State Board of Education Home
The State Board of Education consists of thirteen members, at least two of whom have experience in manufacturing or a trade offered at the Technical High School System, one with a background in vocational agriculture and two nonvoting Grade 12 student members. The Governor appoints, with the advice and consent of the General Assembly, the members to the Board. The eleven voting members are appointed to four-year terms, and the student members are appointed to one-year terms. The Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member. The State Board of Education recommends to the Governor the appointment of the Commissioner of Education, who serves as the secretary to the Board for a term coterminous with that of the Governor.
State Board of Education Members
| Allan B. Taylor, Chairperson - Hartford
Allan B. Taylor was reappointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to the Board in 2013 and has served as the chairperson of the Board since 2005. He is a partner in the law firm of Day Pitney LLP, and has an extensive record of public service in the Hartford community. He earned an A.B. from Harvard College; an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Mr. Taylor has served on the Board since 1994, and serves as Chair of the Finance, Audit and Department Matters Committee. Mr. Taylor was elected as the Northeast Area Director of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) (2008-09), president elect of NASBE (2010), and served as NASBE president in 2011. Mr. Taylor’s term expires in February 2017. |
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Theresa Hopkins-Staten, Vice Chairperson - West Hartford
Mrs. Hopkins- Staten is director of State Regulatory Affairs for Connecticut for Northeast Utilities (NU), responsible for assessing and analyzing public policy issues and developing and implementing programs that support the company’s business interests and priorities. For 11 years, she served as senior counsel and assistant corporate secretary for NU. She also serves on the boards of numerous business, education and community organizations, including the National Urban League, United Way of Connecticut, Saint Francis Foundation , and the University of Connecticut Alumni Association’s African American Council. Mrs. Hopkins- Staten earned a B.A. and J .D. from the University of Connecticut, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Goodwin College. Mrs. Hopkins- Staten chaired the National Association of State Boards of Education Study Group on Teacher Preparation, Evaluation , Continuation and Compensation, and presently chairs the Legislation and Bylaws Committee of the State Board of Education. Mrs. Hopkins -Staten was reappointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy and is serving her third term on the Board, which expires in February 2017. |
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Andrea Comer - Hartford
Ms. Comer was appointed to the Board by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in February 2013. She is the chief operating officer of Family Urban Schools of Excellence, overseeing the operations divisions of the Jumoke Academy Schools. A former elected Hartford Board of Education member, Ms. Comer has spent the past two decades working to improve the lives of children and strengthen communities. Previously, Ms. Comer worked in various municipal government roles, having served as the communications director for the mayors of New Haven and Hartford, and as a project manager for the Hartford Health and Human Services and Police departments. She has also worked as a consultant, focusing on childhood obesity and youth violence prevention initiatives. As the first female president of the Greater Hartford African American Alliance, Ms. Comer developed The Connect, a mentoring project that paired school-age males of color with young professional males. She serves on the boards of the Capital Community College Foundation and Teach for America Connecticut, and chairs the North Hartford Education Task Force. Ms. Comer has a B.A. degree in journalism from the State University of New York. Her term expires in February 2017. |
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Andreea Dinicu - Glastonbury
Andreea Dinicu is a senior at Glastonbury High School. She is one of two student members whom Gov. Malloy appointed to the Board and is serving a one-year term from July 2012 through June 2013. Andreea, a previous resident of Romania, has an affinity for world languages and cultures and speaks Romanian, English, French and Spanish. Ms. Dinicu has an extensive record of volunteerism, most recently working in an orphanage in Romania. She serves as the president of the Interact Club, tutors middle school students in French as a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society, and is a "big sister" with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. Andreea has served as a counselor at a summer camp for children with special needs, a volunteer at Saint Francis Hospital, and as a facilitator of discussions at the NAMES Assembly, an anti-bullying program. She also participated in the Johns Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth, and has earned highest honors throughout her high school years. Upon graduation in 2013, Andreea plans to attend college. |
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Charles A. Jaskiewicz III - Norwich
Charles A. Jaskiewicz III was appointed to the Board by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February 2011. He is currently a regulatory manager focused on foreign emerging market development for Pfizer Inc., where he has worked since 2000. He served as chairman of the Norwich Board of Education for six years until November 2011, when he was elected to the City Council in Norwich. Mr. Jaskiewicz coordinated a team of educational leaders in southeastern Connecticut to create a unified school calendar in that region. He received the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut’s Volunteer of the Year award for 2010 and served as the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut campaign chairman in 2009. He was also elected to the executive board of the NAACP’s Norwich branch and received the NAACP Past President Award for dedication and commitment to children and education in 2008. He earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Connecticut and has worked as a registered nurse and a paramedic. Mr. Jaskiewicz’s term expires in February 2015 . |
