Board of Trustees

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William F. Dator	Peter McBride	Sharon K. McGahee	George C. Ruotolo, Jr.	A.J. Sabath '93
David G. Schlussel	Rev. Dr. Vernon C. Walton	Thomas A. Zelante, Esq.	Erin Kaplan-Burns '12	Nicole Panzica '14

The Board of Trustees may be contacted through the Office of the President at (201) 684-7610.

Board Member Profiles

William F. Dator
William “Bill” Dator was born in India but moved to his father’s home in Mahwah at an early age. He is a third generation real estate broker and currently is a broker associate with Coldwell Banker Commercial and also a State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser. Mr. Dator attended Monmouth University and did graduate work in real estate at the University of Indiana, the University of Connecticut and the University of San Francisco Law School. He is currently Chairman of the Northwest Bergen Utilities Authority, Vice Chairman of the Mahwah Board of Adjustment and an active member of the Mahwah Office of Emergency Management. Mr. Dator has volunteered his time in several leadership roles: President of Mahwah Chamber of Commerce, Battalion Chief with the Mahwah Fire Department, President of the Mahwah Ambulance Corps, and as a Trustee of the Mahwah Museum. Professionally he has served as a Director of Independence Bank and Commerce Bank North and was President of the New Jersey Securities and Syndication Institute. Additionally, he was the first Chairman of the Bergen County Agricultural Development Board. Mr. Dator was the founding President of the Friends of Ramapo and has been actively involved with Ramapo College since 1970.

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Peter McBride
W. Peter McBride is the president and chief operating officer of two family-held businesses, McBride Enterprises, Inc., a real estate and development company, and Urban Farms, Inc., a residential development company. He also serves as a board member of the Ramapo College Foundation. In 1971, Mr. McBride received an honorable discharge as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He has a B.A. from Maryknoll College.

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Sharon K. McGahee, Vice Chair
Sharon K. McGahee, assistant chief, Office of the New Jersey Solicitor, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, represents the agency in employment discrimination, personal injury and worker's compensation matters. She earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1982 from Rutgers School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.

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George C. Ruotolo, Jr.
George C. Ruotolo, Jr., counselor to non-profit organizations and institutions, has been a professional fund raising and public relations executive since 1973. Prior to establishing Ruotolo Associates, he served as vice president of a major public relations fund raising firm and worked in investment banking. His expertise encompasses annual development, capital campaigns, planned giving, marketing and public relations programs for dioceses, churches, colleges, school, hospitals and social service organizations on local, regional, and national levels. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Bergen-Hudson Chapter and is a founding member of the Ridgewood Educational Foundation.

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A.J. Sabath '93, Chair
A.J. Sabath is the owner of the Advocacy Group in Moorestown, NJ. He formerly served as chief of staff to Senate President Richard J. Codey and as the commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.  Prior to joining the Executive Branch, he held a number of positions in the New Jersey Legislature. He earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Ramapo College.

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David G. Schlussel, Secretary
David G. Schlussel is one of the founding members of Key Properties LLC, a full service commercial real estate development company dealing with all aspects of industrial, office, hi-tech, retail and residential properties based in Teaneck.  David has experience in acquisition, development, construction, financing, leasing and management of office, industrial, residential and retail properties.  He has served on the Board of Education for Yavneh Academy and is former Chairman of Adult Education for the Jewish Center of Teaneck. He is the founder and Chairman of the Yale Alumni Real Estate Association.  He is Chairman Emeritus of NORPAC and has lectured at New York University on real estate development.  He holds a B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

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Rev. Dr. Vernon C. Walton, Immediate Past Chair
Reverend Vernon C. Walton is the senior pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church of Englewood. He received a Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, a Master of Divinity degree, New York Theological Seminary, New York and a B.A. in sociology and criminal justice from Virginia Union University. He has been honored with the NAACP's Edward P. Dixon Award for Community Service and Humanitarian Awards from the National Conference for Community and Justice and the Jabari Society of Bergen County.

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Thomas A. Zelante, Esq.
Thomas Zelante, an attorney, received his B.A. from LaSalle College and his J.D. from the Seton Hall University School of Law. After law school he served as a law clerk in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division. He is admitted to the Bar of New Jersey, the United States District Court for New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  He was a Commissioner for the Morris County Board of Taxation. Previously, Mr. Zelante has served as president of Head Start of Morris County and also as a trustee of the organization. He has also served as a trustee of the Morris County Bar Association, a trustee of the Legal Aid Society of Morris County, and a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court District X Ethics Committee. He has received the Morris County Bar Association's Pro Bono/Community Service Award, a lifetime achievement award. He was a member and assistant treasurer of the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority. He was also a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs Committee and the Morris County Infrastructure Advisory Group, dealing with security issues. He was a member of the Morris Township Board of Adjustment and a former little league coach. He is currently listed in Who's Who in America.

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Student Trustee Erin Kaplan-Burns '12
Erin is a senior at Ramapo College, majoring in Accounting with a minor in International Business. Her involvement on campus includes chairing the Higher Education Committee and working with the Student Government Association on events such as Octoberfest, Founder's Day, and Higher Education Awareness Week; and in 2009-2010 she served as the SGA Secretary of Financial Affairs. She also works as a Circulation Aid in the George T. Potter Library. Outside of Ramapo, Erin spent the summer of 2010 studying Organizational Behavior at the University of Westminster in London. Erin has also interned at L'Oreal USA and KYW Newsradio 1060 in Philadelphia, where she was the recipient of the 2008 Mark Drucker Memorial Internship.

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Alternate Student Trustee Nicole Panzica '14
Nicole is a sophomore at Ramapo majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a Biology minor. She is a student aide in the Office of Admissions and a tour guide to prospective students as part of the Ramapo Admissions Student Ambassadors. Nicole joined the Student Government Association as a delegate and served as a Senator her second semester, in addition to working with the Higher Education Committee. She graduated from Old Bridge High School in 2010 and is a Ramapo College Trustee scholarship recipient.

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