Nadine Gazzola
Nadine Gazzola
Board President, Questar III
Nadine Gazzola was elected to the Questar III Board of Education in 2016 and was elected Board President in July 2021. Prior to being elected President, she served as Vice-President in 2020-21. She has also served on the Taconic Hills CSD Board of Education from 2014-2019. She graduated from Ichabod Crane CSD and The College of Saint Rose with a degree in education and a concentration in psychology. She currently works for her family’s school bus business, Pulcher Transportation, where she manages the Columbia County Youth Transportation. Mrs. Gazzola and her husband own Zero Tolerance Manufacturing in Ghent and have two children attending the Taconic Hills CSD.
Why did you run for the BOCES Board?
I ran for the Questar III board to help support the districts in Columbia County with programs that would benefit their students.
What are some of your proudest moments on the BOCES Board?
I will always remember when I went to the car show at the Columbia Greene Educational Center. The staff and students were so happy to see a representative from the board at their event. It’s always a pleasure to take part in an event that the students work on. They are always so proud of the work that they do, as they should be.
What do you hope for the BOCES to accomplish this school year?
This year I hope that Questar III can continue to work with our local districts to support them through these challenging times. Our students have overcome so many hurdles this past year and a half. We give students a safe place where they can continue their education.
Why is Questar III so important for our school districts?
Questar III is important for schools because we offer programs that individual school districts wouldn’t be able to provide on their own. Districts have a challenge of making sure that every student succeeds. By sending students to a program at Questar III districts can make sure each student is given the tools they need to succeed.
Joseph “Seph” Garland
Joseph “Seph” Garland
Vice President, Questar III
Joseph “Seph” Garland has served on the Questar III Board of Education since 2008 and was elected Vice President in July 2021. He has been a member of the Coxsackie-Athens CSD Board of Education since 1991. Mr. Garland was also elected to the Tech Valley High School Operating Board in 2018. He is currently employed as a property manager, overseeing nearly 2,000 properties in the Capital Region. Mr. Garland resides in Coxsackie where he raised four children, and proudly lives in the house his grandfather built.
Why did you run for the BOCES Board?
I wanted to represent Greene County following the retirement of a long-time BOCES Board member from Cairo-Durham. I am a huge supporter of career and technical education (CTE) and sought to provide more students with these hands-on opportunities.
What are some of your proudest moments on the BOCES Board?
I am so proud to be part of a cooperative that has accomplished so much. You see it with our students’ stories and feedback from our districts. During my time on the board, we have expanded opportunities for students and school districts. This includes Tech Valley High School, new CTE offerings such as Heavy Equipment, the launch of new special education schools, and the donation of the Durham building to the BOCES. I have also enjoyed learning from my Board colleagues and hope to provide our newer members with the same level of mentoring and support. I often say that we strive to be the best BOCES in the state and while some BOCES may be larger in size, we have and continue to achieve at a high rate.
What do you hope for the BOCES to accomplish this school year?
My hope is that we will continue to support our students and school districts with all the additional challenges associated with the pandemic. I believe we will continue the momentum to be the best BOCES we can be over the next year.
Why is Questar III so important for our school districts?
Questar III is important to school districts because of the number of programs and services it can offer that would otherwise be unaffordable. Conditions, requirements, or technology can quickly change, but our districts are better positioned with the capacity afforded by working together with the BOCES and others. We change with the time, whether it is cars or CNC machines to additional supports in life-changing special education programs. We also see the value and importance of district services such as health and safety and communications and what they allow our districts to accomplish.
