Dr. Mary Bediako, President began her tenure on the board in July 2020. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Ghana, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Bediako began her tenure with the Uniondale Board of Education on July 1, 2020. She is a retired educator, with over 40 years of service to public school children and parents, beginning her career as a math teacher and later as a school district administrator. She was the first Director of Personnel for the Uniondale Public Schools, and some of the teachers she recruited then are still with the Uniondale School District. For 22 years, Dr. Bediako was the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel for the Freeport School District. For 19 of those years, she also served as the Board's District Clerk until her retirement in 2019.

Dr. Bediako's career also included:

1. Serving as Chief Examiner for the "Public Certification, Education and Human Resources," Bureau of Fire Prevention, New York City Fire Department; and 2. Serving as Director of Documentation and Evaluation at "Ventures In Education," a non-profit educational consulting firm in New York City.

Dr. Bediako is recognized for her passion, expertise and commitment in her professional practices in areas of personnel management, staff development and program evaluation. She is a trained Curriculum Management Auditor.

Dr. Bediako has been a resident of the Uniondale School District for 39 years and is well known in the community. She attends Saint Martha Roman Catholic Church, where she is a lector and Eucharistic Minister. She credits the successes of her three grown children to the great foundation they received from the Uniondale Public Schools. Her children attended Harvard University, Cornell University and Lynchburg College.

Ms. Natalie J. Longsworth, J.D. , Vice President, is a Labor and Employment professional who has been in public service for the City of NY since 2004. Natalie prides herself on her humble beginnings, having started city service as a volunteer, or candy striper as it was once known. She worked her way up through the ranks ascending to numerous roles including Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and Senior Director of Employee and Labor Relations. She has had the privilege of working collaboratively on contract negotiations with some of the largest unions in NYC.

Natalie has been a resident of the Village of Hempstead since 2010, where she is a volunteer Firefighter and EMT for the Fire Department. She sits on the board of the Hempstead Community Land Trust where she has previously served as Treasurer. At the core of her passion is advocacy for the underserved, and underrepresented. She has worked diligently to ensure access to educational opportunities for historically disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Natalie spent 3 years as Vice President of HAPAC-NY where she worked dynamically with others to ensure more political representation in the Haitian American community. She currently sits as a committee member on the Long Island chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus. She is also one of the co-founders of Aquinois Pour Aquin which is a nonprofit organization on a mission to provide educational and social resources to her hometown Village of Aquin, Sud in Haiti. Natalie is a New York board member of the organization known as En-Avant, a movement to bring the Haitian Diaspora and Haitians in Haiti together for the development of the country.

Natalie holds an Associate’s Degree in Science, a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Juris
Doctorate. She is currently pursuing her second Doctoral degree in Education. Natalie is an avid reader with a fond admiration for the arts. When not being driven by her wanderlust, she is devoted to her partner, children, her home country of Haiti and the family dog.

Ms. Adelina Blanco-Harvey, Trustee, affectionately known as Addie, began her tenure on the board in July 2019. She is a product of the Uniondale school system having lived in the district for over 40 years. Four of her and her husband’s children are proud graduates of Uniondale High School. She believes that a well-rounded education incorporates developing academic skills along with nurturing aptitude in critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and other enrichments within the curriculum. She was elected Board President by the board during the 2021-2022 academic year, making her the first Latina to be elected as President of the board in the Uniondale School District. She was re-elected as board trustee for a second term in May 2022.

Some of her accomplishments are:
· Serves and advocates for the educational needs of children for over 3 decades
· Served on PTA, PTSA, and PTA Council for over 2 decades
· Career mentor for students of Uniondale for over 15 years
· Resource for parents
· Community advocate
· Served as member of Comité Civico Salvadoreño for over a decade serving the Salvadoran community of Long Island
·NYSMP (New York State Mentoring Program) Latina Mentoring Program 2022

Mrs. Blanco-Harvey is the Regional Manager at Premier Endodontics of Long Island with oversight of five offices. She started her career with Premier Endodontics of Long Island 19 years ago as a dental assistant. She worked her way up through the ranks ascending to numerous roles first as Public Relations Coordinator, then being promoted to Manager subsequently Regional Manager.  She is a graduate of Nassau Community College and received her Bachelor's Degree in Childhood Elementary Education with Bilingual and Special Education Extension from SUNY Old Westbury. She has extensive training through The Levin Group for Public Relation Coordinator and Management relating to the management in the dental field. She is passionate in her belief that a school board must be responsive, representative and receptive to parents, staff, and stakeholders of the community they serve. She and her husband are honored that their children thrived, graduated from Uniondale High School and are pursuing their college degrees. They also look forward to their younger children graduating from Uniondale High School.

Mrs. Charmise P. Desiré, Trustee, began her tenure on the board in July 2018 and was re-elected to another 3-year term in 2021. She was elected Board President by the board during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.

A resident of the district since 2000, Mrs. Desiré has been a parent advocate and community supporter who has found various ways over the years to use her skills to support the Uniondale School District and community. She has served in various capacities such as: PTA member, founding President of the Uniondale HS Football Parent Booster Club, served on various district interview committees, Uniondale HS Character Education Committee, District Technology Committee, District Pupil Capacity Focus Group, and as a Computer Instructor for the Adult Education Program. She is also an engaged member in various civic organizations in the Uniondale community and a graduate of the Parent Leadership Institute of Long Island, in association with the Childcare Council of Nassau County.
Always proud to represent her community in any arena, Mrs. Desiré was elected in March 2020 to the Nassau County Executive Committee of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, and then elected as Secretary/Treasurer on May 30, 2023. At the state level, she was appointed in January 2021 to the Resolutions Committee of the New York State School Boards Association to represent her community. During the 2023 cycle, she is serving as the chair of the NYSSBA Resolutions Committee working in conjunction with their Governmental Relations team.

As a former member of the Board of Directors of the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island, Mrs. Desiré strongly believes in the value of community outreach and engagement to help strengthen the reputation and branding of a community. She attends Kingdom Family Ministry in Uniondale where she is an active part of the ministerial staff, worship team and enjoys motivating and inspiring young people of all ages. She and her husband are honored to be parents of two sons who were educated in the Uniondale School District, one of whom graduated from Princeton University and one working in the education field.

She received two master's degrees from Hofstra University and a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Albany.

Ms. Carol Eason, Trustee, began her tenure on the board in July 2019. As a parent, homeowner and former employee of Uniondale High School, she has had a 25-year relationship with both the district and community.

Carol is a Licensed Social Worker as well as a Certified Life Coach with her own small private practice. She is presently working as a School Social Worker at a charter school in Brooklyn. Carol is the proud mother of six children, five of whom have graduated from the Uniondale School District and are thriving in their careers, and one who is still continuing her education within the district.

Carol has always advocated for students, families and teachers in every position she has held.

Previously, Carol was a PTA President for Cornelius Court School and California Avenue School, as well as a member of the Site Based Management Team for Uniondale High School and Lawrence Road Middle School. She was also one of the social workers for Safe Schools Healthy Students and a social worker for the Twilight Program. She was a coordinator for Adult Education, Liberty Partnership and the Advantage Program at Uniondale High School, as well as the 504 Coordinator. Carol takes great pride in being able to continue serving her district and community.

Mr. Christian Auguste

Student Member