By Sari Zeidler
In addition, in North Merrick, Neil Brown is running unchallenged for a seat that is being vacated by Anne Ruvolo. Below are candidate profiles.
In Merrick
Dr. Nancy S. Kaplan, BOE President 46304a
Board of Education President Nancy Kaplan is an associate vice president at St. John's University, where she earned her Doctor of Education degree in educational administration and supervision, Master of Business Administration degree in executive management and Bachelor of Science degree in sports management. She has also completed the Management Development Program at Cornell University's New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Management Development Studies Program at Harvard University. In her role at St. John's, Dr. Kaplan oversees services for more than 3,000 first-year students and all student athletes. She also serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Education, teaching courses in educational administration and supervision.
She is described as a skilled facilitator on issues of diversity and communication and serves as a training specialist for the Anti-Defamation League, the Nassau County Holocaust and Tolerance Center and the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.
Dr. Kaplan and her husband, Lenny, have two children, Michael and Joshua.
Susan Schwartz, Trustee 46304b
Susan Schwartz, a first-grade teacher in Suffolk County, is seeking a fourth term on the Board of Education. In her teaching position, Schwartz sees firsthand the impact that board decisions have on each child in the classroom. She feels the Merrick Board of Education supports the needs of every student and strives to empower every child with the ability to be a successful, life-long learner. She would like to continue to ensure that board members remain active contributors to the community, and that the community continues to be fully involved in the schools.
Diane Seaman, Trustee 46304c
Diane Seaman, who has served on the Board of Education for seven years, is an active member of the Bellmore and Merrick communities. She is a former Special Education PTA co-president, PTA vice president, chairwoman of at least 15 committees and site-based committee member. Seaman also serves on the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School Board and is a member of Kiwanis Club of Merrick, responsible for organizing its annual clothing drive. She and her husband, Gary, have three sons, two Calhoun graduates and one Calhoun freshman. Seaman, a paralegal, said making decisions that benefit students while being fiscally responsible are important to her. Seaman appreciates working with diverse groups of people who bring varying experiences and opinions to the table.
In North Merrick
Alyse Middendorf, BOE Vice President 46304d
Alyse Middendorf has been a trustee on the North Merrick Board of Education for 17 years, served on Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education for seven years and has served as president on both Boards of Education. Both she and her husband, Arlington, have spent their entire lives in North Merrick and are both graduates of North Merrick Schools and Calhoun High School. All three of their children, ages 28, 25 and 20, were also educated in North Merrick Schools.
Middendorf, a certified social worker, is the director of educational programs at Kulanu, a private special education school system comprising a middle school, high school, and an 18- to 20-year-old functional academic/vocational education program for students transitioning to adulthood.
Middendorf was executive director of Long Island Advocates, Inc., a private nonprofit agency dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities living on Long Island. She has coordinated the Protection and Advocacy Program for individuals with developmental disabilities on Long Island, funded through the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, since 1992. Middendorf has been a SETRC (Special Education Training and Resource Center) consultant since 1992, and provided hundreds of training seminars and lectures throughout Long Island and in Albany. In 2006, Middendorf received the New York State Senate Woman of Distinction Award. Middendorf was appointed by the commissioner of education to serve on the Commissioner's Advisory Panel for Special Education, and has served as chairwoman and vice chairwoman of this panel in Albany. Recently, Middendorf was also appointed by the commissioner of education to serve on New York State's Committee of Practitioners (No Child Left Behind). She is a staunch advocate for individuals with disabilities and was the co-founder and president of North Merrick's first Special Education PTA. Middendorf is currently completing Stony Brook University's Educational District Leadership Advanced Certificate Program. Middendorf also has a private practice (Counseling Solutions), where she works as a therapist, providing individual, family and group counseling in her office in Bellmore.
Neil Brown, Trustee 46304e
Neil has lived in North Merrick for 18 years with his wife, Karen. They have two children, Kurt, a freshman at Calhoun High School, and Dana, a fourth-grader at Camp Avenue Elementary. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is currently a site manager with the Dow Chemical Company in Freeport. Brown has been with the company for more than 20 years, and prior to his current position, was the research and development manager in Dow's Electronic Materials division.
Brown is an active volunteer in Merrick's youth sports organizations as a baseball director with Merrick PAL, the boys basketball coordinator and board member for the CurŽ of Ars Catholic Youth Organization, as well as coach for many of his children's teams. He is also a member of the Camp Avenue PTA and the Calhoun Sports Boosters. For the past three years, Brown has served on the policy board of the North Merrick Teachers Center and as a member of the North Merrick lay budget committee for eight years.
Comments about this story? Szeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
