Meet your Tolland Board of Ed Candidates

Jenn Gallichant
My name is Jenn Gallichant, and I am an incumbent candidate running for a four-year term on the Board of Education. I’m a mother of two boys, a Junior and an 8th grader, currently in Tolland Public Schools.

My love for our schools began when my eldest son was in kindergarten. As a first-time mom of a kindergartener, a two-year old, and a full-time working Mom, I walked into my first PTO meeting with my knees shaking. I knew I wanted to participate in my children’s school community in some capacity, but I was understandably nervous. Thankfully, I was immediately welcomed in by kind volunteers and our incredibly hardworking staff and the schools of Tolland soon became a second home to me. During my nine years on the TEPTO board, I served as Volunteer Coordinator, Vice President, and as President for the final four years. One of my proudest moments while serving as President of the Tolland Elementary Parent Teacher Organization was our donation of $30,000 towards Chromebooks in 2020 in support of 1:1 technology. I genuinely loved working inside the schools, helping teachers and staff, and being hands-on with students and parents in classrooms and at events.

When my youngest finished fifth grade and I felt it was time to move on from TEPTO to allow for other parents of our elementary children the opportunity to step in, I was asked to run for the Tolland Board of Education. For the past two years, I was honored to serve on the Board of Education as Chair of both the Contracts and Negotiations Committee and the Communications Committee; and as a member of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force. As Contracts and Negotiations Chair, I assisted with the negotiations of competitive and fair new contracts for our custodians, nurses, teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals. These contracts were all passed with bipartisan support; and the two largest contracts, teachers and administrators, passed with the unanimous support of the Tolland Town Council. As Communications Chair, we began providing a meeting summary for the Superintendent’s Facebook page to reach additional community members, and authored a bipartisan supported letter to the State Legislature expressing our concerns about unfunded mandates and the stressful impacts they have on district finances and resources. I was proud to participate on The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force, which successfully completed a needs-based assessment of the community and put forth recommendations to the Town Council that would allow for more services to those in need.

Outside of my committee work and boardroom meetings, I also participated on the Social and Emotional Health Committee, which was comprised of TPS staff to create and implement Social and Emotional Health programming, student hearings, and attended all five instructional rounds within our schools.

I have always been and continue to be extremely invested in the success of our schools and our students. If I am re-elected, I hope to continue to foster an environment focused on both strong academics and meaningful social emotional development that supports the whole student, to promote a just and equitable school community for staff and students, and to generate a robust and fiscally responsible budget that sustains excellence and supports the growth of students.

Jayden Regisford
My name is Jayden Regisford and I am an incumbent candidate running for a two-year term for the Board of Education. As a 2019 Tolland High School graduate, it would be a great privilege to continue building upon our school system for another two years.

I have coached youth sports in Tolland for nearly six years. There is nothing greater than stepping onto the field or the court with your group of players ready to have a blast, whether it was at practice or games. I am grateful to the hundreds of folks who entrusted me to teach their child a thing or two about sports. I think about my coaching experiences every day, and there is no better way to further serve those players, and all kids, than to help create a path for their success on the Board of Education.

Over the past year and a half, I have worked for Manchester Early Learning Center as the Program Manager of our Bennet Academy program. The school-age program offers a variety of educational support, specifically focused on literacy, creative arts, STEM, character development, SEL, as well as community building. Working within the school walls provides a perspective that I never had before. This perspective has instilled in me a more patient and careful approach when approaching the issues we take on every week on the Tolland Board of Education.

For two years, I also have served as a member of the Curriculum Committee and on the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force. The Curriculum Committee has focused on Tolland’s expanding pathways programs to offer stronger opportunities for students going through THS; we have monitored the implementation of the Portrait of a Graduate; and we have reviewed numerous programs from which Tolland currently benefits. The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force remained committed to proposing solutions to multiple ever-growing issues across the board which impact both students and adults. The folks I was fortunate enough to work with on the Task Force did an exceptional job creating and executing a vision that will positively impact the town of Tolland for years to come. I am grateful to everyone who I am lucky enough to say taught me a substantial amount, both on the Board of Education and on the Task Force.

