VFEE Board of Trustees

Philip graduated from the University of Scranton with a BS in Business Administration and received a JD from Seton Hall Law School. He is a partner at the firm of Garippa, Lotz and Giannuario in Montclair, NJ. He was a co-founder and president of the original Verona Educational Foundation and spent eleven years serving on the Verona Board of Education. While on the BOE he served terms as president and vice-president. He is a former town basketball and baseball coach and faith formation teacher at Our Lady of the Lake. Since moving to Verona in 1988, Phil has served on numerous boards and committees for the town and school board. Phil and his wife, Jackie, have two children who are both graduates of Verona High School and are currently enrolled in college.

Douglas Smith has lived in Verona since 1993 and became a VFEE trustee in 2007. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1984 and got his MBA from Rutgers University in 1991. He has worked for Prudential Financial Inc. in Newark for 24 years and is currently working as a portfolio manager in their Fixed Income Asset Management Group. He and his wife, Ellen, have two daughters in Verona Schools. Doug is active in the local community, serving as a trustee for Verona Lacrosse.

Mark became a trustee of VFEE in 2007. He graduated from Montclair State University with a BS in Accounting. After twenty years in commercial banking, he became self-employed as a distributor to retail and private industry of electronic memory medical devices. He and his wife have twin boys in the Verona Schools.

Michelle became a VFEE trustee in 2008. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a degree in communications. She and her husband, Ken, moved to Verona in 1995. They have three children in the Verona Schools. Michelle has stage managed at theatres regionally and in New York City and has served as a manager for two design studios.

Ann was VFEE's founding Secretary. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1985 with a degree in Journalism. She has four children in the Verona Schools. Ann spent a decade as an editor on the staff of a national magazine in New York City and currently works as a freelance writer and editor. Her work has appeared in many national magazines and websites. She and her husband have lived in Verona since 1998.

Dr. Ries is an Associate Professor in the Division of Education at Caldwell College, located in Caldwell, NJ. Prior to assuming this position, Dr. Ries taught for 34 years in New Jersey public schools. Twenty-five of those years were spent teaching at the elementary and middle school level in the Verona School District.