Six candidates, including two incumbents, are running for three open seats on the Harrison Township School District Board of Education on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Incumbents Stacey Muscarella and Alexis Rubino are teaming with John Cavanaugh to take on Trisha Dello Iacono, Eric Keller and Colleen Kendrick. Tim Bast, meanwhile, is running for an open seat for a one-year term.
All candidates were contacted to complete questionnaires. As of deadline, Muscarella has not responded.
Name: Tim Bast
Age: 34
How many years have you lived in Harrison Township? 32, I have lived in Harrison Township or have owned property in Harrison my entire life.
Married? Children? Grandchildren? Married to Kelly Bast. Two kids in the district, Willow, five and Wade seven. Two kids on their way to the district, Harley, three, and Liberty, three months.
School and degree: Associates from Gloucester County College in Business Administration. Attended Rowan University until I had to step away to continually grow our small businesses.
Profession: Small business owner.
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for BOE? Yes.
What is your involvement in the community? My family and I attend and volunteer at our local church. We also own and operate two small businesses in the community, where we seek to serve the community with excellence and care. My wife is also a part of the PTA
Why are you running for an elected seat? Our school district is awesome. We have had an awesome experience thus far; I want to help ensure all students have the same experience.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? Keeping a high standard for our schools! To ensure parents and taxpayers have full transparency into all school related activities.
Name: John Cavanaugh
Age: 40
How many years have you lived in Harrison Township? Eight years
Married? Children? Grandchildren? My wife Kristen and I are raising two wonderful daughters, Mila, who is four, and Vienna, who is two.
School and degree: I began my journey with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rutgers University, followed by a master’s in taxation from Villanova University-Charles Widger School of Law.
Profession: I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Over the years I have had the privilege of consulting and working for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to large Fortune 50 corporations. Additionally I have served as a Board member of both domestic and international companies, where I make critical decisions on behalf of stakeholders.
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for BOE? Yes
What is your involvement in the community? I am a founding member and serve on the Board of a local nonprofit organization aimed at promoting the responsible development of South Jersey land. It’s genesis came from looking for alternative development opportunities instead of warehouses in Mullica Hill. Also, my wife and I are involved in several different community activities, starting with coaching soccer in the Harrison Soccer Club and volunteering our time and resources to our local church in Mullica Hill.
Why are you running for an elected seat? My goal is to ensure that our children receive the best education possible. With my business experience and parental perspective, I am committed to prioritizing our students’ well-being by keeping them in school, protecting parental rights, advocating for age-appropriate material and curriculum, and ensuring our district remains fiscally responsible.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? I would like to work within the federal and state framework to explore food offerings in school that promote student’s health and well-being.
Name: Trisha Dello Iacono
Age: 44
How many years have you lived in Harrison Township? Five
Married? Children? Grandchildren? Married, six children: ages 4, 7, 14, 17, 18 and 20.
School and degree: Goldey Beacom College MBA
Profession: Head of Policy, CALSTART
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for board of education? Yes
What is your involvement in the community? I am an engaged parent, with children in the Harrison Township School District, actively participating in school events and activities. I am a Cultural Literacy volunteer at school and a PTA volunteer. I support my husband in his coaching roles with various sports within the Harrison district.
Why are you running for an elected seat? I’m running for the Harrison Township school board to ensure our schools provide the best possible education for all students. As a parent and a public-policy advocate, I’m passionate about fostering a supportive and thriving educational environment. I want to use my experience in collaboration and community engagement to help guide important decisions that impact students, families, and staff.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? If elected, I will focus on retaining talented teachers and staff by promoting a positive work environment, offering competitive compensation and supporting professional growth opportunities.
Name: Eric Keller
Age: 46
How many years have you lived in Harrison Township? Eight years
Married? Children? Grandchildren? I am married to Cheryl Keller and we have two children in Pleasant Valley Elementary School, ages 9 and 11.
School and degree: I am a graduate of Rutgers University with degrees in history/political science and
psychology. I also returned to school at the International Culinary School of DC-Art Institute and received my degree in culinary arts, baking and pastry.
Profession: Full-time parent, self-employed baker. I shut down my business publicly but still do work
when requested.
