Meet the Hoboken Proud candidates (BIOs)!

GA's been waiting for these bios!

I am so excited to introduce you to this fantastic, talented group of Hoboken School Board candidates (well, you already know Sharyn!)  

Here they are, in the order they will appear on the ballot (5-6-7):

Meet  "Hoboken Proud"! 

Melanie Tekirian and her husband Dillon — proud parents of a Wallace School second grader — carefully weighed their options for their daughter's education, ultimately deciding on the Hoboken public schools. “And we're glad we did," she says. "Our daughter is excelling in school, getting the personal attention that helps her to reach her potential, and having fun with friends each and every day.”

Melanie is passionate about educating the community about the Hoboken Public Schools — its caring and talented teachers, staff and administration; the innovative curriculum and engaging extracurricular and after-school programs; and the community of successful students. “It’s sad to hear the misconceptions about our schools. The reality is that our children — our entire community — already benefit from our excellent school system. I’m committed to supporting our superintendent, Dr. Christine Johnson, along with the teachers and administrators, in their ongoing pursuit of continuous improvement and opportunity for all of Hoboken’s children.”

Melanie’s confidence in the schools has been informed by her regular attendance at monthly Board of Education meetings. She is also an ever-present volunteer at school events, including the book fair, library, field day and the block party. “I work full-time, but I always find ways to participate. I want my daughter to see that balance between career, family and contributing to our community.” As a volunteer in the high school's uniquely Hoboken K-12 all-district musical last year, Melanie co-led the fundraising committee that managed ad sales for the show's program. “It is important to me to support the arts, and particularly arts education, in our schools.”

Melanie grew up in Washington Township, N.J., where she attended public schools from kindergarten through high school. She graduated from The George Washington University with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations. “My experience living in D.C. during college transformed me into an urban dweller. All these years later, I still love the urban experience.” Melanie went on to earn a Master’s degree in Information System Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and is now on the executive team at a financial technology consulting firm. She is a results-oriented leader with over 25 years of financial services experience working within a variety of brokerage, regulatory and technology organizations.

Sharyn Angley was first elected to the Hoboken Board of Education in November 2014. She currently serves as the board Vice-President and has served as chair of the Finance Committee for the last 2 years. Sharyn has also been an active member of the Facilities Committee; she played an integral role in the selection of the new FieldTurf CoolPlay field at JFK Stadium and is now part of the long-range Facilities Committee that will address enrollment growth and facility needs. In addition to Sharyn’s involvement in monthly committees, Sharyn is currently serving on the board’s Negotiations Committee. Clearly, Sharyn takes her many board responsibilities seriously. “The most important decision the Board of Education makes is deciding who will lead the District. I am proud to have been a part of the selection process and hiring of Dr. Christine Johnson. Dr. Johnson is committed to the students and staff of the Hoboken Public School District and to the Hoboken community.”

Sharyn and her husband Bryan have been residents of Hoboken for 15 years. “I’ve lived in Hoboken longer than I have lived anywhere. Hoboken is my home.” Their three sons attend Hoboken Public Schools and after being an active parent at both Brandt and Wallace Schools, Sharyn decided to run for the Board of Education. “The education and opportunity that my children are receiving through the District is unmatched. They are happy and thriving. That was my motivation to give back and to get involved at the board level.” Sharyn believes that strong schools and a strong community go hand in hand. “It’s hard to have one without the other. An education system is one of the most important pieces of a communities’ foundation. Everyone benefits from a strong, thriving school district.”

Sharyn graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Accounting. Sharyn sat for and passed the CPA exam, and started her career as an auditor for KPMG, working in both the Washington, DC and New York offices. After moving to New York City, Sharyn decided to give Wall Street a shot and spent 8 years at Lehman Brothers where she was a Vice President in Finance. Most recently she was a Director at Barclays Capital before deciding to stay home with her three sons.

Chetali Khanna is an enthusiastic volunteer at the Wallace School and is serving her third year as a Wallace PTO Officer. She is helping to build a stronger PTO community that works closely with the administrators, teachers, students, and parent community. “A strong school is the result of strong parent involvement,” she says. “Students benefit when we all work together.” Chetali implemented bylaws, monetary policies and procedures, roles and responsibilities for officers and class parents, and budgeting for the PTO. She served as the chairperson for a number of Wallace PTO events and also stepped up as the first PTO Chair of field trips and assemblies in order to bring consistency across grades, to fund trips, and to plan inspiring assemblies for the children. Last year she initiated collaboration with the other district PTOs and plans to hold a District-wide PTO event during the current year. A tireless volunteer, Chetali recently joined the Events Committee of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation to help further build on their fundraising success. She has also been regularly attending the Hoboken BOE meetings for the past two years.

Chetali Khanna and her husband Raja Khanna have been residents of Hoboken for 11 years. They are the proud parents of a 2nd-grade son and a 4th-grade daughter, both at Wallace School. Chetali is deeply committed to the Hoboken community and takes enormous pride in the town and its school district. She is a public school graduate herself and is a staunch advocate of the public school system. Having grown up in a family where education was a priority, Chetali was determined to find the best opportunities for her own children and found them in the Hoboken Public School District. “Both of my children are thriving and are continuously challenged and enriched at Wallace. I could not be more grateful for the excellent teachers and staff, curriculum, programs, leadership, diversity and wonderful students.”

Chetali graduated with a BS in Business Administration and a Masters in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began her career as an auditor in public accounting at KPMG and Deloitte. After nine years, she continued her career at Avon as an Associate Audit Director and moved up as Vice President at Steve Madden as the Head of the Audit Department. Chetali transitioned to working part-time from home in order to spend time with her children and to have the flexibility to be actively involved in not just her children’s education, but the overall school community.

Chetali is now seeking an opportunity to further give back to the Hoboken community by serving as a trustee on the Hoboken Board of Education. “Under the leadership of Dr. Christine Johnson, the Hoboken Public School District is on its way to becoming a model urban school district of excellence and I hope to make our district the No. 1 choice in our community.”