Submitted by Dan Quigley, RTC chair
The RTC is excited to give the Greenwich voters a choice of three candidates for our Board of Education. Megan Galletta, Cody Kittle and Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony each bring with them diverse career experiences and impressive resumes. They are all creative thinkers and each believes that education is the foundation of any productive and successful community.
We had originally nominated four candidates. Unfortunately, one of our excellent candidates was unable to serve due to a work conflict, and her name has been removed from the ballot.
Here is a brief bio on each candidate, with some of their own words about why they want to serve on the Board of Education.
Megan Galletta has lived in Greenwich for over 20 years and has been an active volunteer as a PTA board member. She has a professional career in the tech industry, and currently serves as Global Head of Alliances for Imply Data. Megan and her husband, John have raised four children, all of whom have been educated in GPS.
“My motivation for joining the Board of Education is to work together with the members of the Board to enhance the Greenwich Public Schools. The Greenwich BoE needs Board members who can listen to subject-matter experts, colleagues and other stakeholders to make intelligent informed decisions while listening to diverse viewpoints. These are exactly the skills I employ to achieve business success everyday. I look forward to bringing these capabilities to the Board of Education, to drive successful outcomes and raise the standards of academic achievement for all Greenwich students.”
Cody Kittle works for an investment firm in Greenwich. He has a degree in mathematics from Northwestern University. He grew up in Greenwich, attending the public schools, and lives here now with his wife and 2 year old daughter.
“I think the BOE has been overly politicized in recent years, and would benefit substantially from members not affiliated or focused on politics. I approach this role from a corporate background, having served as a board member of multiple companies, both public and private. This has provided a healthy understanding of governance, budgeting, capital planning, and managing executive teams. Perhaps most important is that I am focused on the long term; my daughter is two and I hope to position the school system to serve her as best as possible as she grows up.”
An eleven-year resident of Greenwich, Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony is a NYC school administrator with 23 years of experience working in public education. He formerly spent five years on the BOE of his hometown in Haddonfield, New Jersey, earned a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania and is an adjunct education professor. He is married to Dr. Catherine Berzolla, a Greenwich native and GHS graduate. They have two boys.
“I’m running for the BOE for the simple reason that I think I can help. As a career educator, I have watched the BOE get distracted from important conversations about academic achievement. We need a fresh perspective on how things can be done differently.”
The Greenwich RTC is proud of our candidates and we are pumped up for our community to get to know them. We think they will be outstanding BOE members and, if elected, that they will contribute in a positive and constructive way to the future direction of the GPS.
NOTE: GFP will accept for consideration letters to the editor about candidates in the Nov 2 municipal election for three weeks: Oct 5 to Oct 26, 2021 at 5:00pm (one week before election). Email to [email protected] and include your name and contact information (not for publication). We cannot guarantee all letters will be published.