Burlington County's own Dr. Ashanti Holley, born, raised, and educated locally, is set to assume the role of Superintendent starting July 1, 2024. Dr. Holley brings a wealth of experience from her previous positions as a Special Education teacher, counselor, vice principal, principal, and Assistant Superintendent. Her comprehensive understanding of these roles has consistently propelled her career forward. Dr. Holley holds a BA, two Master's degrees, a Doctorate, a certification in Human Resources, and credentials in Professional Civil and Divorce Mediation. She is also a nationally published author.

Throughout her career, Dr. Holley has played a crucial role in developing educational programs and initiatives that have left a significant mark on the community. Her achievements include:

• Serving on the School Development Authority for the construction of New Brunswick High School and Perth Amboy High School.

• Enhancing language arts and math assessment scores.

• Initiating a Freshman Academy.

• Starting a Chromebook program.

• Securing millions in grants.

• Leading the Burlington County Institute of Technology as a lighthouse district—a prestigious distinction awarded to only six districts out of 636 schools in New Jersey by the New Jersey Department of Education. 

With her extensive record of achievements and innovative leadership, Dr. Holley is well-prepared to continue making a significant impact in her new role as Superintendent. The community can look forward to her continued leadership and commitment.

As she takes the helm as Superintendent, Dr. Holley's vision for BCSSSD and BCIT is collaboration, innovation, and student-centered learning. With her leadership, Burlington County Special Services Schools and Burlington County Institute of Technology are poised to continue their tradition of excellence and provide students with the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Burlington County welcomes Dr. Ashanti Holley as its new Superintendent, confident in her ability to lead both districts to new heights of success. Her appointment signals a new era of opportunity and growth for students, staff, and the community. We look forward to the positive impact she will make in shaping our county's education future.

Bobbie Downs is currently the Director of the Educational Services Unit (ESU) for Burlington County Special Services School District. Ms. Downs decided to pursue a career in education after serving as a teacher and administrator in a school for Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt. Since that time, Ms. Downs served in the role of teacher and administrator at the Burlington County Alternative School before being named Director of the ESU. Ms. Downs received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Master’s Degree in Teaching from Drew University. Later, Ms. Downs earned her Master’s degree in School Leadership from Rowan University and her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. Dr. Downs also holds a Graduate Certificate of Autism Education. She is a certified mindfulness instructor for Mindful Schools and an instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid. Dr. Downs is an active member of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and the Council for Exceptional Children. She also works for the Korean War Legacy Foundation and the World History Digital Education Foundation with the goal of helping educators teach more about the war and the past, present, and future development of Korea.

Mrs. Jaime Mungo grew up in Eastampton, NJ and graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Mrs. Mungo pursued higher education at Shippensburg University, excelling as a collegiate softball athlete and earning a degree in Elementary Education.

Her teaching career commenced in Prince George's County, MD, where she dedicated three years to educating young minds. After starting a family, Mrs. Mungo returned to New Jersey, where she continued her teaching journey and furthered her education. She earned a Master's degree in Special Education in 2006, followed by another Master's degree in School Leadership in 2009, both from Wilmington University.

Mrs. Mungo's teaching experience spans multiple grade levels throughout her career. In 2013, she transitioned to an administrative role, serving as an assistant principal and athletic director in the Florence Township School District. Her leadership skills and dedication led to her appointment as principal of Riverfront School in 2016. Throughout her tenure, Mrs. Mungo has been instrumental in implementing restorative practices, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and various school beautification projects. Her commitment to fostering community and family engagement has significantly enriched the school environment.

Residing in Westampton for over 15 years, Mrs. Mungo and her husband, a local school superintendent, have raised two children. She takes immense pride in her professional accomplishments and the strong relationships she has cultivated within her community.

Eder Joseph served as the principal at Pemberton Township High School for seven years. He joined Pemberton from Woodbury Junior-Senior High School, where he served as principal for two years. Prior to that, he spent six years as the assistant principal at Helen Fort/Newcomb Middle School in Pemberton. His additional experiences include serving as assistant principal for Orange High School in Orange, NJ; as a 5th-grade elementary and special education teacher in Pemberton's Haines Elementary School, and as a special education teacher at Hubbard Middle School in Plainfield, NJ.

Mr. Joseph holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Daemen College in Amherst, NY, and a Master's degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. He has earned a certification in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University and Leadership and Management certification from Harvard University. He has received specialized training from The Principal's Center for Educational Leadership, School Development Program from Yale Child Study Center, and The Leadership Academy through Performance Excellence Group: Baldrige Institute.

During his tenure at Pemberton Township High School, he helped lead a school-based initiative to earn certification for Future Ready Schools. He spearheaded a social-emotional and comprehensive Character Education program receiving both State School of Character and National School of Character distinctions. Mr. Joseph helped to develop a peer mentoring program supporting 9th-grade students in their transition to high school. He led a partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative to provide professional development and instructional strategies to increase Advance Placement participants at the high school level. He helped to create partnerships with area businesses to provide students with Work Based Learning opportunities and helped to expand Career and Technical Education program offerings at the high school. Eder served as the Perkins Secondary Project Director and Perkins Data Coordinator, where in that role, he took leadership and oversight of Perkins and related grants. 

Joan Barbagiovanni is a native of South Philadelphia, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Ethnic Studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. After completing this degree, she returned to Philadelphia and spent one year serving in the AmeriCorps at Sharswood Elementary School. It was during this time with the AmeriCorps, a civil service program serving areas with significant socioeconomic issues, that she realized that her true passion is education.

In 2002, Mrs. Barbagiovanni completed her Master of Arts in Teaching at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She spent two years working in Gloucester Township Public Schools serving as a long-term substitute for Special Education, English, and Social Studies. In 2004, Joan took a permanent position teaching 7th grade English Language Arts at Woodstown Middle School located in Salem County, New Jersey. During her time at Woodstown Middle School she was named Teacher of the Year and was awarded the honor of Exemplary Secondary Educator by the New Jersey Department of Education. She also served as a new teacher mentor and worked in various curriculum initiatives. With guidance from her building Principal, Mr. John Fargnoli, she was strongly encouraged to return to school to pursue a degree in Educational Leadership. In 2008, Joan completed her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Mrs. Barbagiovanni also authored and supervised a program entitled STAND (Students Trying a New Direction) which supported students with certain academic and social barriers that interfered with their success at school

Seeking a new challenge, Mrs. Barbagiovanni accepted an English teaching position at the Burlington County Alternative School in 2013. At the end of the school year, she was offered the position of Principal at BCAS. Most recently under Joan’s leadership, BCAS was named a State School of Character and a National School of Character for the 2017-2018 school year.

Joan Barbagiovanni is a lifelong learner who is pursuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Rowan University.

Dennis Leigh is the Principal of The Westampton Campus for BCSSSD. Prior to becoming Principal, Mr. Leigh was the Supervisor of Nonpublic Instruction and Nursing for ESU. He graduated from Rowan University with his bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Geography in 2009. After teaching at the elementary level for five years, Mr. Leigh earned highly qualified status and spent the remainder of his teaching career as a middle school mathematics teacher for grades fifth through eighth. During his time as a classroom teacher, Mr. Leigh helped write a new math curriculum for the district, spearheaded school-wide instructional changes and supported his peers in their professional growth. This leadership experience gained during his time as a math teacher lead him to further his education. He went back to Rowan where he earned his Master’s degree in Administration, as well as Principal and Supervisor certifications in 2019.  

A Burlington County native, Michael was captain of his high school's football and wrestling teams while attending Holy Cross High School. After graduating from Montclair State University with a B.S. in Psychology and a Social Studies Teaching Certificate, Michael had the privilege of teaching in Morris County for many years before returning home to Burlington County to teach near his hometown. While teaching, he obtained his M.A. in Educational Leadership. Mr. Berger is a former athletic director, social studies teacher, coach, club advisor, and has served on many curricular and instructional committees.

 Mr. Berger loves working in public education because it affords him the opportunity to lead in the organization, supervision, and promotion of excellence in educational programs, while also working to provide opportunities for personal growth for all students.

 He truly believes that school offers students the opportunity to develop and strengthen the academic, social, therapeutic and emotional skills needed to assure each student reaches their full potential as a productive member of the community.

 Outside of school. Mr. Berger's wife, three young sons, and dog keep him very busy reading, exploring, and traveling to youth sporting practices and events.

Mary Jean Kneringer started her teacher preparation program by attending Rowan University where she earned both Teacher of the Handicapped and Teacher of Reading Certifications.  There she was recognized with the Exceptional Children and Humanitarian Awards. Ms. Kneringer then became a Special Education Teacher in Deptford for students in 7th through 9th grade. At this same time, Ms. Kneringer began working at Bancroft's adult residential program and eventually left teaching to pursue her Master's Degree while being promoted to Director of Bancroft's residential and vocational programs for individuals with severe challenging behaviors.  She continued her education at Temple University where she earned her Master's of Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Technology. She also completed coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis at Temple University which prepared her to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). During this time, she was also published in both the Journal of Psychology and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis for her research.

 Ms. Kneringer continued to work at Bancroft and was again promoted into the position of Senior Director of Pediatric Services including their Neurobehavioral Unit, i.e The Lindens.   Ms. Kneringer left Bancroft in 2004 and began her family. She returned back to education as a classroom teacher at The Children's Home in Mt. Holly serving students with behavioral disorders in grades 9th through 12th. During this time, she returned to Rowan University and obtained her Supervisor of Education certification. In 2007, her journey continued at Burlington County Special Services School District within the Educational Services Unit serving public schools in Burlington and surrounding counties as an Autism Consultant and then as the Supervisor of the Autism Program and then as supervisor of Related Services.  Ms. Kneringer has served as the Director of Child Study and Related Services for the school district, served in the role of Principal of the Lumberton Campus for one year and was assigned as principal of the Transition Campus commencing in July 2019. During the past year, she received her Principal Certificate from NJ Excel and is now in her second year of the Leader 2 Leader program. 

Ms. Kneringer and her husband have two daughters and they are all actively involved in their community. Ms. Kneringer has been an active community and school volunteer in her hometown. Her involvement has included, foster care services, CCD teacher, Special Olympics, and many awareness events. Ms. Kneringer also serves as a member of the Hainesport Board of Education since 2012 and has served in the role of  their Board’s Vice President since 2013. 

Before assuming her current role as an Assistant Principal, Shaina Seibuchler dedicated over a decade of her career to working in special education. During this time, she worked in various capacities including inclusion, resource, self-contained, transition and career readiness, and school-to-work coordinator. Her approach always incorporated applied behavior analysis, behavior modifications, and individualized educational programming to address diverse student needs. 

Ms. Seibuchler successfully pioneered self-contained classrooms and integrated community and work-based learning into students’ daily routines. She actively contributed to school and district committees such as the data team, facilities strategic planning, transition planning, and curriculum development, emphasizing collaboration and fostering a data driven approach. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in K-12 Education and English as well as a teacher of students with disabilities endorsement from Georgian Court University, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from William Paterson University. 

 Outside of her professional pursuits, Shaina cherishes spending quality time with her family and enjoys traveling.