After becoming a Nuclear Engineer in the United States Navy and serving for six years, Frank got an entry level position with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30. With his Navy background, before long he became a licensed Refrigerating System Operating Engineer and eventually became a Licensed High Pressure Steam Stationary Engineer.
In 1994, Frank founded his own school with the goal of helping people to change their lives through education, skill development and licensure. The Refrigeration Institute, The Cool School is in it’s 30th year of operation making a difference in our students and our alumni’s lives.
Frank has served for 20 years as a Board Member and then Vice President of the Coalition of New York State Career Schools. Frank has served for 4 years as Chairman of The Advisory Council of New York State Private Career Schools.
James M Devaney ,PhD has over five decades working in career education at all levels of responsibility. Past member of numerous boards and educational committees.
Currently chair and founder of AHED (American Higher Education Development Corporation.)
Jay Fund has been a member of the Council since 2020. Jay graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science in 1973 and earned his master’s degree in social work from Boston University in 1976. Jay worked as a school social worker and school director in Boston until 1982 when he moved to New York and became the Director at Suburban Technical School in Hempstead, Long Island. He has been the president of Hunter Business School since 1998.
Jay Fund’s professional affiliations include Suffolk County Department of Labor, Town of Oyster Bay Department of Labor. He has been a commissioner since 2008 for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools on Elementary and Secondary School.
Executive Director of the Coalition since 1996, Mr. Zaleski (“Terry”) provides direct services to Coalition members.
He is a resource to assist with questions and problems and coordinates all activities of the Coalition.
An attorney and registered lobbyist, he represents Coalition members on matters in Albany, Washington, and elsewhere in New York State.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, Teachers College, and Columbia College, Terence is well-respected as a leader and spokesperson for career schools throughout New York State.
His skills working with lawmakers and government agencies were shaped as an elected mayor and Member of the NYS Assembly.
Nancy Martinez is a longtime resident of the Rockaways in Queens who has also lived abroad and traveled the world, but her heart has always led her back to the Rockaways. She is a dynamic entrepreneur, business owner and philanthropist who possesses the tenacity to launch successful business and the compassion to help those in need. She experienced a traumatic change in her life due to an accident which resulted in her brother becoming a paraplegic. This trauma instilled a deep sense of helping others in need by “sharing what we had rather than worrying about what we didn’t have” stated Ms. Martinez. Her experiences both at home in the Rockaways and in other countries have cultivated her desire to assist children, especially the poor, orphaned and ill by establishing charitable campaigns and causes that provide more than medical supplies, food, and clothing.
Nancy spent over a decade in the health care industry learning about health care regulations, designing patient care standards, and learning how to run a successful business. Her goal was to establish a business that could assist people in starting a career path in the health care industry, not just looking for a job. In 2010, she opened the New York Career Training School, LLC in Far Rockaway. Today, the New York Career Training School offers courses in three different languages- English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese because of the diversity of students representing over 25 countries and nationalities. To date, the Training School has graduated over 24,000. students and with an estimated rate of over 98%, has employed close to 23,520 of her graduates.
Nancy’s compassion and commitment to her community includes the founding and development of Rockaway Adult Social Center in Far Rockaway as a tribute to many of the seniors who supported and stood by her when she launched her business. Also, she established in September of 2016 an international foundation “Tocando Corazones” (Touching Hearts) that will provide educational and health care needs worldwide.
In March of 2017, Ms. Martinez was elected to the Board of Directors of the Joseph P. Addabbo Health Clinics. In 2019, she was appointed Chair of REMA 4 US in which she has helped the organization achieve their 501C3 status which enabled them to get the N360 grant in the amount of $900,000. to help the downtown community develop a BID formation.
In the past years, Nancy has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the community and has been a recipient of the following awards and honors:
Chris Eckels is a co-founder of Monte Christopher Holdings, a family of companies whose holdings include businesses and assets across education, technology, software, media & marketing, and real estate. Prior to co-founding MCH with partner Todd Londot, Chris founded Cyanna Education Services, a full-service educational consulting firm focused on building & improving institutions of higher learning, vocational schools, and other educational organizations. Chris is also the founder of EDvera, an online workflow platform for accreditors and government agencies that process applications, renewals, and reporting across multiple industries.
Chris has also held the position of Counsel and Senior Vice President of Government Relations for TechSkills, a large, privately held, postsecondary, proprietary school with 30 campuses in 17 states for which he oversaw accreditation, compliance, regulatory and government affairs for the entire network. Previously, Chris was also the Director of Government Affairs for the Printing Association of Florida, successfully spearheading the passage of two pieces of legislation (1999 – HB 643 and 2000 – CS/SB 290) for Florida’s largest manufacturing industry.
Chris is also a licensed attorney admitted in the State of Ohio and early in his professional career had a private practice in Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association. He lives in Granville, Ohio with his wife, Cassie, and three daughters.
