Shelby is a lifelong Bristol resident who attended South Side, Memorial Boulevard, and Bristol Central High School (BCHS) Class of '92. She and her husband, Matt, have three daughters - two BCHS graduates and a sophomore. Being a parent herself, she knows the struggles of balancing family, work, and ensuring her children's safety and education.

 Shelby holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut and has been employed by the Connecticut State Department of Education for 26 years, where she is responsible for overseeing various state and federal grants that support after-school and teen parent programs in districts with high poverty rates. She plays a key role in fostering collaborations between educators, parents, and community members to enhance school-family-community partnerships.

As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Hartford Campus for more than a decade, she teaches undergraduate courses in Family Policy, Schools and Families, Child Welfare, Law and Social Policy, and Low-Income Families. In November 2022, she was honored as one of the distinguished faculty members recognized by the University for her excellence in teaching.

Shelby has been serving on the Bristol Board since 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. She is a passionate advocate of public education, dedicated to representing the interests of students, parents, and teachers in crucial decisions regarding leadership, mission, policies, and budgets. Shelby is focused on collaborating towards the shared objective of delivering top-quality education to Bristol's children and ensuring that informed choices are made to positively impact students, families, district employees, and the economic well-being of the community.

Maria Pirro Simmons has been a Commissioner on the Bristol Board of Education since January of 2023. She is currently the Board’s Vice Chairperson, the Chair of the Finance & Operations Committee, and a member of the Labor Relations and Policy Committees.

Maria is a lifelong resident of Bristol, proud wife and mother of two boys, Elijah and Luke. She is the Board liaison to Bristol Eastern High School and South Side School, where she and both her sons have attended. Maria enjoys volunteering at the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut at Indian Rock Nature Preserve and has been a guest speaker at SEPTO and Opportunability. Maria is the owner of Leading with your Light, LLC providing education and strategic planning consultative services to schools, districts, and community constituents. Maria also offers free education advocacy and support for students, families, and educators.

Maria has nearly three decades experience in education and leadership as a special education teacher, school principal, and school superintendent. While a school superintendent, Maria was appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Council by Governor Lamont and was appointed to the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee (JJPOC) as a voting member overseeing the continued reform of the juvenile justice system while evaluating policies that impact youth. Maria was also a project lead for the Adult Reentry Employment Strategic Plan (ARES) facilitating the development of the Connecticut Adult Reentry and Employment Strategic Plan, a statewide guide for establishing policy and programmatic frameworks that build upon existing and future resources for reentry services, education and vocational training, and employment. She was also a member of the Industry Business and Advisory Group (IBAG) assembled to gain insight and understanding from leaders in education, business, and industry. Maria was also selected for, and successfully completed, the Executive Excellence Leadership Program alongside other recognized leaders nationwide. These experiences allowed Maria to further develop her capacity to have challenging conversations and create meaningful solutions in the spirit of bipartisanship. Maria is currently a member of Connecticut’s Dyslexia Awareness Campaign, an initiative from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Office of Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities.  

Maria honors and values every community voice and passionately advocates for each and every child. She believes that transparency and strong school-family-community partnerships creates safe spaces and places for authentic conversations and enduring growth. Maria celebrates and champions the extraordinary efforts of the teachers, educators, and staff members who are committed to making Bristol Public Schools a district that changes lives. 

Jill grew up in Harwinton, CT, and attended the Region 10 school district. While she was not born and raised in Bristol, she has deep family ties to the community.  Many of her cherished childhood memories are of playing with cousins in Rockwell Park, participating in the Mum Festival parades, and enjoying countless Sunday dinners at "Grammy's" house. Therefore, it was a natural progression to buy her grandmother's house when the opportunity arose, to keep it within the family, and to raise their daughter in the community she has come to love.  Jill, her husband Pawel, their daughter Nora, and their dog Bouza proudly call Bristol home!

