UCNJ is managed by two boards comprised of volunteer community members who give generously of their time and expertise for the benefit of the College. UCNJ has a unique system of governance with both a Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. The governance, control, conduct, management, and administration of the College is vested in and allocated between the two boards. UCNJ’s board members advocate for the mission of providing a high-quality, affordable, and accessible education to Union County residents.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rafael J. Betancourt, Esq.
Chairman
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2017
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2020
- Committees: Ex-officio member of all committees
- Mr. Betancourt is a partner at the law firm Triarsi, Betancourt, Wukovits & Dugan in Cranford.
- Education: J.D., University of Puerto Rico; B.A., Tulane University
- Westfield, NJ

Brian Campbell (UCNJ ’95)
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2020
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2025
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Audit, Budget & Finance (Vice Chair), Buildings & Grounds, Educational Planning & Policy. Mr. Campbell also serves as the board liaison to the New Jersey Council of County Colleges
- Mr. Campbell is Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations at Wiley in Hoboken
- Education: MBA, Rutgers University; B.A., Rutgers University; A.A., UCNJ
- Berkeley Heights, NJ

Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin
President
President

George A. Castro, II
Member, Board of Trustees
- Gubernatorial appointee to the Board of Trustees 2002
- Committees: Audit, Buildings & Grounds
- Mr. Castro is the founder and leader of the real estate firm Premier Homes in Roselle Park.
- Elizabeth, NJ

Daniel J. Connolly, CPA
Member, Board of Trustees
- Gubernatorial appointee to the Board of Trustees 2012
- Committees: Audit, Budget & Finance (Chair)
- Mr. Connolly is a Certified Public Account (CPA) and the managing director of Connolly & Co. in Warren.
- Education: B.S., Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Mountainside, NJ

F. Jim Della Sala
Member, Board of Trustees
Vice Chair, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2023
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2026
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Budget & Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Marketing
- Mr. Della Sala recently retired as Head of Shared Services for M&T Bank.
- Education: B.S., California State University – Los Angeles; Glendale Community College (CA)
- Summit, NJ

Miguel A. Merino
Member, Board of Trustees
- Union County Board of County Commissioners appointee to the Board of Trustees 2018
- Committee: Buildings & Grounds
- Mr. Merino is the principal owner at Fresh and Clean Painting LLC in Elizabeth and served in the U.S. Army.
- Elizabeth, NJ

John Richel
Member, Board of Trustees
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2024
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2026
- Committees: Buildings & Grounds (Chair), Marketing
- Mr. Richel is Vice President of Asset & Property Management at RWJBarnabas Health.
- Education: B.A., Villanova University
- Berkeley Heights, NJ

Emily L. Root, MA, CCC-SLP
Member, Board of Trustees
- Union County Board of County Commissioners appointee to the Board of Trustees 2025
- Committees: Educational Planning & Policy, Buildings & Grounds
- Ms. Root has a speech therapy practice in Berkeley Heights. She is also an adjunct instructor at Kean University and San Francisco State University.
- Education: M.A., New York University; B.A., University of California Santa Cruz
- Westfield, NJ

Kamran Tasharofi, M.D.
Member, Board of Trustees
- Union County Board of County Commissioners appointee to the Board of Trustees 2019
- Committee: Educational Planning & Policy
- Dr. Tasharofi is medical director at Union County Healthcare Associates.
- Education: M.D., Ross University School of Medicine; B.S., California State University at Northridge
- Clark, NJ

Marisol Ramos-Rodríguez (UCNJ ’25)
Student Representative
Student Representative, Board of Trustees
- Student Representative to the Board of Trustees 2025-2026
- Committee: Educational Planning & Policy
- Ms. Ramos-Rodríguez is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in Spanish and a Teacher of Students with Disabilities endorsement at Kean University. She hopes to become a bilingual special education teacher.
- Education: A.A., UCNJ
- Linden, NJ

Matthew J. Giacobbe, Esq.
Legal Counsel
Legal Counsel
- Mr. Giacobbe is managing partner at Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs LLC.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS

John M. Toriello
Chair
Chair, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2023
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Budget & Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Educational Planning & Policy (Chair)
- Mr. Toriello is of counsel at the law firm Holland & Knight where he was a partner, Litigation Practice Group leader, and co-chair of the firm’s Insurance Industry team until 2023
- Education: J.D., St. John’s University School of Law; B.A., Brooklyn College
- Westfield, NJ

F. Jim Della Sala
Vice Chair
Vice Chair, Board of Governors
Member, Board of Trustees
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2023
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2026
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Budget & Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Marketing
- Mr. Della Sala recently retired as Head of Shared Services for M&T Bank.
- Education: B.S., California State University – Los Angeles; Glendale Community College (CA)
- Summit, NJ

Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin
President
President

Melinda Ayala
(UCNJ ’11)
Member, Board of Governors
- Alumni Association appointee to the Board of Governors 2013
- Education: A.S., UCNJ
- Elizabeth, NJ

Rafael J. Betancourt, Esq.
Member, Board of Governors
Chairman, Board of Trustees
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2017
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2020
- Committees: Ex-officio member of all committees
- Mr. Betancourt is a partner at the law firm Triarsi, Betancourt, Wukovits & Dugan in Cranford.
- Education: J.D., University of Puerto Rico; B.A., Tulane University
- Westfield, NJ

