2024 Distinguished Citizens Honorees

Nicole Cicalo-DeCaro
Brian and Diane ’85 Flynn
The Honorable Paul A. Sarlo

Friday, April 5, 2024
Rockleigh Country Club, Rockleigh, NJ

Nicole Cicalo-DeCaro

Nicole M. Cicalo-DeCaro, Chief Operating Officer and Head Coach of the Bergen Barracudas Swim Team; Vice President of Fort-Cica Roofing; Chief Executive Officer of Green Tops, LLC; General Chair of New Jersey Swimming; Secretary of the Friends of Ramapo.

Ms. Cicalo-DeCaro is a very busy woman who spends every waking moment doing something to make a difference in the world.   Upon graduating from Fordham University, she hit the ground running.  While applying for law school and clerking for an attorney she realized her calling was to influence today’s youth to impact tomorrow.   She was hired by the Bergen Barracudas to coach age group swimmers and fell in love with teaching.   The following year she became a sixth grade English teacher in Paterson, NJ.  Nicole earned her Dual Master’s Degree in Childhood Special Education in 2005; the same summer she married her husband Larry. She has traveled the country earning several certifications to advance her coaching knowledge.  Nicole also possesses a Master’s of Science in Recreation and Athletics and an MBA in Executive Management from Ohio University.  When she is not providing scaffolding and helping to build futures for the athletes in her swimming program, she works with her family erecting actual scaffolding at Fort-Cica Roofing & General Contractors, Inc.   Nicole and her husband Laurence have three children: Luca, Antonina and Nicolas. Being that education is paramount, Nicole is constantly spending her “down-time” educating her children through the experience of travel.  Nicole is also a Professor at Ramapo College and a long time Board Member of the Friends of Ramapo, where she has served as president and vice president of the board.  With Nicole’s assistance, the Bergen Barracudas have supported the Friends of Ramapo, Summer Concerts, Fund for Ramapo College and the Distinguished Citizens Gala. Nicole’s husband, Laurence, is a construction project manager.  The couple lives in Blauvelt, New York.

Brian and Diane ’85 Flynn

Brian and Diane Flynn have been generous supporters and friends to Ramapo College for over 30 years.  Their compassion and commitment to Ramapo and its students are tangible in their long term support of institutional campaigns, but even more in the advice, counsel and leadership they show to the Foundation.

Brian Flynn is a partner at PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP, the leading North American firm in the PKF International network of independent accounting and advisory firms. He is a member of the executive committee and managing partner for the firm’s New Jersey market.  Brian has more than 40 years of audit experience with closely-held corporations, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Monmouth University. He serves on the board of Lakeland Bank and is an active participant in numerous community and professional groups. He often serves as a conference leader and speaker at industry events and sits on the boards of several local not-for-profit organizations.

Diane Flynn is a Ramapo College alumna who earned her bachelor’s degree in information systems in 1985. She has worked in human resources/employee benefits and has been a manager-production editor at Paulist Press.  An active community member and parishioner of St. Paul Parish in Ramsey, Diane maintains a commitment to the church and her faith.

The Flynns supported the capital campaign to build the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts and has also consistently supported the Distinguished Citizens Gala and the Foundation’s Annual Golf Outing. Over the years, Brian has been instrumental in securing significant corporate support from PKF O’Connor Davies for Ramapo College events and projects. The Flynns live in Wyckoff and are proud parents of their daughter Dana, their two-year old grandson, Ethan and the newest granddaughter, Tessa.

The Honorable Paul A. Sarlo

Paul A. Sarlo is the Deputy Majority Leader of the New Jersey Senate. He has served as Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee since 2010, making him the Committee’s longest serving chairperson in state history. He is a member of the Judiciary Committee and Chairperson of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, and former Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee and the Labor Committee.

Senator Sarlo has been the prime sponsor of more than 300 bills which have been signed into law, and has played a leading role on legislation to promote job creation and economic development. He has been the prime sponsor of bi-partisan legislation which reformed the state’s school funding formula, lowered income taxes for the middle class, working poor and senior citizens, strengthened the fiscal health of the state pension fund, and provided dedicated funding for the Transportation Trust Fund to finance vital infrastructure projects throughout the state. He has also sponsored bills which reformed New Jersey’s worker’s compensation system, criminalized the illegal trafficking and distribution of prescription drugs, required schools to adopt bullying prevention policies and upgraded penalties for identity theft.

Senator Sarlo’s career in public service spans nearly three decades. He has served as Mayor of the Borough of Wood-Ridge since 2000 and served on its Borough Council from 1995-2000. In 2001, he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, a position he held until May 2003 when he was sworn in to the New Jersey Senate to fill an unexpired term. He was elected to a full term in the New Jersey Senate in November 2003 and was re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2023. Mr. Sarlo represents the 36th legislative district, which includes 15 municipalities in Bergen and Passaic Counties.

A licensed professional engineer and licensed professional planner, Senator Sarlo holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he was a Division III All-American baseball player. He is the Chief Operating Officer of Joseph M. Sanzari Construction Inc., where he has been employed since 1998.