Admittedly, the candidate I was in 2019 and 2021 is a different candidate from today. Some self-reflection taught me to abbreviate my speaking and instead listen more thoroughly and more often. One aspect that has remained consistent is that I am still passionate about helping the students of our town. Students need a voice in the discussions taking place every week regarding their education. Truthfully, there are difficult decisions that are made every month. Almost every one of these decisions directly affect the individual student, whether it is the reduction of staff, updating outdated policies and learning approaches, loss of programming, or any form of harmful decision-making in general. It is important to me that we consider the students’ best interests in every discussion.

Katy McNulty
My name is Katy McNulty and I am running for a two-year term on the Tolland Board of Education. I have a daughter and two stepchildren, two of whom currently attend Tolland High School.

I was raised in a family that deeply values education. My mother is a retired first-grade teacher; my grandfather, my uncle and two cousins are/were English professors. My grandmother, who was born in 1912, went to college, which was very unusual in her day. Unfortunately, she was not able to complete her degree when the financial impact of The Depression caught up to her family. My father is an immigrant who served our country in Vietnam. His ability as a veteran to use the GI Bill to acquire a college education changed the course of his life, opening previously closed doors.

Professionally, I am currently the Financial Manager for a consulting company where I develop strategies to increase profit through prudent financial practices. I also monitor and enforce the company’s regulatory compliance ensuring adherence to ethical business practices. As the Director of Development for the Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Behavioral Health Network (BHN), I create and execute our strategic development plan within the BHN to ensure continued growth. I am also responsible for the development of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) specific to Natchaug Hospital, and for implementing the corresponding Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), developing community benefit programs that meet the identified needs in the hospital’s service area.

I am formerly the Chief of Staff for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). One of my functions there was to oversee the procurement and management of DMHAS grants and grant proposals and identify funding sources, program design, and creation of grant application documents. I also filled the role of Director of Compliance and Integrity at DMHAS. My responsibilities included establishing policies and procedures to prevent, detect and investigate potential areas of fraud and abuse and promoting a culture of compliance through improving communication, increasing understanding of laws and regulations, and encouraging openness while ensuring non-retaliation. Prior to joining the team at DMHAS, I spent eleven years working for the United States Senate as a Congressional Aide and Grants Administrator.

I believe that ensuring our children can access a solid education is incredibly important and I would consider it an honor to serve on the Board of Education to help support our Town’s ability to keep the doors of education wide open to our students. My family’s experience with acquiring education and my own experiences have taught me that people learn in a multitude of ways; students have separate realities which impact their environment and how they manage their studies. As a result of the individual student variations, it is important a school system is equipped to meet students where they are at.wish to join the Board of Education to continue the work necessary for Tolland schools to successfully support students, educators, staff, and administrators so they may thrive in a fiscally responsible, forward-thinking, welcoming and progressive academic environment.

Chloe Coles
My name is Chloe Coles and I am running for a four-year term on the Tolland Board of Education. I have three young children currently in Tolland Public Schools.

Previously, as a town management advisor, I worked with dozens of towns and municipalities to better manage their infrastructures and budgets to streamline the maintenance and structure of their localities. I understand the value of a fiscally responsible budget which also provides beneficial programs and staff that are vital to everyone's success. I also helped start a multi-national nonprofit in the Middle East that helped over one hundred college students relocate to work with companies to expand growth and create cultural bridges. I was a founding member of the South Sudan Men's National Basketball Team that competed in tournaments around the world and worked with the International Olympic Committee in the organization and promotion of our team. Helping students seek amazing growth opportunities while maintaining academic access has and continues to be incredibly important to me.

Amongst all of my work experience, being a mother to my three children and being invested and informed about their education has been my highest priority. Volunteering in their classrooms, joining volunteer organizations such as TEPTO and running the elementary book fairs, in addition to engaging with the teachers and staff and students in Tolland has been a fantastic and informative experience for me. I believe in the necessity of a student mental health curriculum and programming that has a measurable effect on students and staff. I want to understand important and necessary programs are within reach for students and staff to help in their progress. I have a passion and drive to help at the Board level to be an added strength to the governing body of this district.