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Terry H. Jones - Shelton
Terry H. Jones was appointed to the Board by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February 2011. He has extensive experience in agriculture, having been a lifelong resident of the Jones Family Farms in Shelton, a 400-acre farm. He has run his family farm business for 50 years. He currently is the vice president of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station board of control, and a member of the Shelton Economic Development Commission. In addition, Mr. Jones serves on the dean’s advisory board at the UConn College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and on the New England Governor’s Conference Blue Ribbon Commission on Land Conservation. Mr. Jones is a leader in a coordinated school health initiative sponsored by the National Association of State Boards of Education, and serves on a broad-based committee to advance the development and implementation of policies to improve nutrition and the health of students. Mr. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of New Hampshire. His term expires in February 2015. |
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Estela López - East Hartford
Estela López was appointed to the Board by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February 2011. She is a senior associate with Excelencia in Education. She is the former vice chancellor of academic affairs of Connecticut State University, serving from 2002 to 2007. From 1997 to 2002, Dr. López served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern Illinois University. Dr. López has received numerous awards, including the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association 2008 Achievement Award and the 2006 Latina Citizen of the Year Award. She chairs the Policy Development Committee and is a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Accountability. Dr. López earned a bachelor’s degree from Queens College, and both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Spanish literature from Columbia University. Her term expires in February 2015.
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Patricia Keavney-Maruca - Waterbury
Patricia Keavney-Maruca was appointed to the Board by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in February 2011. She retired after serving 33 years with the Connecticut Technical High School System, having worked at W.F. Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury as a department head and teacher, and as vice president of the State Vocational Federation of Teachers. Following her retirement, Mrs. Keavney-Maruca worked as a K-2 literacy tutor in a Waterbury public school and a preschool aide at Saints Peter and Paul School. Until recently, she was an executive council member of the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut and president of the Board of Directors of the Waterbury Day Nursery. Mrs. Keavney-Maruca earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree, and a Sixth Year Professional Diploma, Administration and Supervision, from Southern Connecticut State University. Her term expires in February 2015. |
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Stefan Pryor - New Haven
Stefan Pryor was recommended by the State Board of Education and appointed as Commissioner of Education by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in September 2011. Mr. Pryor previously served as deputy mayor for economic development in Newark, N.J., from 2006-11. There, he oversaw economic, housing and workforce development, and served as chairman of Brick City Development Corporation, Newark’s economic development organization. From 2002-06, Mr. Pryor served as a leader of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. From 1998-2001, Pryor served as the vice president for education at the Partnership for New York City, where he led the organization’s public education efforts and served as executive director of its main school reform program. Mr. Pryor co-founded and served as the first board president of Amistad Academy in New Haven, a high-performing charter school that now serves as the flagship for the Achievement First network of schools. Commissioner Pryor has additional roots in Connecticut, having served as a policy adviser on housing, community development and education to the mayor of New Haven in the mid-1990’s, and as a student at Yale University, where he completed the Teacher Preparation Program and earned both his undergraduate and law degrees. |
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Rebecca Salustri - Columbia
Rebecca Salustri is a senior at Bolton High School. She is one of two student members whom Gov. Malloy appointed to the Board and is serving a one-year term from July 2012 through June 2013. Ms. Salustri was selected for participation in the Capitol Region Interdistrict Leadership Academy and as a Capitol Region Education Council student. In the spring of 2012, Rebecca visited China and Lhasa, Tibet, where she took a tour of schools and immersed herself in the culture. She has earned highest honors throughout high school and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. Rebecca is a leader in numerous school and community programs, including tutoring, working with children with special needs, the NAMES Program (an anti-bullying program), and Student Council. Rebecca received the Outstanding Service to Bolton High School Award in 2010 and in 2011. She earned her black belt in tae kwon do and participates on the varsity cross country and track teams. Upon graduation in 2013, Rebecca plans to attend college. |
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Robert Trefry - Ex Officio – Fairfield
