School Committee
School Committee
-
Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy is a life-long resident of Waltham, MA. Mayor McCarthy attended Waltham Public Schools and is a graduate of Waltham High School, Boston College, Suffolk University Law School, and Northeastern University. Prior to being elected Mayor, Ms. McCarthy served two years as a Councillor-at-Large, and served six years on the Waltham School Committee. She was also employed for 7 years as a city solicitor, and became Mayor of Waltham in 2004. Mayor McCarthy had a private law practice, and also volunteered her time for many organizations including the American Cancer Society, Opportunities for Inclusion, Inc., and Waltham Partnership for Youth.
Contact Information:
-
Dr. Marisa Mendonsa has served as Superintendent of the Waltham Public Schools since July 2024 and brings more than 25 years of experience in public education. Prior to her appointment in Waltham, she served as Deputy Superintendent of the Pittsfield Public Schools.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Mendonsa has held a range of roles, including secondary social studies teacher, assistant principal, and principal. She began her work in education in rural North Carolina as a member of Teach For America and has since served students and families in rural, suburban, and urban school communities, including Springfield and the Mohawk Trail Regional School District.
Dr. Mendonsa holds a doctorate in Antiracist Leadership from American University and is committed to ensuring that school systems move beyond statements toward meaningful, actionable practices that promote diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion for all students and staff.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/History from Springfield College, a master’s degree in Multicultural/ESL/Bilingual Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Contact information:
-
Debbie Coleman has served on the Waltham School Committee since January 2022 and currently serves as Vice Chair. She has built her career in Human Resources, specializing in recruiting and immigration.
Debbie is the proud parent of two daughters who attend Waltham Public Schools and is an active participant in school and community events. After growing up in the Chicago suburbs and attending Purdue University, she relocated to her husband’s hometown of Waltham in 2007.
Her focus remains on ensuring every student has access to a high-quality, equitable education and on planning thoughtfully for the future of the district.
Contact information:
-
Sabrina DeJoannis migrated from Bangladesh to attend college at WPI, graduating in 1996 with a BS in chemical engineering. She worked as an engineer at Foxboro Company and The Southern Company. She also worked in corporate finance and management during her years in Southern Company, one of the largest investor owned utilities in the US. While working she earned an MS and MBA in finance at Georgia State University.
Sabrina has always played an active role in her community, from volunteering for WPI’s EMS team to serving on various industry committees and taking leadership positions in the Society of Women Engineers (president of Atlanta section, treasurer of southeast region). She has also volunteered as a tutor at night shelters and mentored engineering students in Atlanta.
Sabrina moved to Waltham in 2015 and, as the mother of two girls, her community engagement revolves around children and education. At the elementary school level, she volunteers to help organize activities and has served as president of the PTO in Waltham Dual Language School. She has 5th and 1st grade students there. As the newest school in the system, she is proud to be part of the team that established traditions and built a tight knit community connecting teachers, staff, students and families. She volunteered over 200 classroom hours in her children’s school and has first hand knowledge of the classrooms in Waltham today.
At the district level, Sabrina served on the WPS strategic planning committee. She has noted the strength of Waltham’s athletics and the fine arts programs. Students who participate take immense pride in their school, town and community. This is why she became a founding member of WPOPP (Waltham Partners of Performers and Presenters).
She is also a big champion of Waltham Public Library and serves as treasurer on the board of the Friends of the Waltham Library. The public library provides important educational services to our community.
Sabrina believes in universal pre-K, high expectation and accountability of all the stakeholders and a culture of belonging. She will leverage relevant and current experience in the community and families to establish stability in leadership and curriculum. With experience managing change, optimizing processes and building continuity, Sabrina will bring new leadership and perspective to the Waltham School Committee as we prepare our evolving K-12 student body for the future.
Contact information:
-
Edmund Tarallo, whom most people know as Teddy, is the Chair of the School Committee Policy Manual Subcommittee. He attended the Waltham Public Schools, graduating in 2000, and then went on to graduate from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2004. Teddy also has a Master’s of Education in School Administration.
Teddy is a professional educator having worked in several public school districts. He was a high school math teacher for a decade before moving into administration. Teddy is presently a Dean of Students at a local high school. He brings a unique prospective to the Waltham School Committee being a current educator with a deep understanding of the state of education today. Teddy has an appreciation of the importance of a quality education and the opportunities it affords to students. It is this experience that drives him to fight for smaller class sizes and more opportunities for every student in our schools. Teddy is committed, as a member of the Waltham School Committee, to work with the Waltham School community and the citizens of Waltham to provide a positive educational experience for all Waltham’s children.
Contact information:
-
Tammy and her husband have called Waltham home since 2007. She is mother of 3 wonderful sons who attend/will attend the Waltham Dual Language School. She is an active parent in the school's PTO planning restaurant nights and playground meetups.
Tammy emigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 6. She started school here in the second grade as an English Language Learner. Her family has always been adamant that education is the most important aspect of life, and through education, perseverance. One has to learn and keep learning to be independent thinkers and doers. Throughout her life, because of her family and friends who live in other countries, her education was compared to that of Hong Kong, England, and Australia. There was always an awareness of what was going on in education around the world. Tammy has made education her passion and career.
She entered UMASS Amherst with a goal of becoming a public school teacher. In 2004, she graduated with a Bachelor's in English and in Psychology and a certificate in Asian American Studies. In 2005, she earned her Master's in Education with a focus on Teaching and Curriculum. After graduating, she taught in public middle and high schools, as an adjunct at a community college, and as a humanities instructor, assessment coordinator, and remedial English teacher at a Boston non-profit HiSET to college program with students ranging in age from 16 to 32.
In 2016, she became an Education Consultant for a nationwide non-profit focused on career exploration and planning. She served as a subject matter expert and worked for 8 years to first help create a blended curriculum for students in Job Corps to help them explore career options, learn about living wage and budgeting, and plan a career by entering a trade. Then continuously research best practices and national standards to update the curriculum and learning platform as needed. During COVID, she wrote a best practices guide to support distance learning. She also created and was part of many of the trainings for internal and external staff.
Tammy has spent her career in education and is proud to have been elected to support more people on their education journeys.
Contact information:
-
James Zanghi was elected to the Waltham School Committee on November 7th, 2023.
James' priority is to ensure each and every Waltham student has the tools and resources in the classroom to succeed and pursue their dreams in life. Having graduated from the Waltham Public Schools in 2016, James is a fourth-generation Waltham resident and first-generation college student. James received his B.A. degree in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government [CLEG] and his Masters in Public Administration [MPA] from American University in Washington, D.C. James is dedicated to serving the Waltham community through public service and volunteering, which are essential pillars in his life.
James currently works full-time at the Massachusetts State House as a Legislative Staffer for Waltham State Representative Tom Stanley. In 2018, James was a legislative intern for the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the United States House of Representatives, Congress, in Washington, D.C. Also in 2018, James was a teacher in Nairobi, Kenya for the organization Real Hope Youth Community Organization. As a Waltham High School student, James served as a Student Representative to the Waltham School Committee and to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Contact information:
-
Michelle and her husband have lived in Waltham since 2003. They have three children who all attend Waltham Public Schools (Classes of 2026, 2028 and 2030) and participate in a variety of sports and music groups within the city. Michelle has been actively involved in numerous school organizations and committees, including the Waltham Reopening Advisory Board, the Northeast School Site Council, and the WPS Elementary Report Card Committee, among others. She has also coached for the Waltham Girls Youth Basketball and Waltham Youth Lacrosse programs.
Contact information: