Bridgewater Local, BRHS Volunteer Named To UCC Foundation Board

CRANFORD, NJ — A Bridgewater local and Bridgewater-Raritan High School volunteer were among eight new members to be voted in as Trustees to the the Union County College Foundation, during the May 17 board meeting.

Shahrzad Heidary and Walter Hazard, who have ties with Bridgewater, are avid supporters of the foundation and Union County College’s mission.

Heidary has served as President and Treasurer for the Band Parents Association for Bridgewater and Raritan High School. While Hazard is a Bridgewater local.

In their new role, each member will help the foundation accelerate the pace of student success by helping to guide the foundation with its strategic growth and fundraising initiatives.

1. Dr. Mandana Ahsani of Basking Ridge, a new scholarship donor, has been a member of the Union community since September 2008 when she joined the faculty as an Associate Professor of psychology. Since that time, Dr. Ahsani served as a co-chair of the Middle States Self-Study Committee and oversaw the accreditation process that involved 120 staff and faculty members. She has served as an advisor to the Iota Xi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community colleges, and has served on more than 12 faculty committees.
2. Anthony Abrantes Sr. of East Hanover, is the Vice President/Senior Council Representative of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, Local 254. In addition to serving his organization in various leadership roles, he sits on the board of several non-profit organizations. Abrantes is experienced in fundraising since he has served on the Finance and Development Committee for Cornerstone Family Programs.
3. Mitchell R. Fenton of Lebanon, is currently the Chief Security Officer of Baltusrol Golf Club, one of the nation’s premier golf clubs, in Springfield. In addition, Fenton is currently serving as the Chairman of the Hospitality, Entertainment and Tourism Council for ASIS International. ASIS International is the preeminent organization for security management professionals worldwide. He is an alum of the college and he is a retired Sergeant for the Springfield Police Department, where he was employed for 26 years.
4. George L. Cook, III of Hillside, is a supervisor at FedEx. He is a past president of the Hillside Board of Education (2010-2014), a member of the New Jersey School Boards Association Board of Directors and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Cook has raised money for both the Hillside Lions Club and the Hillside Scholarship Fund. From his experience in fundraising with the Hillside Scholarship Fund, he is familiar with the issues students confront in affording a college education.
5. Reverend C. Jeanette Goodson of Plainfield, is a member of the ministerial staff at Fountain Baptist Church in Summit. Rev. Goodson is also an alum of the college. She serves as the Ministry Leader of the Kenya Educational Sponsorship Ministry (KESP). In this role, she has provided a basic education to the children in Kenya and South Africa. Rev. Goodson spearheaded a water initiative to provide access to clean water for more than 10,000 people to reduce water-related disease and to promote sustainable agriculture. Locally she has also received numerous awards for community service, include the YWCA-Black Achievers Award and the YWCA T.W.I.N .award for outstanding women in the community.
6. Delrecole C. Gales, Sr. of North Plainfield, currently serves as the Operations Manager for West-Ward Pharmaceuticals. For his philanthropic leadership, he serves as the New Jersey State President of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and as Vice President for the Second Street Youth Center Foundation, Inc. in Plainfield. Gales served as the Fund Development Chairman for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity for 11 years and for three years for the SSYC Foundation, Inc.
7. Shahrzad Heidary of Springfield, is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Union County College and a scholarship donor. She has served on more than a dozen faculty committees and is a past advisor to Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community colleges. Prof. Heidary received the PTK Middle States Region Paragon Advisor Award, the PTK International Paragon Advisor Award and the PTK Middle State Region Horizon Award. In addition to all the ways in which she serves Union, Prof. Heidary has also served as President and Treasurer for the Band Parents Association for Bridgewater and Raritan High School. She is a very experienced fundraiser.
8. Walter Hazard of Bridgewater is an alum of the College and a scholarship donor who majored in business. He took that knowledge and opened Atrion Corporation in Flemington in the early 80s and served as President. Atrion Corporation merged with Atrion Networking Corp. in Rhode Island two years ago. For nine years of his career he worked in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America. He brings his extensive knowledge of the computer industry to the Foundation.

For more information on the Union County College Foundation or how you can support scholarships for students, visit www.ucc.edu/Foundation/.

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