

Peter C. Hoglund

Peter brings with him more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry to the SEF board of trustees. As residents of Sparta, he and his wife Jacqueline have enjoyed living in the community, and both cherish their vacations to Disney with their three children. He has been active in coaching Little League in Sparta.

Trustee

John Paul Tacona

John Paul, known to most as “JP,”, moved to Sparta in 2016 with his wife Julieann and their two sons. A financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, he was a 2000 graduate of Villanova University. He has been an active member of the Sparta community, and was instrumental in starting the Sparta Chapter of Stand for the Silent, which brings awareness to children that are waging everyday battles against bullying. He has coached both his sons’ baseball and soccer teams for a few seasons, as well.

Secretary

Kimberly Noel

Kim joined the SEF in 2021 and is now serving as Secretary. She is a Project Manager for Cigna as well as a long-time community volunteer –in addition for the SEF she volunteers for the League of Women Voters of Sussex Highlands, Family Promise of Sussex County, and other organizations.

Trustee

Meghan Jent

Meghan Jent has more than a decade of experience in Consumer Packaged Goods as a longtime employee of Mars Wrigley. She aims to bring her fundraising experience to the board, helping to bring in local businesses and groups into the mission of the SEF. Having grown up in Sparta, she and her husband Mark settled here to raise their two young children. She holds a degree in Visual Communications from Robert Morris University, where she was a member of the women’s basketball team. She is also a proud member of the Sparta High School girls’ basketball coaching staff, having served as a volunteer assistant coach for the past eight years.

It’s now easier than ever to apply for a grant. We’ve created a new, streamlined grant application process that’s much easier to navigate.

Start with this link https://forms.gle/DoX9puRPSS1epDT1A to the Curriculum Office Proposal Review form. Once it is reviewed, you will receive the link to the Grant Google form. Thank you!

It’s now easier than ever to apply for a grant. We’ve created a new, streamlined grant application process that’s much easier to navigate.

Please follow the directions in this document.

Trustee

Paige Lucas

Paige is a lifelong resident of Sparta and 2011 graduate of Sparta High School. Before joining the Board, she was a frequent volunteer at SEF events, where her trademark enthusiasm and hard work contributed to the success of many fundraisers. As a Trustee, Paige co-chaired the 2019 Turkey Trot and again in 2020 when it went virtual, using her exceptional videography and social media skills to promote the event on a global level. The result was participants from as far away as Ireland signing up for the virtual run. Known for her helpful personality, Paige is the popular director of the Sparta Middle School musical and choreographer for the Sparta High School musical. Since she is a Media Center Assistant at Sparta High School, Paige has recruited countless student volunteers to lend a hand at a variety of SEF events. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from William Paterson University.

Vice President

Jillian Palleschi

Jill was elected to the SEF board in 2021 after being a longtime event volunteer who also shared her remarkable graphic design talents on a number of Annual Reports and mailings. She has been an active participant in both the Turkey Trot and Dragon Boat Festivals, and enjoyed the camaraderie and interactions with SEF members so much that she became a Trustee, and is now the current Vice President. Jill is an entrepreneur with her own branding & stationery business, Jula Paper Co. Her extensive marketing and website background comes from management positions she held at Toys ‘R Us, NY&Co. and PSP Sports. Jill played division I Ice Hockey at the University of Vermont, and graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences. She and her husband Craig and their three school-aged sons moved to Sparta for its highly-ranked school district, so she has come full circle as a Trustee with the SEF. Jill is thrilled to lend her talents to an organization that is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of every student in the district.

Trustee

Kiera Wespestad

Kiera and her husband moved to Sparta in 2014, and have three young children in the district’s schools. She is the owner and manager of the M. John Scanlan Funeral Home in Pompton Plains, and serves as the fourth generation in her family to run that business. She is a 2003 graduate of Susquehanna University, and holds a degree in Journalism.

