Important Update: Social Media Threat

Earlier today, a social media threat mentioning BOCES was investigated by the Broome County Sheriff's Department. Due to the time, students enrolled in full-day programs had already arrived for the day. We canceled the morning CTE classes, which hadn’t arrived to campus, to lessen the traffic while we obtained more information. The threat was later deemed non-credible and originated from another BOCES. There is currently no threat to our campus.

With this new information, we will resume our normal schedule for all programs, including afternoon CTE classes, and all other activities will continue as planned. Anyone who has further information or receives any information should notify the Broome County Sheriff’s Office directly.

Careers Parents Students Staff

Board member biographies

Sandra H. Ruffo, board president

Sandra H. Ruffo has been a member of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Education since 1995, serving as its president since 2005. She was a member of the Susquehanna Valley Board of Education from 1985-2003, serving as its president for 15 years.

Originally from western New York, Ruffo has been a resident of the Southern Tier since 1967. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Binghamton University (formerly Harpur College) and a degree in registered nursing from Broome Community College. Prior to retiring in 2003, she served as the clinical coordinator/interim executive director for the Lourdes Hospice program in Binghamton.

Ruffo is a member and past president/vice president of the Broome-Tioga School Boards Association and is a frequent presenter at its annual “Aspiring and Newly Elected Board Member” workshops. She was recently reelected for a 4^th term as the NYSSBA Area 4 director as well as currently serving as 2^nd vice president on the Board of Directors.

Ruffo and her husband, Sam, have been married for 49 years, have raised five children and have been blessed with 14 grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening and spending time with her grandchildren.

Ruffo is a strong advocate for fair and equitable educational opportunities for all children irrespective of where they live. She also promotes ongoing board development for all school board members in order that they can understand and best perform the duties required of them.

Contact: [email protected], 607-222-4167

David Hawley - vice president

Dave Hawley has been a member of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Trustees since July 2012, its vice president since 2018. He has also served on the Binghamton City School District Board of Education since 1996, much of that time as president or vice president.

Hawley has also been, for several years, a member of the Broome-Tioga School Board Association Legislative Committee, the New York State School Board Association’s State Legislative Network and has served as our area representative to the Federal Relations Network. He also serves on the Litigation Steering Committee of the New York State Association of Small City School Districts and is a recipient of the NYSSBA Master of Boardsmanship Award.

Hawley is a graduate of Maine-Endwell High School and SUNY Binghamton. He was employed by the Social Security Administration for 32 years prior to his retirement. He is also retired from the U.S. Army, with a combined 28 years of active duty and National Guard Service, including a tour in Vietnam.

Hawley and his wife, Carol, have lived in the same house on Binghamton’s Southside since 1978. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. He and his wife have been very involved in their church and community. They have both served for many years as Odyssey of the Mind judges at both the regional and state levels. They also were very active in the “Southern Tier Celebrates” organization from its inception until it disbanded, and have been active members of the Preservation Association of the Southern Tier (PAST), where Dave served two years as president. Carol has also been a very active member of the Southside Neighborhood Assembly.

Hawley has for years been a staunch advocate for equitable funding for schools and believes that all students can succeed if given adequate support.

Contacts: [email protected] , 607-722-9336

Nicholas Matyas

Nick Matyas has been on the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Education since August 2020. He currently serves on the facilities committee in addition to being the board liaison for the CTE and New

Visions programs. He has also served on the board of education at the Johnson City School District since 2007, currently as vice president, and has been on numerous committees, including budget, audit, negotiations, school culture/climate, instruction and curriculum as well as being the legislative representative to the Broome-Tioga School Boards Association.

Matyas is a lifelong resident of the area and a Binghamton University graduate. He is currently employed as an academic counselor with the Binghamton University Liberty Partnerships program, a NYSED Opportunity program that provides a comprehensive support system to area students to prepare them for higher education, career planning and adult life. He has been involved in many community activities and events, including the Broome-Tioga Special Olympics and St Michael's Church.

Matyas has been committed to the growth and success of the local community through supporting our students with quality and engaging instructional programs and opportunities that support their growth, development and success while also remaining fiscally responsible to the community we serve.

Peter Nowacki

Pete Nowacki has been a member of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Trustees since 2006. A Windsor resident, he has been or is currently serving as a member of the board’s Component Relations Committee, Legislative Delegation, Audit Committee, and has served as the vice president and president of the Broome-Tioga School Boards Association. He has been a member of the Windsor Central School District Board of Education since 2001 and is currently in his fifteenth year as president of that board.