Robert Trefry was appointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy as Chair of the Connecticut Technical High School System Governing Board in October 2012, and serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of the State Board of Education. He served as the chair of the State-appointed Bridgeport Board of Education from 2011 to 2012. Mr. Trefry was president/chief executive officer of Bridgeport Hospital from 1994 to 2010, and the executive vice president/chief operating officer from 1991 to 1994. He also served as an executive vice president of the Yale New Haven Health System from 1996 to 2010. Prior to joining Bridgeport Hospital, he was the executive vice president/chief operating officer of the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. Prior to Carle, he held executive positions at hospitals in New York, Missouri and Washington, D.C. Mr. Trefry has been very active in the community and the healthcare field, having served as the chairman of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, the Seaview Avenue Business Alliance, and United Home Care, and on the boards of numerous private, community, and hospital organizations. Mr. Trefry has an undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the School of Business at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is a Columbia University certified executive and organizational coach, a life fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and a member of the International Coaching Federation. |
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Joseph J. Vrabely Jr. - Glastonbury
Joseph J. Vrabely Jr. was appointed to the Board in 2010 and was reappointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in 2011. Upon his appointment to the Board , he was appointed chair of the Connecticut Technical High School Committee, and is the vice chairperson of the Connecticut Technical High School System Board. Mr. Vrabely is president and co-owner of Atlantic Steel & Processing LLC, a company he started from the ground up in 20 00. For the first 19 years of his career, Mr. Vrabely worked at Ryerson Steel, the largest metals distribution company in the United States. Mr. Vrabely hosts a monthly talk show, "Manufacturing Matters," that he started 10 years ago, and is engaged in numerous education , civic and manufacturing advocacies. Mr. Vrabely is a board member and serves on the executive committee of the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board , is a past board member of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, past president of the Smaller Manufacturers’ Association, and past trustee of the Educational Foundation of the Precision Metalforming Association. He earned a B.S. in business, management and administration from Indiana University. His term expires in February 20 15. |
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Stephen P. Wright - Trumbull
Stephen P. Wright was appointed to the Board by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in February 2011. He serves on the Board’s Finance, Audit and Department Matters Committee and on the Policy Development Committee. He is a principal in the law firm of Goldman, Gruder & Woods, LLC, with offices in Norwalk and Trumbull. Mr. Wright serves on the Government Affairs Committee and the Achievement Gap Subcommittee of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). He is on the executive committee of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) and serves as its vice president of professional development. Mr. Wright is serving his second term as the chair of the Trumbull Board of Education. In 2009 he received the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s Educational Impact Award. His record of public service includes volunteering as the chair of the Trumbull Special Needs Building Committee and chair of the Trumbull Land Preservation Committee, and serving on the Trumbull Town Council, executive committee of the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), and as an ex officio member of the Bridgeport Public Education Fund, Inc. Attorney Wright received a certificate of appreciation from the chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut for his pro bono service on behalf of indigent clients. Mr. Wright received an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a law degree from Western New England College. Mr. Wright’s term expires in February 2 015. |
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Statutory Charge and Responsibilities
Section 10-4 of the Connecticut General Statutes assigns to the Board responsibility for "... general supervision and control of the educational interests of the state, which interests shall include preschool, elementary and secondary education, special education, vocational education and adult education..." Section 1 of Public Act 97-290 amended the definition of "educational interests of the state" by including the following language: "In order to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation, each school district shall provide educational opportunities for its students to interact with students and teachers from other racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds..." The Board establishes education policy, prepares legislative proposals, sets academic standards for teachers and students, administers a $2.45 billion annual general fund budget and provides leadership and support services to Connecticut's 149 local and 17 regional school districts. It also serves as the board of education for the 17 regional technical high schools.
State Board of Education Priorities
The Board’s priorities are described in its five-year plan, A Superior Education for Connecticut’s 21st Century Learners –2006-2011. The plan states the Board’s rationale for selecting these three priorities, and actions the State will take to achieve expected outcomes in each area.
- High-quality preschool education for all students;
- High academic achievement of all students in reading and writing, mathematics and science; and
- High school reform.
If you require further information, please contact:
Office of Board Matters:
pamela.charland@ct.gov
Connecticut State Department of Education
165 Capitol Avenue - Room 301
Hartford, CT 06106
Telephone: (860) 713-6510
Content Last Modified on 5/20/2013 10:37:53 AM
