Board of Trustees Biographies
Robert J. Boyer, Chairperson, Cape May County
Mr. Boyer has served the Atlantic Cape Board since 2000. He is involved in state wide community college issues in his role as a Trustee Ambassador with the NJ Council of County Colleges. Mr. Boyer's community involvement includes service as: President of the Middle After School Kare Program; Member of the Cape May County Special Services School District Board and as a volunteer for the Cape Cares Foundation. Mr. Boyer is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cape Bank.
David A. Evans, Vice-Chairperson, State Appointee, Atlantic County
Mr. Evans was appointed to the Board in 2005. He is a member of Atlantic Cape’s Community Affairs Advisory Committee and is also active state-wide with the NJ Council of County Colleges as a Trustee Ambassador. Mr. Evans’ community involvement includes service as a member of the Vietnam Veterans Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Galloway FSA and the American Legion. He formerly served as Deputy Mayor of Galloway Township. Mr. Evans was recently awarded the Atlantic County Veterans Service Medal. He is an educator for Galloway Public Schools and, in that role, has been recognized as the New Jersey Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year, Galloway Township Teacher of the Year, and Galloway Township Government Advocate for Education.
Maria Ivette Torres, Treasurer, Atlantic County
Ms. Torres joined the board in 2003. She is a Trustee Ambassador with the NJ Council of County Colleges. Ms. Torres was recently elected Chairperson of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Her community involvement includes service as First Vice President of the Hispanic Alliance of Atlantic County and Chairperson of the HAAC Education Committee. Ms. Torres recently retired as a Guidance Counselor at Oakcrest High School.
Dave Coskey, Cape May County
Mr. Coskey was appointed to the Board by the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders on April 26, 2011. Mr. Coskey brings more than 30 years experience in the fields of marketing and communications. In addition to his service on the Atlantic Cape Board of Trustees, he serves the community as a member of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Wetlands Institute. Mr. Coskey is President of Longport Media LLC. (WOND, WMGM, WTKU, WILD, and WBSS) which is based in Linwood, NJ. He is a veteran of the Atlantic City hospitality and gaming industry, having most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. In addition to his time in Atlantic City, Mr. Coskey spent ten years with Comcast-Spectacor where he was Executive Vice President of the Philadelphia 76ers. While with the 76ers he was a member of the marketing advisory board for the NBA and an alternate on the NBA Board of Governors. In 2001 he was awarded the Villanova University College of Arts and Sciences Medal for outstanding achievement by his alma mater.
Thomas J. Dowd, Executive County School Superintendent (Atlantic County)
Mr. Dowd was appointed Executive Superintendent for Atlantic County effective January 2008 and joined the Atlantic Cape Board of Trustees at that time. Mr. Dowd has been in public education for close to 30 years as a teacher, administrator and executive. As the Executive County Superintendent, Mr, Dowd is charged with contract reviews, monitoring of school district fiscal accountability compliance, assessment and determining the efficiency of regionalized school districts and shared services. The Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association recently awarded Mr. Dowd with its Outstanding Educator of the Year Award.
Brian G. Lefke, Atlantic County
Mr. Lefke joined the Atlantic Cape Board in 1995. He is a Trustee Ambassador with the NJ Council of County Colleges. Mr. Lefke’s community involvement includes service on the Executive Committee of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers; New Jersey Pinelands Commission and the Somers Point Planning Board. Mr. Lefke earned his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Richard Stockton College and his Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is employed by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority as Vice President of Solid Waste and Authority Board Secretary.
Mary B. Long, Cape May County
Ms. Long joined the board in 1998. Ms. Long also serves as a Trustee Ambassador with the NJ Council of County Colleges. Her community involvement includes service as a board officer of C.A.R.A., membership on the Cape May Mental Health Board, Cape May Drug and Alcohol Board, Cape May County Advisory Commission on the Status of Women, Cape May Human Services Council, United for Peace, Stone Harbor Garden Club, Wetlands Institute, and Cape May University Women. She is a retired educator (M.I. & O.H.) also having served as a Project Budget Analyst (M.I.); Administrator, School Special Needs Students (T.R.I.S.); State of N.J. Human Services Representative; Director, Family Court Team (N.J.); Coordinator, Habilitation Plans (Special Needs- N.J.). She advocated for the college's Cape May County campus, and notes it's construction and implementation as one of the Board's greatest achievements in recent years.
Andrew W. Melchiorre, State Appointee, Cape May County
Mr. Melchiorre was appointed to the board by the Governor in 2004. Mr. Melchiorre also serves on the Board of Education of the Middle Township School District. His community involvement includes service with: NJ Supreme Court Attorney's Ethics Committee; Middle Township Board of Health; Cape Atlantic HIV/AIDS Consortium; County Alliance on Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Community Health Action Partnership; March of Dimes; Red Cross; and the Governor' Council on Fitness and Sports. Mr. Melchiorre is a retired health educator.