After graduating from high school, Nowacki served a stint in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. Upon completion of service, he entered Buffalo State College, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education. He went on to obtain a Master of Science in Education at Binghamton University and earned his Advanced Graduate Certificate in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton.

Nowacki and his family moved to Windsor from the Buffalo area in 1993, when he took a teaching position in the Hancock Central School District. From there he went on to become the technology coordinator for the Sherburne-Earlville Central School District in 1996. The technology boom of the late 90’s called him away from the field of education to take a position with the court system as a technologist, where he has been since 1998. Currently, he is a network/systems engineer for the Unified Court System’s Division of Technology.

His personal philosophy for educational leadership is that of providing high expectations as well as high levels of support in order to develop a passion for excellence at all levels of the educational continuum.

Contacts: Email: [email protected] Phone: 607-752-1562

William T. Powell

Bill Powell has been on the Broome-Delaware-Tioga BOCES Board of Trustees since the 4^th quarter of 2019. He was appointed to the board to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Ursula Hambalek. He was then elected to fill the remainder of her term in April 2020.

Powell has been a member of the Maine-Endwell Central School District Board of Education for almost 9 years. His background includes working at BOCES for 14-plus years, where he started as the business office controller while also serving as a member of the superintendent’s cabinet. He was then promoted to the position of director of business operations, a post he held until his retirement in September of 2017. This experience has given him direct knowledge of the hard work and dedication of the BOCES board, the superintendent and the entire staff who, together, make this BOCES one of the best, if not the best, in New York state.

Powell prides himself on being a life-long learner, consistently taking courses to keep his knowledge base up to speed with the latest current events. In doing so, he has achieved NYSSBA’s Level 3 Board Mastery Award. He continues his learning by attending NYSSBA workshops and webinars, including the annual Summer Law Conference workshop, the Education 2030 workshop and the annual fall conventions.

Powell has also earned two school-related certifications, achieving both NYS SDA (school district administrator) permanent certification and NYS SBA (school business administrator) permanent certification.

As part of his commitment to community service, Powell has served on several area boards over the past 28 years, including the Cider Mill Board of Directors (2010 – 2013), and the Broome Developmental Center Foundation Board, where he was named treasurer (2007 – 2012).

Powell’s formal education includes a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY Cortland, an MBA in management/finance from the University of Scranton, a BS in management from Binghamton University, and an AAS in marketing from Broome Community College. He is also a proud graduate of Maine-Endwell Central School District.

Additionally, Powell was nominated and attended the New York State ASBO School Business Officials Leadership Academy in 2007-2008, and worked to obtain two professional certifications: Certification Procurement Management (lifetime certification, 2004), and Production and Inventory Management Certification through the American Production Inventory Control Society. He also attended the Greater Binghamton/Broome County Leadership Institute in 1999-2000.

Powell believes in setting an example for all people, especially his two daughters, of the importance of being a life-long learner and giving back to our schools and the broader community through volunteerism.

Contract Information: [email protected] , [email protected] (cell) 607-765-9925

Michon Stuart

Michon Stuart, of Vestal, has been a member of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Education since July 2020. Born in Endicott, he is a life-long resident of Broome County. His family "moved across the river" to Vestal and he graduated from Vestal High School. He graduated from SUC Fredonia and taught elementary school in the Vestal School District for 33 years. Upon retirement from Vestal, he served as a court attendant in Broome County family, supreme and county courts for 7 1/2 years. He also substituted in Tioga County Court when called upon during those 7 1/2 years.

From 2005-2011 and 2013-2019 Stuart served on the Vestal School Board of Education; six years as president. He was Vestal's representative to the Broome-Tioga School Boards Association's Legislative Committee and as delegate to the Broome-Tioga Delaware Health Consortium. He served as president and vice-president of the Broome-Tioga School Boards Association for many years. He also served as a presenter/panelist in BTSBA's Prospective Board Members workshop and New School Board Members Orientation events.

Stuart was listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 1990, 2000, 2005 and 2006. He received the PTA Honoree Life Membership from the Vestal Hills PTA. He received the Vestal District Council Lifetime Honoree Award in 2019. He is a current board member and past president of the Vestal Historical Society and is past president and board member of the Literacy Volunteers of Broome and Tioga Counties. He also is a past board member of the Samaritan Counseling Center. He currently is a member of the Town of Vestal Planning Board.

He and his wife, Elaine, have one daughter who works in the fashion industry in New York City.

Contacts: Email: [email protected] Phone: 607.754.3024