MEET THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee is made up of inspired professionals who love the Newark Schools.
Marion Bolden
Chairperson
Born and raised in the city of Newark, Marion A Bolden is a graduate of South Side/Malcolm X Shabazz HS and Montclair State University. Marion serves as a founding member and chairperson of the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee.
Marion is a forty year educator, all with the Newark school district. She served the district as a teacher of mathematics for fourteen years at Barringer High School, administrator, and superintendent for nine years – retiring in 2008.
In addition to her advocacy for children, Marion is an active preservationist. She has an extensive collection of both Newark and black memorabilia.
Marion is a lifelong member of the national NAACP and the National Alliance of Black School Educators. She serves on the Boards of Newark Symphony Hall, the Newark Urban Debate League, the Newark Landmarks and Preservation Committee, the Newark History Society and the Greater Newark Conservancy.
Marion is the proud mother of two daughters and twin grandchildren.
Ray Lindgrin
Vice Chair
Ray Lindgren is a product of the Newark Public Schools. Returning to the district in 1972, Ray spent the next 37 years as a teacher and school and central office administrator. After retiring from the Newark Public Schools he spent 3 years as the educational program director for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, and currently serves as an educational specialist for the New Jersey Department of Education.
Khaatim Sherrer El
Secretary
Khaatim returned to his native Newark to become responsible for a multi-million dollar philanthropic investment strategy, with specific responsibility for three of the six grant-making portfolios – Early Childhood Education, Community Engagement, and At-Risk & Out of School Youth. Since then, he has held leadership positions in the Central Office of the Newark Public Schools, managing special projects for the superintendent, including rewriting the district’s discipline policy, re-organizing the Student Support Services department and launching school-based initiatives to improve college and career readiness. He later went on to serve as Chief Innovation Officer for BRICK Academy, a local school management organization operating two elementary schools in Newark’s South Ward.
Khaatim is currently managing his own consulting firm, ResultsDriven Consulting, specializing in strategy design and implementation, cross-sector collaboration, and community development..
Barbara Kukla
Barbara J. Kukla is a renown author of five books about the people of Newark, including Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50, Defying the Odds: Triumphant Black Women of Newark and America's Music: Jazz in Newark. Before her retirement in 2004, Barbara spent 43 years in journalism, most of that time at The Star-Ledger, where she first served as a general assignment reporter and Sunday city editor and, in 1979, created Newark This Week, a section that focused solely on topics of interest to Newark residents.
The Friends of Barbara J. Kukla Scholarship Fund, a non-profit organization, has provided $50,000 in scholarship monies to Newark Public School students.
Richard Cammarieri
Richard was born, raised and remains a lifelong resident of Newark.
He specializes in initiatives in special projects focusing on resident organizing with the New Community Corporation (NCC) in Newark. In addition he oversees the NCC Federal Credit Union Youth and Adult Financial Literacy Training programs.
Richard currently serves as the Chairperson for the Newark Community Development Network and chairs the Master Plan Working Group Coalition. He is also an Executive Committee member of the Newark Branch NAACP and a Board member of the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District in Newark, the Jersey Urban Debate League and the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in Newark. Previous Board affiliations include chairperson of the Fair Lending Coalition of N.J. and founding Board member of the Community Loan Fund of N.J.
Richard is also a published poet and has had featured readings in Newark, surrounding towns and in various venues in New York City. He has performed with the Kimako’s Blues People Poetry and Jazz Collective, a group established by Amina and Amiri Baraka and he has served as the poetry editor for the Newark Arts Council Newsletter.
Beth Zak Cohen
As the 5th generation of her family to live in Newark Beth is dedicated to preserving it's educational legacy She serves the city as a a librarian in the Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Room at the Newark Public Library. .
Beth attended Science Park High School, Princeton University and Rutgers University.
Phil Yourish
Phil was born and raised in Newark and attended the Newark Public Schools, including his beloved Weequahic High School. Early in his career Phil as served Executive Director of Independence High School, a nontraditional high school in Newark. He also served as the Founding Administrative Director of Spruce Hill Treatment Center and Executive Director of the Newark Literacy Campaign. Starting in 1997, Phil became executive director of the Weequahic High School Alumni Association, which he continues to work for as a consultant. He has had a vital role in mobilizing and energizing the alumni of Weequahic helping to create one of the largest and most successful alumni associations in the city of Newark.
Sal DiGerlando
A Barringer High School graduate, Sal returned to teach art at the school for 45 years. He was advisor of the school yearbook, school newspaper, photography club and archive history club.
Sal is a founder of the Barringer High School Alumni Association and he researched and updated the history of Barringer High School that is published in the 1988 yearbook. Sal is also a potter and sculptor artist who had studios in Union and Montclair N.J. He became a Dodge Foundation fellow in 2000.
Bill May
Bill served the Newark Public Schools as a teacher and administrator, and retired as Director of Visual and Performing Arts. As Director, he was responsible for arts education and expanded dance and theater programs to the elementary school level, created artist-in-residence programs and started arts education programs with leading local and regional museums, orchestras and theaters. Bill's passion is documenting jazz musicians and his personal archives includes more than 500 photos, which he is curating for a series of books on prominent jazz musicians.