Is this the first time you have run for a seat on the board? Yes
What is your involvement in the community? I am the engaged parent of two children in the Harrison Township School District (PVS). I participate with their school classes and activities. I coached the Harrison Township rec soccer teams for multiple years. I volunteer at several food pantries and shelters, most recently bringing my son to help at YPATT (Your Place at the Table).
Why are you running for an elected seat? My two children are the main reason that I am running for a seat on the board of education. I believe that we need more people with children in the district to have representation on the board. I get daily feedback from them and their wonderful teachers at PVS, so I have a day-to-day pulse of what is happening in real time.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? To keep our schools providing a top education for the students, we need to focus on teacher contract renewal negotiations and an effective remedy on teacher retention and recruitment.
Name: Colleen Kendrick
Age: 45
How many years have you lived in Mullica Hill? 10
Married? Children? Grandchildren? Married with two children at PVS.
School and degree: Temple University, bachelor’s in business administration. San Francisco State University, master of science in business administration. Wilmington University, doctor of business administration.
Profession: Entrepreneur. CEO of Nonprofit Partners, a marketing communications consultancy. Adjunct professor at Rowan University.
Is this the first time you have run for a seat on the board? This is my second time.
What is your involvement in the community?
I am a local business owner, regular volunteer and active member of the PTA community in our district. I am on the board of the Harrison Soccer Club and serve on various committees state wide. I also sponsor various school and youth sports-related events through my business.
Why are you running for an elected seat?
I believe it is important that the large majority of the board is composed of parents with children in the district. No one knows what the parent/district relationship looks like day to day better than parents with children in those buildings. I spend many hours in our schools each year, working at the school store, book fair and holiday shop, supporting the father-daughter dance and setting up for the sixth grade celebration night. I am immersed as a district parent. I believe I can leverage my time to amplify the voices of other parents and can lean into my professional skills to address some of our district’s most pressing concerns, so I feel called to get involved.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected?
As an entrepreneur and educator, I’m a problem solver. I want to examine issues considering both best practices and innovations to develop solutions to challenges like retaining staff, supporting student needs, strengthening communication with district families, driving engagement and working within our limited budget. Along these lines, one thing I think was a missed opportunity post-pandemic was continuing public
comment for those joining board meetings remotely. Opening that channel removed a barrier for those with disabilities, conflicting work schedules, limited child-care options and other challenges. There is no reason to exacerbate inequities by allowing them to hear, but not be heard.
Name: Alexis Rubino-Ofchinick
Age: 44
How many years have you lived in Harrison Township? 14
Children? Grandchildren? I have two sons, Victor and Andrew, ages 16 and 14. Both attend Clearview.
School and degree: Temple University from 1998 to 2002 where I studied Secondary English Education. It was with only a few credits left that my family needed me to help with our business, Ralph’s Italian Restaurant.
Profession: I am a business owner, Amici Mullica Hill Bakery on Main Street
Is this the first time you have run for a seat for BOE? No, I was elected by the board this past January and have been serving since. I am now running for an open three-year term.
What is your involvement in the community? I began as a room parent when my oldest son was in kindergarten. I went on to chair a position as the Room Parent Coordinator for six years. I have held the board position of Vice President and President of the Clearview PTO for the past four years. Simultaneously, I have volunteered as a Catechist at Mullica Hill’s Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, and Incarnation Church in Mantua. As a business owner, we have sponsored numerous clubs, organizations and events for the community.
I have volunteered at the Mullica Hill library offering decorating classes to children. I have done multiple presentations for the Girl Scouts regarding being a woman in business and entrepreneurship. I’ve worked directly with township officials in the wake of the tornado to have Amici act as a collection site for supplies and cash donations and raised thousands of dollars that went directly to the victims of the tornado via the United Way of Gloucester County, in addition to several trailers of supplies collected to help those in need and being on site to help clean up the damage. I have met with various clubs and groups in the community and shared my experiences going through cancer twice and overcoming obstacles to open Amici, usually bringing sweet treats with me. Community is a top priority of mine.
Why are you running for an elected seat? My children benefitted tremendously from the Harrison Township School District, and I want to ensure that same experience remains for the children currently attending HTS and PVS.
What is one area you would like to concentrate on if elected? Going into contract negotiations, I would like to help find a balance between retaining and supporting our fabulous teaching staff while respecting the budget and minimizing the burden of the taxpayers.
