Austin Morreale, Executive Director Austin, his wife, and their deaf pitbull, Poe (not pictured) live in Highland Park and are currently empty nesters as their two daughters are both in college. In addition to working for Who Is My Neighbor, Inc., Austin is also the Service Director for NeighborCorps Re-Entry Services and the Community Engagement Coordinator for the NJ Interfaith Center for Cancer Care. Before he began working for non-profits, Austin worked in the advertising, dog daycare and boarding, and hopsitality interests. His interests outside of work include reading, writing, history, metal detecting, dogs, and soccer, and he is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. (He is also a devout Swiftie Over Fifty.) Austin is a graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, where he received a B.A. in English, and of the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, GA, where he completed their copywriting program. He is also a proud poetry school dropout, having withdrawn from the Poetry MFA program at Drew University in Madison, NJ after one semester, leaving without a degree, but with something more important to him–a supportive community of friends and writers.
Meredith Gard, Family Den Director Meredith is a Clinical Social Worker whose teaching career began at the nursery school summer program at the JCC in Scotch Plains, NJ. She then went on to become a full-time teacher at Amazing Life Games in Washington, D.C., a collaborative, mixed age nursery school that emphasized social learning and social-emotional development. Meredith currently works as a social worker at Hyacinth Foundation in New Brunswick. She received an MSW from Rutgers University and a BA from American University with a major in psychology and minor in both early childhood education and women’s studies. Meredith lives in Highland Park with her husband and they have two children. When Meredith has time to herself, she loves to read, take yoga classes, do creative projects, and take walks with friends.
Liz Roesener, Family Den Assistant Director Liz has a BS in Plant Science from Rutgers University and lives in Highland Park. She raised her three boys here and two are now in college and one is in high school. Her family loves swimming, so she is active in local swim teams. When her children were younger, she volunteered regularly in the schools. Liz enjoys cooking, gardening, and walking the dog. She and her husband rode a tandem bicycle from Alaska to Florida, a total of 8,000 miles before they settled down and started a family.
Jewel “Ducky” Soroka, Cave Afterschool Center Director and Camp Cool Environment Director Jewel (also known as “Ducky,” a nickname that a child gave her years ago) has worked at Bartle elementary for several years. She received the Education Support Professional of the Year Award for Bartle Elementary School in 2018 and was also named the 2018 Middlesex County Education Association Friend of Public Education Support Professional of the Year. Jewel enjoys hiking, swimming, and cooking. She likes to sped time with her friends and family when she’s not working with kids.
Andrew “Drew” Berenguer, Camp Cool Environment Assistant Director Andrew (also known as “Drew” and “Mr. B”) lived in Highland Park until August 2020 and has worked in the Highland Park school district since he was 18. He is a full-time ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) paraprofessional with my masters in SPED (special education). He hopes to be a Special Education teacher in the Highland Park school district soon.
Arielle Del Rosario, Board President Bio coming soon
Jessica Sweet, Board Member Bio coming soon
Aaron Coneen, Board Member Bio coming soon
Nikki Gonzalez, Board Member Bio coming soon
Megan Shook, Board Member Bio coming soon