Fleishman appointed to Howell school board

By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer

HOWELL – Marissa Fleishman has been appointed to serve on the Howell K-8 School District Board of Education.

Fleishman will serve on the board until January. She is filling the seat left open when long-time board member Mary Cerretani recently moved out of Howell and had to step down from the panel.

In response to a request from district administrators for candidates to fill the open seat, Fleishman, C. Joseph Janetti and Lisa Valenti applied for the appointment.

Fleishman has been a Howell resident since 2009. She is married and has two sons who attend school in the district. Fleishman is a project manager at Merck Pharmaceuticals.

“As a project manager, I have strong organizational, negotiation, risk management and communication skills,” Fleishman said. “These are traits I feel are my strengths and can leverage to be an effective member of the board.

Janetti is a graduate of Howell High School and has a daughter who attends school in Howell. He is a science teacher at Manalapan High School.

Valenti has been a resident of Howell for nine years and previously taught in the New York City School system. She has three children and has been active in PTA/PTOs.

There will be three three-year terms on the board on the Nov. 8 Election Day ballot. Neither Fleishman, Janetti nor Valenti is running in the election.

The five candidates seeking the three seats are Mark Bonjavanni, Laurence Gurman, Cristy Mangano, Angel D. Sanchez and Ira Thor. Bonjavanni is a current board member. The three winners will begin their terms in January.