President: Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott  president@njasl.org

President-Elect: Beth Raff  presidentelect@njasl.org

Beth is a graduate of Cornell University (BA), Rutgers University Graduate School of Education (M.Ed) and Rutgers School of Communication and Information (M.I.).  

After teaching fifth grade in the Hillsborough Township public schools for many years, Beth pursued a degree and career as a school librarian.   Currently, she is the media specialist at Mt. Tabor Elementary School in the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District.  

Beth as been selected as an Emerging Leader 2019 by the ALA and sponsored by NJASL. The project, “Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens,” can be found here.

Beth is the proud mother of two adult sons, Joshua and Benjamin, and her husband, Steve, is a high school math teacher.   

Vice President: Karen Grant vp@njasl.org

Karen Grant, MEd, MLIS has been a media specialist for the Ewing Township Public Schools since 2015. She began her career in education as a special education teacher in the district. Her experiences with struggling readers over the years led her to become a reading specialist. In this role, Karen realized the depth of her love of literature and information literacy. With the encouragement of a beloved school librarian and colleague, she began her studies at Rutgers University to become a librarian. As a Board member and co-chair of NJASL’s Diversity Taskforce, Karen is especially motivated to continue in the work of strengthening NJASL’s impact in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion in school library programs.   

Secretary: Jessica Piazza  secretary@njasl.org

Jessica Piazza began her career in education as an Early Childhood Educator in 2004 and spent twelve years as a classroom teacher, until she became a School Library Media Specialist/STEAM teacher at Harmony Township School in 2016. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and her teaching credentials through The College of New Jersey. She also holds a Master of Arts in Educational Technology with a Specialization in School Library Media through New Jersey City University. Recently, she has presented several professional development workshops locally regarding the integration of technology and literature in the classroom and beyond.

Treasurer: Elizabeth (Beth) Willoughby treasurer@njasl.org

Beth has been a member of the Finance Committee for NJASL for several years.  She is the librarian for Dunellen Public Schools and works at John P. Faber School and Lincoln Middle School.  Currently she is treasurer of UMASL, vice-regent of her local Catholic Daughters and serves on the Municipal Alliance.  She was appointed by Dunellen’s Mayor to be on the library trustees and is proud to serve as a member. Beth has been working in Dunellen since 2013.  Prior to that she was the Media Specialist at Red Bank Middle School. Beth has served on the conference committee and for the past conference she was head of the photography committee.

Member-at-Large:  Steve Tetreault   membersatlarge@njasl.org

As a monthly contributor to AASL’s Knowledge Quest blog, Steve has been writing about school library issues since 2018. He's been published in School Library Connection and the NJEA Review. In addition to his Master of Information degree, he achieved both a masters and a terminal degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. After 24 years as a classroom English Language Arts teacher and six years as a “hobbyist librarian”, Steve moved into a school library media specialist role in January 2022. He is an old dog constantly learning new tricks! Steve firmly believes that the school library has become the last, best place for students to engage in authentic learning that will stay with them and help propel them to become life-long learners. Therefore, school libraries staffed by qualified school librarians are a must for any school.

Member-at-Large:  Iveth Mollinedo Yelegen   membersatlarge@njasl.org

Iveth Mollinedo Yelegen began her career as a 3rd-grade teacher and after 4 years in the classroom, transitioned into the role of School Library Media Specialist. Her entire experience in education has been in the school and district she attended as a student- Cliffside Park in Bergen County NJ. She earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education/Spanish Language and Literature and her M.A. in Educational Technology with SLMS certification from New Jersey City University. She recently earned her MLIS Degree from San Jose State University. She is a library enthusiast and has also worked part-time in numerous public libraries for the past 15 years. Aside from being a librarian, some of her favorite hobbies are cooking, crafting, trying new “eats” and spending time with her family and newborn. 

Immediate Past President: Lisa Straubinger  pastpresident@njasl.org

Lisa Straubinger is a teacher librarian at the T. Baldwin Demarest School in Old Tappan. Prior to having the best job in the school she taught 2^nd grade, 3^rd grade, and technology. Lisa has a BA in education, a Masters in reading and received her library certification from William Paterson University. She has served as the County Affiliates Liaison, is a member of the EDI committee and runs the NJASL book club. Her library is the "living room" of the school where there is always a welcoming and comfortable space for anyone who enters. When she’s not in the library Lisa can be found on her yoga mat, hiking one of the many beautiful trails near her home, or curled up with a good book.