Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 6, 2014 Franklin Lakes Seven K-8 BOE candidates file nominating petitions by Frank J. McMahon Seven candidates will be competing for the three Frank- lin Lakes Board of Education seats that will be available in the Nov. 4 election. Incumbent trustees Laurence Loprete and Susan McGowan are up for election and filed nominating peti- tions by last week’s deadline. A third seat will be available since current trustee Craig Urciuoli will not seek re-elec- tion to the local school board. The non-incumbent candidates who have filed nomi- nating petitions are Randy Lee Dixon of Ashmont Road, Michael P. Esposito of Aztec Trail, Victoria E. Holst of Pulis Avenue, Peter John Koulikoureis of Shirley Avenue, and Jennifer Marcus of Shinnecock Trail. Some of their biographies were not available at the deadline for publica- tion of this edition. Dixon has lived in Franklin Lakes for 15 years, after living in Connecticut, New York City, and Washington, D.C. He holds degree in sociology from Towson University and he has two children, a daughter entering seventh grade at the Franklin Avenue Middle School and a son entering third grade as the Woodside Avenue School. He is presently the business manager/director of sales for the Ivanka Trump Footwear division of Marc Fisher Footwear, a position he has held since the product launch in 2010. Prior to joining Marc Fisher, he was employed by Nina Footwear as a vice president for 11 years. Dixon has been a Parent Teacher Association member at the Colonial Road School, Woodside Avenue School, and the middle school, and participated in many school activi- ties. He is also a member of the Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, and served in various roles. He currently teaches Sunday school. He is involved in the annual Central Unitarian Church outreach auction that raises funds for Bergen County chari- ties such as Shelter Our Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and The Center for Food Action. Holst, 46, has been a Franklin Lakes resident since 2007. Her husband, Bernie, and she have twins who will be entering third grade at Woodside Avenue Elementary School. She holds a BS in marketing and journalism from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her career in mar- keting and sales has been primarily in the pest management industry, where she served for over 12 years as technical representative in Canada and the northeastern U.S., grow- ing multi-million dollar territories, teaching continuing education, and serving on the boards of the New Jersey and Massachusetts Pest Management Associations. She cur- rently manages her own business, Twin Grove Marketing, which provides pest control products and consulting to the pest management industry. Holst was on the board of the Twins’ Mothers Club of Bergen County for several years, including two years as president. She is an active member of Midland Park Chris- tian Reformed Church, where Holst serves on the Hospi- tality and Community Outreach committees, volunteers regularly at Woodside Avenue School, and belongs to the Franklin Lakes Newcomers and Neighbors Club. In her spare time, Holst enjoys family time in the outdoors gar- dening, hiking, skiing, and kayaking. Loprete, the current president of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education, has served as a trustee for the past four years, having been appointed in September 2010 and then elected to a full three-term in April 2011. He became the board’s president in May of 2013. He has also been the vice president and he serves as an ex officio member of all the board’s committees. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College in 1986 and he currently works as a senior director in the McGraw-Hill Financial Compliance Department in New York City, where he has been since 2009. Prior to that, he was the chief administrative officer of the Equities Distri- bution Division at Citigroup, and has held managerial posi- tions within the Compliance Department for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Solomon Brothers, and the American Stock Exchange during his 28-year career on Wall Street. Loprete and his wife Mary have lived in Franklin Lakes for 11 years with their two sons. Their oldest son currently attends Regis High School in New York City and their younger son attends Franklin Avenue Middle School. The Lopretes are parishioners of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church. McGowan has served as a Franklin Lakes School Board Trustee for the past four years, having been appointed in August 2010 and elected to a full three-term in April 2011. This spring, she received the prestigious Janet S. Lobsenz Award from the Bergen County School Board Association for her continued commitment to professional develop- ment and school governance on the local, county, and state levels. As a trustee, she was selected to serve on the New Jersey School Boards Association’s Legislative Committee in Trenton. She is chairperson of the Policy Committee, NJSBA/BCSBA representative, PTA liaison, and serves on the board’s Technology and Personnel committees. McGowan has served as board president and on the board’s Curriculum, Instruction, and Negotiations committees, and was the board’s Municipal Alliance representative. McGowan earned a BA in economics from LaSalle Uni- versity and her career included seven years as accounting supervisor for Simpson Thacher and Bartlett in New York, and human resource analyst for KPMG in Montvale for two years. She has been an active member of the High Mountain Road School and Franklin Avenue Middle School com- munities for many years, having served as Brownie troop leader, class parent, library volunteer, and chairperson for the Fall Book Fair and bagel sales. She has also volunteered at numerous PTA events and fundraisers. She is a member of Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes and the Franklin Lakes Republican Club. Along with her dog Archie, she volunteers with the Bright and Beautiful Ther- apy Dogs. McGowan and her husband P.J. have lived in Franklin Lakes for 10 years. Their two daughters will be attending Franklin Avenue Middle School in the fall.