By ROBERT LINNEHAN
A local stay-at-home mom has been tabbed as the next Haddonfield Board of Education member.
Heather Paoli will serve the remaining months of previous member Michael Joseph Mercanti-Anthony’s seat after beating out several other candidates for the position.
Paoli will serve in the seat until the April board of education general elections.
Paoli is a graduate of The Wharton School with a dual MBA degree in marketing and finance. She also received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1994 and studied during that time at the University of Munich.
Paoli is active in the community and supports the Committee for Haddonfield Elementary Class Sizes, which brought visibility to the issue of class sizes in the district.
She coaches soccer for her children, organizes a Girl Scouts Daisy Troop and is a member of Haddonfield Junior Women’s Club.
“Heather brings a unique set of skills, passion, and temperament that will serve the children of this community well into the future. We are very pleased to have her join the board,” BOE President Steve Weinstein said. “We had an extremely experienced and talented pool of candidates. Each brought distinctive talents and qualifications. Each would have been an excellent selection.”
Paoli has worked in various capacities for companies across the region including The Vanguard Group, Accenture and Commerce Bank. She recently decided to become a full-time stay-at-home mom.
She is the wife of Jim Paoli and mother of two children, 6-year-old Colette and 4-year-old Connor.
Paoli has already said she will run for the seat in the 2011 BOE elections in April.
“My children have so many future years in the educational system and I wanted to be involved in shaping that. I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity to serve our children, our schools, and our community,” she said. “It’s my intention to be on the board for many years in the future. I hope the Haddonfield public will elect me because I would like to continue to serve. I hope these few months will give me a better background and allow me to continue in this capacity.”
Mercanti-Anthony officially resigned from his position on Friday, Oct. 15 for personal reasons.
Mercanti-Anthony had also previously served as the board’s vice president for the past year. Board Member Dr. Cheryl Laney was recently nominated and approved as the board’s newest vice president.
