Montclair Fills Four Top School Spots

Montclair Public Schools Superintendent Penny MacCormack has assembled her “dream team.”

MacCormack announced four appointments to her senior staff Monday. Longtime district employee Felice A. Harrison has been named Chief Human Resources Officer, Nishuane Elementary School Principal Gail L. Clarke is the new Chief Academic Officer and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, and district newcomers Michelle C. Russell will serve as Chief Talent Officer and Brian Fleischer as Chief Operating Officer.

The appointments were approved collectively by the Montclair Board of Education, 6-1, with board member David Cummings voting no.

The four will begin serving in their positions this summer and are considered an integral part of implementing the .

“I am very enthusiastic about this team of smart, dedicated and passionate educators who bring valuable and diverse qualities and credentials to the table,” MacCormack said in a release. “I know the synergy of this group will strongly support our district’s goals for continuous improvement and high achievement for all of our students.” 

Board of Education President Robin Kulwin said in a release, “Our senior leadership team is now fully staffed and includes people we already know well and value highly as well as newcomers who bring exciting experience and ideas from other districts.”

The district provided the following biographies on the new hires:

Felice A. Harrison, Ed.D./Chief Human Resources Officer

As Chief Human Resources Officer, Harrison will be responsible for all human resources-related responsibilities for the district’s nearly 1200-person staff. This position, formerly referred to as “Personnel Administrator,” was vacant and was being filled by Harrison on an interim basis. 

Harrison’s career in the Montclair Public Schools spans 18 years in various capacities, including Assistant to the Superintendent, Director of School-Community Relations, and Assistant Principal and Principal of Nishuane Elementary School. Earlier in her career, she was involved in early childhood education as a director of several preschool programs as well teacher of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. She has served as an adjunct professor at Bloomfield College and is currently an instructor for the State of New Jersey Alternative Route Training Program for teachers in the Essex County Provisional Teacher Training Program.

Harrison is a lifelong resident of Montclair. She has been involved in community boards such as Montclair Township’s Civil Rights Commission, Safe Streets Montclair, and Montclair Coalition Intervention Alliance. Her district-level activities have included being a liaison to the PTA Council, the Montclair State University-Network for Educational Renewal (MUSNER), and other MSU committees. She currently serves on the boards of the Police Athletic League (PAL) and the Montclair Public Library Foundation. 

Harrison earned a bachelor's from Northeastern University in Boston; master's in teaching and Supervision and Administration from Montclair State University; and a doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from Seton Hall University.

Gail Clarke/Chief Academic Officer and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction

Clarke’s assignment as Chief Academic Officer/Assistant Superintendent for Instruction will include development of quality curriculum in all content areas for grades K-12 including resources and material for professional development for teachers and school leaders that supports curriculum implementation.

Clarke has been the principal of Nishuane Elementary School since 2008 and was the principal at Watchung Elementary School from 2004-2008. Her professional activities within the district include serving as co-chair of the District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC), involvement in a number of district-wide and regional educational committees, and author/coordinator of recent educational grants ranging from $5,000-$1.4 million.     

In all, she has been an educator for 24 years. Prior to coming to the Montclair Public Schools, she was a classroom teacher for many years in Midland Park. Additional responsibilities in that district included roles as the Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator, officer of the teacher’s union, and coach for two high school athletic teams.

Clarke received a bachelor's in Elementary Education from the California State University of Pennsylvania; a master's in Teaching from the University of Saint Mary in Kansas; and a master's in Educational Administration from Caldwell College.

The district will immediately begin a search for her replacement at Nishuane and anticipates having a new principal in place there by late summer. 

Michelle C. Russell/Chief Talent Officer

As Chief Talent Officer, Russell will assist Montclair’s teachers and leaders to identify professional development aligned to their needs with a focus on effective instruction; recruit new teachers; and help the district retain highly effective teachers, in part through the development of a leadership pipeline and teacher career ladder.

Russell’s educational career began 13 years ago, as a high school teacher in the Philadelphia Public Schools. After five years of teaching, Russell transitioned to school leadership roles at several Chicago schools. Most recently, her district-level positions in the Chicago Public Schools have emphasized professional development, curriculum support, instructional leadership, and development of leadership models that focus on equitable access to high quality education for students. Included among her accomplishments was a Chicago Mayor’s Summer of Learning Initiative which supported the development of a youth opportunities website. 

Russell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the National Louis University in Chicago.

Brian Fleischer/Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Fleischer will be responsible for critical financial and operational aspects of the district, including budgeting, transportation, buildings and grounds, and regulatory compliance. 

Fleischer brings a strong background in educational finance and operations. For the past 11 years, he has been employed by the New York City Department of Education in the Office of Auditor General, including nearly eight years as Auditor General, promoting fiscal integrity, overseeing regulatory compliance, and assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the country’s largest school district in achieving its budgetary and operational goals.

A graduate of Columbia University and Columbia Law School in New York City, Fleischer is an attorney admitted to the Bar in both New York and New Jersey. Prior to his work for the New York City public schools, he was a legal associate at the New York City law firm of Lankler, Siffert & Wohl, LLP, and a judicial law clerk for both Hon. Reena Raggi at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and Justice Gary S. Stein at the Supreme Court of New Jersey. 

Fleischer is a lifelong resident of Montclair and is now raising a family here with his wife who is employed by Immaculate Conception Schools in Montclair. His mother was a Montclair Public School teacher for 23 years.