Maria K. Mento, Atlantic County
Ms. Mento was appointed to the Board by the County Executive in December 2010. In addition to this appointment as a member of the Atlantic Cape Community College Board of Trustees, Ms. Mento serves the community and is a board member on a number of nonprofit and community service-based organizations including: the American Red Cross (Southern New Jersey Chapter), the United Way of Atlantic County, the Women’s Leadership Initiative, and the Rowan University Accounting Advisory Board. She is also a member of the NJ Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Environmental Authorities, the NJ Association of County Finance Officers, the Government Finance Officers Association and the Atlantic County Board of Realtors. Ms. Mento holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rowan University, and an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Atlantic Community College. In addition, Ms. Mento is a Certified County Finance Officer, a Certified Municipal Finance Officer, a Certified Public Manager, and holds a real estate license. She is employed with the Atlantic County Utilities Authority as their Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Don Parker, Atlantic County
Mr. Parker joined the board in 2007. Mr. Parker's community involvement includes: President of Gilda's Club of South Jersey, United Way of Atlantic County, Atlantic/Cape May Workforce Investment Board, Atlantic City Mainland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Cape Atlantic Big Brothers and Sisters. Mr. Parker has been awarded the Congressional Citation for Community Service, the Senatorial Citation for Contributions to Pre-School Education, the NJ Council on Compulsive Gambling "Hour Glass Award" for Lifetime Contributions to the Field, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service. Mr. Parker holds an MSW from Rutgers University. He is an adjunct professor at Richard Stockton College and serves as the President/CEO of AtlantiCare Health Services. Mr. Parker is pleased to shared that on December 7, 2009 President Barack Obama and United States Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke named AtlantiCare a winner of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It is the nation’s highest presidential honor awarded to organizations for quality and organizational performance excellence.
Eric Reynolds, Atlantic County
Mr. Reynolds joined the board in 2003. His community involvement includes serving on the Metropolitan Business and Citizens Assoc. Board; Advisory Committee for the Nontraditional Career Resource Center at Rutgers Univ.; Vice Chair, American Conference on Diversity Board; NJ State Education and Training Commission’s Council on Gender Parity in Labor and Education; Atlantic Cape May Workforce Investment Board; First Tee of Greater A.C. (formerly the Urban Youth Golf Program) and the Egg Harbor Twp. Golf Corp. Board. Mr. Reynolds is a recipient of the NAACP Freedom Fund Award, the A.C. Business and Professional Women’s Club Clarion Award for Economic Development, the County of Atlantic's Leadership Award, the Boy Scouts of America Ernie Day Good Scout Award, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s Manhood Award and the Hispanic Alliance of Atlantic County “Our Amigo” Award. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern University. Mr. Reynolds is Vice President of Community & Employment Initiatives at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa where he is responsible for the development of innovative training and recruitment efforts, interaction with local, county and state agencies to assist with housing, transportation and immigration issues, and the promotion of inclusion and diversity at the Borgata.
Dr. Richard Stepura, Executive County School Superintendent (Cape May County)
Dr. Richard Stepura began his career in education as a teacher in the Spingfield School District, Union County, NJ. After his time in the classroom, he served in the capacities of assistant principal, principal, and as interim school business administrator. Dr. Stepura served as the superintendent of schools in Hasbrouck Heights and Northfield school districts. In addition to his achievements in the K – 12 education sector, he has served as adjunct faculty at Felician College, Montclair State University and the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. Dr. Stepura obtained his doctorate in education from Rutgers University.
Nicole Schoenstein, Alumni Representative
Nicole Schoenstein graduated from Atlantic Cape Community College in May of 2012, with an Associate in Science degree in General Studies, having previously obtained an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies from Atlantic Cape in 2010. In addition to her academic achievements, Ms. Schoenstein served in officer positions and as President of Alpha Delta Mu, Atlantic Cape’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and as Phi Theta Kappa's N.J. State President. Ms. Schoenstein also served as Vice President of the Paralegal Studies Club and as Secretary and Co-editor of the Atlantic Cape Review, Atlantic Cape’s student newspaper. She is a member of Sigma Kappa Delta, the national English honor society and was accepted into Atlantic Cape’s L.E.A.D. program in 2010. She has partaken in the National Community College Aerospace Scholars Program and participated in the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program. Ms. Schoenstein is presently employed as an office services assistant with the Atlantic City based law firm Fox Rothschild and is completing her undergraduate education at Stockton College.
Nicholas Talvacchia, Atlantic County
Mr. Talvacchia has been a member of the board since 2000. His community involvement includes service as a member of UNICO National Service Organization as President, Vice President and Counsel, as well as serving on the Past Presidents of UNICO Scholarship Foundation Committee. Mr. Talvacchia is an adjunct professor with Rutgers University, a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and Atlantic County Bar Association. He is presently an attorney with Cooper Levenson Attorneys at Law.
Helen W. Walsh, Atlantic County
Ms. Walsh joined the board in 2005. Her community involvement includes service as Chair, Women’s Leadership Initiative of the United Way of Atlantic County; United Way of Atlantic County, the American Conference on Diversity Atlantic County Chapter and as a volunteer and member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Heritage Center. Ms. Walsh earned her Bachelor of Arts from Webster College and her Master of Arts in Political Science form Tufts University. Ms. Walsh is retired from county administration.