PTO Executive Board

PTO Co-Presidents:

Jenny Mario & Sharon Murphy

Vice President Brookside: Lori Verbel

Vice President Hillside: Jamie Noe

Secretary: Nikita Singhani

Treasurer: Audrey Hayek

Vice Presidents: 

Kim Bargiel

Jennifer Lee

Shaziya Shaikh

Lori Shekari

Jenny Mario- Co-President

I’m Jenny Mario and I’m looking forward to another year as Co-President of the PTO of the wonderful Allendale school system. My kids are in 9th (Clair), 6th (Declan) and 3rd (Ian) grades. My husband and I, both not from this area, were lucky enough to settle on a house in Allendale when we were looking to move out of NYC and start a family. I practiced corporate tax law for nearly 20 years prior to leaving in 2020 to spend more time with my kids and in the community. Being on the PTO board and working as a part-time substitute teacher in the district allows me to do just that. I’m excited to work alongside our wonderful teachers & staff and with fellow parents to serve our children and the school community.

Sharon Murphy- Co-President

My name is Sharon Murphy and I am excited to work with all of you as Co-President of the PTO again this year. I have three children, Thomas (10), Luke (8) and Bennett (4). I have lived in Allendale for 6 years and love the strong sense of community this town has. As a former teacher, I value education and know the importance of making a strong connection between parents and school. I look forward to working with the parents and educators of the Allendale schools to make this a great year for all the students.

Nikita Singhani- Secretary

Hi, my name is Nikita Singhani and I have lived in Allendale since 2017. My daughter Anaya is entering 3rd grade and my son Krish is entering K at Hillside. I am a veterinarian practicing locally and I am also one of the leaders of the 3rd grade Girl Scouts troop. I am excited to take on the role of PTO secretary this year! I look forward to working with our educators and families to enrich the experiences of our students and make this a very 

memorable year!

Audrey Hayek- Treasurer

Hi! I am Audrey Hayek and this is my second year as Treasurer of the PTO. My husband, Matt, and I moved to Allendale in 2015 and have 3 kids - Ben (4th grade), Max (2nd grade) and Jack (2 yrs old). I worked at Express Scripts for 16 years prior to leaving after having our youngest. When my oldest started Kindergarten, I remember feeling overwhelmed and had no clue what was going on. Thankfully, the ladies on the PTO and some awesome veteran mom & dad friends in town showed us the ropes. I hope to pay it forward to any parents needing help and make the school year fun for the kids!

Lori Verbel- Brookside VP

Hi! My name is Lori Verbel. My daughter Jada is entering 6th grade and my twins, Maya and Hudson, are in 3rd grade this year! Prior to having my children, I worked in the financial world within management planning. In addition to PTO, I’ve volunteered for other organizations in Allendale, such as AFEE and Girl Scouts. I look forward to continuing to work on the Board and hopefully with many other parents as well!  I am proud to be a part of this amazing school system.

Jamie Noe- Hillside VP

Hi! I’m Jamie Noe. I moved to Allendale in 2010 knowing about the amazing school system. My kids (now 11, 8, and a 1 year old) will all have the benefit of going through the Allendale schools, which I’m so thankful for. I’m a former special education teacher with degrees also in regular education and as a reading specialist and I taught in a self-contained classroom for 9 years before having kids. Since I’m not currently teaching, I am so happy to be able to support our schools in any way I can. I’m also a leader of both Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts groups in town. I am very involved with volunteering and love to help those in need. I am thrilled to be on the board of our PTO to give back to our schools, teachers, and administrators that have given us so much. I look forward to meeting you all!

Kim Bargiel- VP

My name is Kim Bargiel and I 'm excited for another year on the PTO board! One of the main reasons we moved to Allendale, before my children were even school-age, was because of the amazing reputation of our school system. When my son finally joined Hillside, I quickly realized what a huge part of that is due to the PTO and the broader parent community. Both of my children go to Hillside, where my son, Sean, is now a 3rd grader and my daughter, Leah, is a 1st grader. I now work as a Project Manager for my husband's practice, but I'm also a former teacher, so I enjoy helping the PTO on various projects, from both the lens of a parent as well as a teacher.

Jennifer Lee- VP

Hi, I'm Jennifer Lee and it's a great pleasure for me to join the Allendale PTO this year! I have a 6-year-old son, Yejun, who will be a 1st grader this year. I travel all around the world as an international conference manager at a non-profit and also do business in local real estate sales. I look forward to interacting with the Allendale school community and making meaningful contributions on the PTO!

Shaziya Shaikh- VP

Hi, my name is Shaziya Shaikh. Our family moved to Allendale from NYC in 2014, and we have loved being a part of this community ever since. I have two children, Ayaan (6th grade) and Anam (3rd grade). I’m a practicing physician and specialize in Pediatric Hospital Medicine. I also love photography, cooking, and Indian dance. I have enjoyed helping out with school and community activities for the past several years and am excited for another year on the PTO board. I look forward to working with our school community to help make this another great year for our children! 

Lori Shekari- VP

My name is Lori Shekari and I have lived in Allendale for six years.  I have a daughter at Brookside, a son at Hillside, and my youngest is eagerly waiting his turn. I have worked in global tax, business transformation, and internal organization roles for the past 18 years.  I love being able to apply my skills to working with the parents, students, teachers, and administrators in everything that makes our school community so special!

The Allendale Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is an all-volunteer, parent-run, non-profit organization that works cooperatively with school administration and educators to provide opportunities for our students and families to communicate, socialize and build our community. By encouraging volunteerism and parental involvement, we seek to enhance the school curriculum, build school and community pride, and celebrate successes and milestones.

We strive to do this by:

• Hosting monthly meetings as a forum for updates and question/answer;
• Streamlining important communication through our monthly newsletter and class parents distributions, which contains information about upcoming programs and events at school and within the community;
• Orchestrating school-based family engagement activities.
• Supporting our schools and students through PTO volunteers serving as board members, committee chairs, room/grade parents;
• Honoring teachers/staff throughout the year;
• Organizing Community Outreach drives that support local charitable organizations, while affording students an opportunity to practice social responsibility and compassion for others;
• Offering our membership a directory of students and families;
• Coordinating volunteers for school events and providing supplemental supplies, experiences and resources.