She’ll replace Johanna Ruberto, who is retiring
Anne M. Facendo has been appointed superintendent of the Manville School District, effective Aug. 1. Mrs. Facendo was unanimously voted as the schools leader at a special meeting of the Board of Education on Monday evening.
She replaces Dr. Johanna Ruberto, who served as Manville’s superintendent for the last five years and announced her retirement in December.
"The Manville Board of Education is delighted to welcome Mrs. Facendo to our team", said Board President Heidi Alles. "She is a highly qualified individual with an outstanding track record in both academic achievements and leadership in several school districts. We feel very fortunate to have her lead the next part of our journey."
Mrs. Facendo is currently serving as the assistant superintendent of Sayreville Public Schools. From 1988 until 2006, she served as an elementary education teacher, with dual certification as K-12 teacher of the handicapped. As such, Mrs. Facendo taught all grade levels from K-12 in a variety of self-contained and inclusive settings, and also served as a literacy coach for the Red Bank Public School District. Improvements in literacy outcomes for students led Red Bank to receive a "Blue Ribbon Award" from NCLB during Mrs. Facendo’s tenure there.
Mrs. Facendo is a 1985 graduate of Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. She received her master’s degree from Marygrove College in Michigan in 2002. She completed her administrative studies through the NJEXCEL Program in conjunction with Thomas Edison State University in 2006. Mrs. Facendo has completed 51 credits beyond her dual master’s degrees, primarily focusing on research based "best practices" in the field of literacy development. She has been a regular presenter to several large New Jersey school districts as a consultant for Fred Carrigg and Associates (Research-Based Literacy Consultants), and has presented at the National Reading Styles Institute Summer Conferences in New Orleans and in San Antonio, Texas, under the direction of Dr. Marie Carbo of St. John’s University in New York City.
Mrs. Facendo became an elementary principal in July 2006 at Nut Swamp Elementary School in Middletown. Several promotions within the district provided Mrs. Facendo a wide range of experiences as an administrator. She took on dual roles as the K-12 district’s director of curriculum and instruction for humanities/literacy, while also supervising the high school English departments at Middletown High Schools North and South. She also served as the principal of Thompson Middle School.
Mrs. Facendo left Middletown in 2012 to become the principal/superintendent of Oradell Public Schools, the largest K-6 elementary district in Bergen County. Her tenure there resulted in improvement of the district’s high stakes test scores; a district-wide move to problem-based learning, and a structural overhaul to the district’s campus to promote school safety and to extend the use of authentic technology in every classroom. Mrs. Facendo also spearheaded an overhaul of district curriculum to reflect newly adopted state Common Core standards while in Oradell.
Her promotion to the position of superintendent in Manville fulfills a life-long dream of serving as a leader in order to improve the lives of young people.
The board also expressed sadness to see Dr. Ruberto retire.
"Dr. Ruberto is an advocate for children at every level possible," said Ms. Alles. "She had a special way of making kids feel they could accomplish anything, and she put the work in behind her words. We are sad to see her go and wish her all the best that her future has to offer. She will be missed."

