Board Members

President Sudhan Thomas - sudhanthomas@jcboe.org

Vice President Lorenzo Richardson - lorenzorichardson@jcboe.org

Lorenzo Richardson was born and raised in Jersey City in the Montgomery Gardens Housing Projects where he learned early on that the key to success is a good education and to use that education to help others.

He attended PS#9 Kennedy School, graduated 3rd in his Class at James J. Ferris High School and was voted Most Likely to Succeed and Best All-Around Student. He earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Accounting from Saint Peter's College (now Saint Peter's University) and was active in student government and the community during his studies. Mr. Richardson is currently an Accountant with over 20 years of experience, and is a member of several Professional Organizations.

Since college, he has and continues to mentor youth, serve in his church and community, teach Financial and Technology Literacy and promote Basic Literacy through book distributions for low-income children. His passion for equitable education has spanned 14 years with advocacy on the local, state and national levels.

His success by God’s grace compels him to challenge the Jersey City Board of Education on doing the right thing for the children.

He clearly understands that Education is the key to rise from poverty and ignorance and shows you the path to your purpose.

Marilyn Roman - marilynroman@jcboe.org

Marilyn Roman is a widow with two sons and six grandchildren. She is an educator with more than 40 years experience in teaching, supervision, and administration, 32 years of which were in the Jersey City Public Schools. She taught in two of the parochial schools in Jersey City for a period of five years. She also taught at PS 41 for approximately twelve years as well as PS 34 for a year and PS 9 for two. Mrs. Roman was an elementary supervisor for the Jersey City Public School District for seven years, and with a supervisory colleague, wrote and secured the planning grant for the creation of the first preschool program in the Jersey City Public Schools.

Mrs. Roman was a Director of the Education Business Alliance in the JCPS with responsibility for the creation and implementation of the magnet school small learning communities, and training and internship partnerships with large and small businesses throughout the city such as Merrill Lynch, Pershing Corporation, Provident Bank, and Hyatt Hotels among others.

Mrs. Roman worked closely with board colleagues, city and county government, unions, and other partners to secure grants to increase the experience base of the students in our programs. She has worked with colleges and other institutions of learning throughout the state to secure opportunities and coursework for students.

Mrs. Roman was the Director of Special Projects for 5 1/2 years for the Hudson County Schools of Technology and worked on several boards throughout the city and county over a number of years, which enhanced her ability to function according to the proper decorum and procedure.

Mussab Ali - mussabali@jcboe.org

Mussab Ali is a first-generation Muslim American majoring in Biology and Economics at Rutgers-Newark. A loyal son of Jersey City, Mussab attended Jersey City Public Schools PS 23, PS 6, Academy 1, and McNair Academic High School where he graduated top 10% of his class. At Rutgers, Mussab serves as the president of the Muslim Students Association and was the founding chapter president of the National Society of Leadership and Success on his campus. He was also recently elected Phi Beta Kappa his junior year.

He has participated in research at the New Jersey Medical School, using prenatal cortical cell-stretching to simulate concussions. Mussab was recently awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship and selected as an Eagleton Undergraduate Associate Class of 2018—the only member selected from his campus. Mussab was recently appointed to the Immigration Affairs Commission in Jersey City and elected as vice-chair by his peers. Mussab serves on the community advisory board of Haven Adolescent Respite Center and is also the secretary of the Hudson County Young Democrats. He is the youngest member and the first Muslim ever elected to the Jersey City Board of Education.

Gerald Lyons - geraldlyons@jcboe.org

Gerald Lyons is an educator with the Hudson County Schools of Technology since 1987. He has been a vocational and academic teacher, media specialist, supervisor, director, and currently, a principal. He has studied locally at both HCCC and NJCU and was an adjunct professor at HCCC, where he taught ESL. He has a Master's in Education and is completing a second Masters in Administration.

He previously served on the Board as the Chairperson of the Policy and Special Education Committees. He lives in Jersey City with his partner and his father, having first moved into Jersey City in the late 1980s.