Brian Campbell
(UCNJ ’95)
Member, Board of Governors
Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2020
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2025
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Audit, Budget & Finance (Vice Chair), Buildings & Grounds, Educational Planning & Policy. Mr. Campbell also serves as the board liaison to the New Jersey Council of County Colleges
- Mr. Campbell is Corporate Vice President of Investor Relations at Wiley in Hoboken
- Education: MBA, Rutgers University; B.A., Rutgers University; A.A., UCNJ
- Berkeley Heights, NJ

Deborah Enix-Ross
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2023
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Audit, Educational Planning & Policy
- Ms. Enix-Ross is Senior Advisor, Global Engagement, for the International Dispute Resolution Group at the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton in their New York City office.
- Education: J.D., University of Miami School of Law, B.A., University of Miami
- Westfield, NJ

Kathleen A. Fitzpatrick
(UCNJ ’75)
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2025
- Committee: Educational Planning & Policy
- Ms. Fitzpatrick is a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur. She and her husband created the Fitzpatrick Family Foundation, which is focused on education.
- Education: B.A., Montclair State University; A.A., UCNJ
- Westfield, NJ

Stephen F. Hehl, Esq.
(UCNJ ’75)
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2005
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Audit (Chair), Budget & Finance, Buildings & Grounds (Vice Chair), Marketing
- Mr. Hehl is a partner at the law firm Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, P.C. where he practices in the areas of real estate and land use & zoning.
- Education: J.D., Fordham Law School; B.A., Montclair State University; A.A., UCNJ
- Scotch Plains, NJ

Donna M. Herran
(UCNJ ’85)
Member, Board of Governors
- Alumni Association appointee to the Board of Governors 2001
- Committees: Budget & Finance, Buildings & Grounds
- Ms. Herran retired as a vice president ILEU at Exxon/Infineum.
- Education: B.A., Caldwell University; A.S., UCNJ
- Cranford, NJ

Edward J. Hobbie, Esq.
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 1990
- Previously served on the Board of Trustees from 2008 – 2020
- Committee: Joint Executive Committee, Budget & Finance
- Mr. Hobbie is an attorney at Hobbie & Hobbie, LLC in Cranford.
- Education: J.D., Rutgers University; B.A., Dartmouth College
- Westfield, NJ

Gary S. Horan
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2011
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Audit (Vice Chair), Educational Planning & Policy
- Mr. Horan is President & CEO Emeritus at Trinitas Regional Medical Center.
- Education: M.A., George Washington University; B.A., St. Peter’s University
- Sea Girt, NJ

Richard J. Malcolm
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2012
- Committee: Buildings & Grounds
- Mr. Malcolm is a member of Ironworkers Local #11.
- Garwood, NJ

Carl J. Napor
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2011
- Committees: Audit, Budget & Finance, Marketing (Chair)
- Mr. Napor retired from Napor Graf Marketing Group.
- Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania
- Westfield, NJ

Matthew R. Nazzaro
(UCNJ ’04)
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2025
- Committees: Buildings & Grounds, Educational Planning & Policy
- Mr. Nazzaro serves as Chief of Police in Cranford.
- Education: MPA, Kean University; B.A., Kean University; A.A., UCNJ
- Cranford, NJ

Paul T. O’Neill, Esq.
(UCNJ ’84)
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2022
- Committee: Educational Planning & Policy
- Mr. O’Neill is partner and co-chair of the firm’s education law group at Barton Gilman LLP.
- Education: J.D., University of Virginia School of Law; M.Ed., Columbia University Teachers College; B.A., Oberlin College; A.A., UCNJ
- Mountainside, NJ

Sandra Rice
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2023
- Committee: Educational Planning & Policy
- Ms. Rice serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Engagement at Coqual.
- Education: M.A., The New School; B.A., San Jose State University
- Plainfield, NJ

John Richel
Member, Board of Governors
Member, Board of Trustees
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2024
- Board of Governors appointee to the Board of Trustees 2026
- Committees: Buildings & Grounds (Chair), Marketing
- Mr. Richel is Vice President of Asset & Property Management at RWJBarnabas Health.
- Education: B.A., Villanova University
- Berkeley Heights, NJ

James Roundtree III
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2022
- Committees: Budget & Finance, Marketing
- Mr. Roundtree is retired and was formerly a Managing Director at Bank of New York
- Education: B.A., Pace University
- Montclair, NJ

Robert J. Sloan
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2025
- Committees: Joint Executive Committee, Buildings & Grounds, Budget & Finance, Educational Planning & Policy (Vice Chair)
- Mr. Sloan was an executive with AT&T FirstNet serving as Chief Operating Officer and is now a technology consultant.
- Education: MBA, Seton Hall University; B.A., Curry College
- Westfield, NJ

Lisa Vecchione
(UCNJ ’03)
Member, Board of Governors
- Alumni Association appointee to the Board of Governors 2025
- Committee: Buildings & Grounds
- Ms. Vecchione is an active volunteer in the community with a number of organ and tissue donation organizations as well as other local philanthropies.
- Education: A.A., UCNJ
- Springfield, NJ

Allan L. Weisberg
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2015
- Committees: Buildings & Grounds, Educational Planning & Policy
- Mr. Weisberg retired as a vice president at Johnson & Johnson.
- Education: B.A., Temple University
- Warren, NJ

Mary M. Zimmermann
(UCNJ ’01)
Member, Board of Governors
- Appointed to the Board of Governors 2006
- Committees: Budget & Finance, Educational Planning & Policy
- Mrs. Zimmermann is a self-described “professional volunteer.” She was previously a Trustee and Chair of the Board of Governors. She also served as Chair of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges.
- Education: B.A., Rutgers University; A.A., UCNJ
- Summit, NJ