Trustee

Shelby Sweeney

Shelby Sweeney has more than two decades of experience as a Human Resources professional and is a longtime employee of Stryker. She is passionate about the mission of the SEF and aims to bring her energy to fundraising and encouraging volunteers throughout our community. Originally from Ohio, she and her husband Matt settled in Sparta to raise their two young children. She holds a degree in Human Resources Management from Robert Morris University, where she was a member of the women’s volleyball team and a Master’s in Industrial and Labor Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Shelby is also a volunteer for youth sparts, having supported various teams for the last 3 years.

Trustee

Heather Raquet

Heather has lived in Sparta since 1996 and graduated from Sparta High School in 2011. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and history from The College of New Jersey and currently teaches fifth grade at the Helen Morgan School. In 2018, Heather applied for and received funding for Google Expeditions Virtual Reality Kits, a grant approved by the SEF. She realized she wanted to become more closely involved with an organization that impacts so many students and teachers in district, joining the board in 2019. A thoughtful and attentive Trustee, she shares her insights about educational trends in the district and understands the best ways to connect the SEF’s mission with fellow teachers. Facebook followers of the SEF may have noticed Heather starring in Turkey Trot 2020 videos as a virtual runner, a star performance that undoubtedly attracted many new participants.

Trustee

Matt McQueeny

Matt brings thorough expertise in technology to the SEF. With more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing and web project management, McQueeny’s skill set will be a great asset to the SEF moving forward. He holds a degree in Psychology from New York University and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Rutgers Business School, with a dual concentration in Leadership and Entrepreneurship. McQueeny and his wife settled in Sparta in 2011, and have two young sons. They are looking forward to raising their children in Sparta’s schools.

Treasurer

Dan Sarnowski

Dan hit the ground running when he joined the SEF in 2019 as a Trustee and Treasurer. He has excelled in both roles, streamlining the foundation’s financial records and overseeing the intricacies of the bank accounts and taxes. Dan has a strong background in project management for major corporations including Glaxo Smith Kline, Hoffmann LaRoche and Exxon. He is also an active member and volunteer for New Jersey Sharing Network, where he served as Foundation Treasurer. His new ideas and insights have improved many of the day-to-day tasks of the Foundation, and his professional leadership on the Cornament and Dragon Boat Festival fundraisers has been vital. Closely involved in the local community, Dan is a member of the Ambassadors’ Club at Newton Hospital and is involved with the Adopt-a-Family Program at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta. Dan has a BS in civil engineering from Columbia University and a Master’s of Science in structural engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

President

Heather Egli

Heather was an active volunteer in school activities before joining the SEF board in 2019 and is the current President. As a hands-on leader, she co-chaired the Wine and Craft Beer Tasting, Dragon Boat Festival, and introduced the Cornament fundraisers, wholeheartedly putting herself into each event. From setting up decorations and attaining raffle prizes to photography and sponsorships, Heather is involved in every detail while she shares her friendly, gracious personality with others. Her can-do attitude makes her a valuable Board member. Heather is a first-grade teacher in the West Milford Township Public School district. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Kings College where she played volleyball, and Master of Arts degree in teaching with a focus on reading and literacy from Marygrove College. She and her husband Kevin have a daughter in the Sparta school district.

Trustee

Donna West

Donna joined the SEF board in 2014 and soon thereafter was elected to executive leadership roles including two terms as Vice President and three terms as President, and is currently serving as Co-Treasurer. Her dedication to creating a cohesive and successful board is seen in the continued popularity of ongoing fundraisers like the Turkey Trot and Dragon Boat Festival, as well as events such as the Cornament, a cornhole tournament. Always approachable and open to new ideas, Donna’s spirited leadership has attracted many new Trustees to the Board. Her son graduated from Sparta High School in 2020 and is now a U.S. Marine. “I know the SEF has played an important role for so many of our students, from the earliest grades to our graduates. These grants can be truly life-changing for our students.” Donna has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and an MBA with a focus on finance.

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