Clifton, NJ - August 13, 2026 - Last week, ClassLink and NJASA celebrated the accomplishments of exceptional New Jersey educators at their annual Seaside Celebration for Ed Leaders in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Bringing together educators and thought leaders from across the state, the event gave guests a chance to connect, kick off a new school year, and celebrate their colleagues!
Congratulations to Our Award Winners!
To be a visionary, an educator must have the passion and creativity to design future-focused learning experiences and programs. Each new school year has unique challenges, and NJ educators remain committed to creating innovative initiatives that inspire and empower students and colleagues. At the event, four outstanding individuals who consistently go above and beyond to serve their communities were honored.
“ClassLink takes great pride in celebrating the outstanding achievements of the NJ Visionary Award Winners. At the heart of ClassLink's success lies the invaluable presence of educators—they are the very essence of our existence! We extend heartfelt gratitude for their efforts, their talents, and unwavering commitment to advancing education.”
NJ Visionary Educator Award
Winner: Dr. Thomas Toohey (Assistant Superintendent for Pupil-Special Services, Edison Township Public Schools)
Dr. Toohey led the creation of Edison Success Academy, a therapeutic, proficiency-based program that gives students who struggle in traditional high school settings a personalized path toward independence and career readiness. He also built a university partnership that has since certified 20 district teachers in specialized literacy instruction, helping close long-standing reading gaps.
NJ Visionary Technology Leader Award
Winner: Fil Santiago (Board President, NJETA)
Over the past two years, Fil built NJETA into a go-to resource for EdTech in New Jersey, now over 600 members strong, with partnerships spanning NJASA, NJSBA, and other statewide organizations. He also connected New Jersey schools to the National Student Data Privacy Alliance, giving districts access to data privacy agreements already trusted across a dozen other states.
NJ Visionary Superintendent Award
Winner: Dr. Atiya Y. Perkins (Superintendent, Linden Public Schools)
Dr. Perkins launched a roundtable series that gives her community a genuine window into the work happening inside Linden's schools. Her approach to transparency turned district communication into two-way dialogue. It's also become the perfect platform to share exactly how that work translates into results. Linden’s reading proficiency is advancing across all student subgroups, and the district now has a graduation rate above 90%. Through the Roundtable, her community doesn't just hear about that success — they see firsthand how it's built.
Winner: Dr. Danny Robertozzi (Superintendent, Clifton Public Schools)
Dr. Robertozzi led the passage and implementation of a 168 million dollar referendum, turning an ambitious capital plan into modernized learning environments and enhanced safety and security for thousands of students. This project positions Clifton as a model for educational excellence statewide. This was all made possible by his vision of building a culture of innovation and high expectations across the city of Clifton, rooted in the kind of trust-based, collaborative leadership that turns big plans into lasting change.
NJ Visionary Community Impact Award
Winner: Sayuri Nakanishi (7th Grade Student, Linden Public Schools)
Sayuri personally wrote 105 appreciation letters, one for every staff member in her building — teachers, custodians, secretaries, and everyone in between.
She never once looked for recognition in return. She simply believed that everyone deserved to feel valued, and she was right. Her quiet act of kindness moved an entire community. Inspired by her example, the district's Student Leadership Team adopted kindness as their service initiative and spread it throughout the district through a kindness campaign by writing hundreds of letters. There were letters of appreciation, encouragement, and hope to teachers, school staff, City Hall employees, nursing home residents, and community members throughout Linden.
And every graduating senior found one of those letters tucked inside their graduation packet.
Sayuri's inspiration went beyond the letters she wrote - to the thousands of acts of kindness that then followed.
Special Shoutout to All Our Award Nominees!
Dr. Hal Abraham, Dr. David Aderhold, Jason Bing, Arielle Denrich, Peter Emmel, Kelli Eppley, Gregg Festa, Dr. Christopher Irving, Kim Marie Fefalas, John Kerrigan, Kathi Kersznowski, Lauren Kohn, Jeffrey Lai, Tracy Leigh, Dr. Al Lewis, Annabell Louis, Tamer Mamkej, Dr. Jeffrey Martine, Christa Mawn, Dana Meixner, Katherine Russo, Fil Santiago, David Santos, Dr. Alicia Subervi, Melissa Tocci, Dr. Joan Valentine