NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (July 6, 2021) – The City School District of New Rochelle Board of Education elected member Julia Muggia Ochs as President during the Board’s annual organizational meeting Tuesday evening. In addition, Adina Berrios Brooks was elected Vice President. The pair succeeds Rachel Relkin and William Iannuzzi as President and Vice President, respectively.
“It is an honor to be selected by my colleagues to serve as president of the City School District of New Rochelle School Board,” Ochs said. “I look forward to fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and sound fiscal stewardship with my fellow board members that will strengthen and revitalize our district.”
Tuesday’s Board meeting also included the swearing-in of newly elected members Margaret Bavosa, Adam Cooper and Roshanie Ross.
Ochs was elected to the Board of Education in 2018, and has been heavily involved in Board activities during her tenure. She served as co-chair of the Advocacy and Community Outreach Committee, liaison to the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association and on the Audit Committee. Prior to her election to the Board, Ochs held the position of President of the Parent Teacher Association Council of the City School District of New Rochelle and Co-President of the New Rochelle Special Education Parent Teacher Association. This past year, Ochs participated in the New York Education Policy Fellowship Program, a unique professional-development opportunity that focuses on policy, leadership and networking.
Outside of her volunteer service to the District, Ochs works as a freelance field producer for film and television through her company, Orso Films, Ltd. She supervises all aspects of producing behind-the-scenes and red-carpet content, and specializes in interviewing actors and filmmakers. Prior to Orso Films, Ochs worked at Miramax Films as the Director of Broadcast and Video Production. At Miramax, she produced and edited electronic press kits and promotional items, while supervising a staff of editors and machine-room operators in the New York office. Ochs started her career as a communications officer for The U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
Brooks, the new Board Vice President, was elected to the New Rochelle Board of Education in 2020. She was an integral member of the most recent superintendent search committee, and is the Board’s liaison to the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association. She serves as Assistant Provost for Faculty Advancement in the Office of the Provost at Columbia University. Her responsibilities include faculty-development programming, data analysis, communications and planning special events.
Prior to her role in the Office of the Provost, Brooks had a number of roles in undergraduate and graduate admissions as well as student affairs at Columbia University. Before she began a career in higher education, she held an organizing position with the Children’s Defense Fund-New York, working with communities across the state to advocate for children’s health.
Ochs announced at Tuesday’s Board meeting that Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell will serve as Acting Superintendent until newly appointed Superintendent Jonathan Raymond relocates to the community in preparation for the 2021-22 school year.
About the City School District of New Rochelle
With 10,000 students in 10 schools, the City School District of New Rochelle, through an active partnership among community, parents, staff and students, provides a high-quality and challenging education for every child, in a safe, nurturing environment that embraces rich diversity and drives success. For more information, visit nred.org or follow the City School District of New Rochelle on Facebook and Twitter.
