Mahwah Municipal Alliance Members

MMA Board of Directors

Member Bios

Chris Howard

Chris, currently serving as the President of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance, is a lifelong resident of Mahwah and has an extensive history of serving the community. Aside from his duties on the Board of Directors of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance where he has been a member since 2010, Mr. Howard has been a fireman and rescue technician since 1997 and an EMT for Mahwah Co. 1 since 1992. Mr. Howard is currently the President of HowCom Technologies which provides complete system solution needs for the SMB market. He also currently holds the position of Global Procurement Business Manager at Pearson Education. Prior to this, he was a sales manager at Howard and Associates providing insurance and executive compensation plans in the Tri-State area. Mr. Howard is a graduate of Ramapo College and is currently working toward a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Rutgers University.

Valerie Tzaneteas

Valerie, currently serving as the Secretary of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance, has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2010, and has been a resident of Mahwah since 1989. Aside from her contributions to the MMA, Mrs. Tzaneteas has been an active community volunteer, including serving as Chair and member of numerous committees of the Home School Organization in the Mahwah school system. In addition, she has served as coordinator for various youth sports in Mahwah, including the Mahwah Raiders soccer club. Professionally, Mrs. Tzaneteas is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas College with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and has held various management positions with Macy’s, Volvo of North America, and Aegon, Inc. She is currently employed as a paraprofessional at Lenape Meadows School in Mahwah.

Carolyn Blake

Carolyn has lived in Mahwah since 1995 and has been a member of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance Board of Directors since 2006. She served as the active President of the MMA until 2023. She has also been actively involved in Mahwah’s youth sports programs, including serving as Program Administrator for the Youth Lacrosse Program of the Township of Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters since 2002. In addition, Ms. Blake has been an Executive HSO Board member for the Ramapo Ridge Middle School and the Joyce Kilmer School in Mahwah. She is a graduate of Ramapo College and earned a Masters in Business Administration from Manhattan College. Professionally, Ms. Blake is currently the Business Development Director for CASME Market Focus and she has held various management and sales positions at Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Dowden Custom Media. She has also served as an adjunct professor, teaching courses in marketing and sales management at Ramapo College, Manhattan College, and Berkeley College.

Timothy O’Hara

Chief O’Hara is a top leader in the Mahwah Police Department, with over 24 years of experience. Starting as a Patrol Officer in 1999, he later became a Sergeant in 2010 and a Lieutenant in 2020. Chief O’Hara supervised the Patrol Division for 13 years, overseeing programs like Evidence Management, Field Training, Active Shooter Training, and Expungements. He focused on officer development and safety, leading the team effectively in real-life situations. Chief O’Hara received awards for subduing an armed suspect in 2006 and rescuing a pilot from a plane crash in 2009. In 2017, he led his squad in apprehending a bank robber and recovering stolen money. Chief O’Hara emphasizes teamwork in his accomplishments and continues to set an example as Chief of Police. He is proud to partner with the MMA to provide important information and resources to its residents and youth that address critical social and mental health issues.

Todd VanDuren

Todd is the owner of Ramsey Auto Group and a long-time Mahwah resident.

Joan Stewart

Joan is a Student Assistance Counselor at Mahwah High School who graduated from St. Olaf College with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She received a Master’s Degree from Montclair State University in Counseling with a concentration in Group Therapy. Joan is certified as a: Student Assistance Counselor & Active Parenting Specialist. Joan has been a Student Assistance Counselor since 1990.

Liz Skrod

Liz has enjoyed being a resident of Mahwah since 1997. She has held Executive Board positions in the Mahwah School HSOs for the past 8 years. She has served on the Executive Board at George Washington, Joyce Kilmer and Ramapo Ridge.  She has also chaired and served on many committees at each of these schools. Liz has also served for 5 years on the Mahwah Schools Foundation, including 3 years on the Executive Board. Other volunteer activities include the Executive Board of Cub Scout Pack 197, Mahwah Raiders parent coordinator, and Mahwah County Committee Representative. Liz grew up in Maine and graduated with a BS in Business Administration from the University of Maine. Her career brought her to NJ and ultimately to NYC where she became a VP in Risk Management Consulting at Marsh & McLennan.

Deb Kourgelis

Deb has lived in Mahwah since 1995 and has been a member of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance since 2017.  She received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Fordham University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  Deb is in private practice, is currently Clinical Director at an outpatient substance abuse facility, and is a Trauma Response Clinician Team Member sent to Bergen County schools when there is a traumatic event.  Over the years in Mahwah, Deb has served on the HSO Executive Board as Vice-President for four years at Lenape Meadows and Commodore Perry schools, as well as various other committees.

Donald J. Floyd

Don, currently serving as the Treasurer of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance, has over 30 years of experience in the areas of global finance, accounting and auditing, including public company stock offerings, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and international management. Currently, he serves as the Senior Vice President, Internal Audit at Coty, Inc, a leader in the global beauty industry. Mr. Floyd received an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New Jersey. Mr. Floyd has lived in Mahwah since 2001, has contributed to various youth development programs, including the Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters, and serves as a mentor in the Undergraduate and MBA TeamUP Programs at the Rutgers Business School.