He was awarded "Teacher of the Year" twice for the HCST and "Everyday Hero in Education" by the Jersey Journal after being nominated by his students and coworkers.

Now in his 32nd year in PUBLIC education, he is planning on retiring in June of 2019 and is looking forward to returning to teaching at the college level.

Joan Terrell Paige - joanterrellpaige@jcboe.org

Born and raised in Jersey City, Ms. Terrell-Paige is an alumna of both PS#14 and Henry Snyder High School. She attended Jersey City State College (now known as New Jersey City University) and majored in Special Education. She began her professional life at the world-famous Lightolier Company at 346 Claremont Avenue, which now houses the administrative offices of the Jersey City Board of Education. She then held a teaching position at the Workshop of United Cerebral Palsy in New York City providing instruction to handicapped adults.

Ms. Terrell-Paige became a New Jersey State employee at the University of Medicine & Dentistry (UMDNJ) and has held several positions with the state, the last of which was with the Division of Law & Public Safety at the NJTransit Headquarters in downtown Newark. She provided administrative support to the Division of Law offices consisting of 14 Deputy Attorneys General, a Para-legal; several legal secretaries and a word processor. She began working in Jersey City government when she became the only council aide to Councilwoman for Ward F Melissa Holloway. She has also served Jersey CIty as a community organizer working with several block associations; was President of the Claremont Avenue Neighborhood Association for 13 years; and produced, edited and distributed a quarterly newsletter to the 80,000 residents of Ward F.

Joan is a retired employee of the State of New Jersey now devoting her time to serving her community. She is a member of the Jersey City Branch of the NAACP; a member of the New Jersey Association of Black Educators (NJABE); a member of MAAM (Mature African Americans for Mammography); member of AARP; strong advocate for the rights of seniors and residents of Ward F; and a proud member of the Parent Council for Snyder High School.

Joan has one daughter and two grandchildren; is a family historian and genealogist, and a breast cancer survivor.

Gina Verdibello - ginaverdibello@jcboe.org

Gina Verdibello born to immigrant parents from Italy and Peru, she grew up in Fort Lee, NJ. While attending Rutgers University she met her husband Robert who grew up in Jersey City. They reside in Jersey City and have three young children Amelia (13), Iris (11) and Owen (9) that currently attend Frank R. Conwell MS4 and Joseph H. Brensinger PS17. Gina has a BA from Rutgers University in Art History and has worked at Liberty Science Center, the American Folk Art Museum and The Picower Foundation in fundraising and development. She has also been a Realtor for over 10 years and is currently with Dominant Properties in Journal Square.

Gina has become very active in Jersey City. In February 2013, she started Girl Scout Troop 12026 at James F. Murray PS 38 where her children attended school. Originally starting with Daisies and Brownies, her troop expanded to Junior and Cadettes. Since moving into the Lincoln Park area, her troop moved to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where girls from the neighborhood are encouraged to join. In the past, the troop has donated its cookie money to the Liberty Humane Society and St. Joseph’s Peace Care. They also have marched in the Christopher Columbus Parade and St. Patrick’s Day parade for several years.

She currently serves on the board of the Jersey City Board of Education, the Center for the Arts at Casa Colombo and is the President of the Rotary Club of Jersey City.

At Joseph H. Brensinger PS17 Gina is the Parent Council Vice President, as well as the Tech Officer at Frank R. Conwell MS4. She is the Title One Representative for both schools. She has been a parent member of the Early Education Committee at the Board of Education for 6 years. Gina is a parent advocate for the children that attend public school in Jersey City. Before she became of Board of Education board member, she attended and spoke at Board of Education meetings and also testified at the Trenton Board of Education against the new PARCC standardized tests and advocated for new Pre-K buildings for Jersey City. She would also like to assist in the betterment of facilities and making our public schools the best they can be.

Gevonder DuPree - gdupree@jcboe.org

Coming soon!