Salem High Building Committee Formed For New School Project

SALEM, MA — The Salem High School Building Committee, which will help facilitate planning and public discussion on the new high school facility approved for state funding this past winter, has been formed with a combination of city and school officials, along with community members.

"I was so encouraged by the tremendous outpouring of interest to serve on this critically important body," Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "We wanted the committee membership to be reflective of Salem Public Schools community stakeholders and include individuals prepared to constructively advance the project in a thoughtful manner. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who sent applications for consideration.

"It was not an easy choice to settle on the final membership, but I'm excited about the scope of leadership, talent, and passion the committee members will bring to this work over the coming years."

Pangallo told Patch the formation of the committee was one of his top priorities to meet state deadlines upon winning the special election on May 16 and taking office on May 27.

The School Building Committee members:

• Nate Bryant, co-chair. Bryant is the Vice President of Student Success at Salem State University, where he had previously served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Dean. Bryant was the Interim President at North Shore Community College and was an elected member of the Salem School Committee from 2007 to 2015.
• Rick Jones, co-chair. A Salem Public School parent, Jones is the director of Jones Architecture, a firm specializing in learning environments and academic libraries and related facilities. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the United States Green Building Council.
• Shantel Alix Fernandez. Alix Fernandez is the Director of Community Building for the North Shore Community Development Coalition and serves on the City's Race Equity Commission. A certified financial coach, she is also a board member for Project Out and the Trans Leadership Academy of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.
• Yamily Byas. Byas, a Salem Public School parent, is a Student Support Specialist with the Salem Public Schools where she helps oversee family and community engagement. She is also the founder of Mamas Unidas, a Latinx mothers' support group, and an Adult ESL Instructor with the House of the Seven Gables.
• Neal Duffy. Duffy is the City of Salem's Director of Sustainability and, prior to that, served as the Northeast Coordinator for the Green Communities Division of the state Department of Energy Resources. Before his time at DOER Duffy provided technical assistance to municipalities on clean energy projects with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
• Matt Formica. A Salem Public School parent, Formica is a civil engineer and Associate Vice President of AECOM. As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Formica has nearly three decades of experience in the evaluation, design, and construction of major capital facilities.
• Jenna Ide. Ide is the director of Energy and Sustainability for the RMR Group and, prior to that, was the Director of Sustainability, Resiliency, and Capital for the City of Salem. Before joining the City, Ide served as the Director of Energy and Sustainability for the Commonwealth's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.
• Lori Marenda-Lang. Marenda-Lang has been a history teacher at Salem High School for almost 18 years and, before that, was a teacher in the Newburyport Public Schools. Marenda-Lang is the Vice President of the Salem Teachers Union (Local 1258).
• Bob McCarthy. McCarthy is the parent of Salem High School graduates and served for the last fifteen years as Ward 1 City Councillor. A contractor by trade, McCarthy served as Acting Mayor in 2023 and three terms as City Council President.
• Perla Peguero. Peguero, a Salem resident, served for over three decades as a school adjustment counselor at the Saltonstall School, where she also was a facilitator for the professional development program Teaching for Change. Peguero serves on the board of the Latino Leadership Council and advises the City on Latino affairs and outreach.
• Betsy Ricciarelli. The parent of two rising Salem High School students, Ricciarelli is an interior design consultant specializing in design and furniture for K-12, higher education, and libraries, including for many schools and institutions in Massachusetts and on the North Shore.
• Mario Sousa. Sousa has served as the Career Education Director and Co-Open Coordinator at Salem High School for the past two years, having helped largely create, shape, and grow the school’s Career and Technical Education program. Previous to joining Salem Public Schools, Sousa was a teacher with Somerville Public Schools.
• Keith Tamilio. A Salem High School alumnus and Salem Public School parent, Tamilio is a carpenter by trade. He is a member of Carpenters Local 339 and the North Shore Labor Council.
• Paul Viccica. Viccica is principal CBT Architect's Academic Group where he has designed and managed projects for institutions including Northeastern University, Harvard Business School, Middlebury College, and Smith College. He is a member of the Salem Zoning Board of Appeals

"We are grateful for the team of Salem residents and employees who are sharing their talents with us to ensure that our children have the opportunity to attend a state-of-the-art learning environment that truly prepares them to excel in college and/or career," Salem Superintendent Stephen Zrike said. "Together, we will work to propose a building design that is sustainable, fiscally responsible and can be utilized by the entire Salem community."

Additional members who will serve on the committee include Pangallo, Zrike, Salem Chief Financial Officer Anna Freedman, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Elizabeth Pauley, Salem Public School's Director of Buildings and Grounds Zissis Alepakis, Salem High School Principal Glenn Burns, School Building Liaison Elizabeth Golden, and School Committee member Beth Anne Cornell.

Pangallo said he also invited City Council President Megan Stott to serve on the committee.

School Building Committee meetings will be open to the public with days and times posted on the city's website in advance once they are established.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)