Jill holds an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Becker College in Worcester, MA, and a master's degree in social work with a specialization in policy practice from the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work at the University of Connecticut. With more than 17 years of professional experience, she has worked with agencies such as the Guardian ad Litem program in Miami, FL, two Child Advocacy Centers within CT, and most recently as a victim services advocate for the Office of Victim Services. Jill possesses extensive experience in navigating complex statewide systems, advocating for children and their families, and effectively collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.  Jill states, "Uniting and genuinely listening to one another is essential to guide our policies and practices. Community members, teachers, administrators, and students each have unique perspectives that are crucial to the decisions we make as commissioners. To carry out our roles effectively, we must listen, learn, and promote transparency. I strongly believe that for policies and practices to be effective, they require direct input to shape them, and in turn, these policies and practices should guide our actions."

Jill currently serves as the secretary for the BOE, chairs the School Safety and Policy committee and a member of the Student Acheivement Committee.  She is honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve her community in this capacity and hopes to make a positive impact, especially for the kids! 

Kara Ledger is a lifelong Bristol resident with a deep commitment to public education. For over a decade, she taught social studies and coached middle school volleyball in Hartford, earning recognition as Renzulli Academy’s Teacher of the Year in 2018 and the Connecticut History Day Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019. In addition to her work in the classroom, Kara was an active leader at Renzulli, serving on the PTO, Union Committee, and School Governance Council to advocate for student-centered policies and stronger family engagement. Kara currently is a training specialist at LIMRA and has a BS in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University, as well as a post-baccalaureate teaching certification in Secondary Education/Social Studies, also from CCSU.

Kara ran for the Bristol Board of Education to champion equitable and high-quality education for all students, ensure culturally responsive curricula, and guarantee that teachers have the resources and support they need. She believes in transparency, accountability, and making sure every voice in the community is heard. With a proven record of dedication and advocacy, Kara brings her experience and passion to the Board of Education to help shape a stronger future for Bristol’s schools.

Lori Osenkowski has served as a Commissioner on the Bristol Board of Education since August 2023, when Mayor Caggiano appointed her. She was then elected in November 2023 for a 4-year term. 

Currently, Lori serves on the Policy and School Safety Committee. She is a member of the Bristol Republican Town Committee and served on the BRTC's Budget and Finance Committee. 

Lori has lived in Bristol for 38 years and is employed full-time as a Care Specialist. Lori and her husband Rob have been married for 16 years and have three sons ages 10, 13, and 15 who attend the Bristol Public Schools. 

For the past 14 years, it has been an honor for Lori to serve the Bristol Community through her family's Christmas light display, Lights On Rosewood, a non-profit organization bringing the community together by supporting one another in need. 

As a parent and Bristol resident, Commissioner Osenkowski believes it is her obligation and a priority to advocate for our youth and the safety and security of all students, educators, and staff in the Bristol Public School system. She values and has witnessed that a strong community, specifically the City of Bristol, can be a driving force to achieve unlimited possibilities as well as overcome obstacles by working together. 

I’m Barbara Tedesco, a proud Bristol resident and a recently retired educator. I taught in Bristol as a kindergarten and first grade teacher for the past 16 years in addition to previous positions as a substitute and a summer school teacher.

I had also been employed as a director of a large childcare center for 17 years cementing my foundation as an individual who has spent her entire career as an advocate for children and a person who prides herself on building relationships of trust with parents and the community. I grew up in Hartford but have lived my entire adult life in Bristol with my husband Jeff.

My son Thomas benefited from an outstanding education in our Bristol school system. My stepson and his family include my three grandsons who have had outstanding educational experiences at South Side and Chippens Hill Middle School. I believe that Bristol’s Board of Education needs to be comprised of individuals who all have the
best interests of our most precious commodity, our community’s children, in mind with every decision that is made. We need not only to be transparent but we need other stakeholders to see that transparency. If teachers and community members don’t feel that transparency then we as BOE members need to do better to make sure that happens. We need to collaborate to achieve the best results for all.

As a retired teacher and a former union representative at Hubbell School I have a pulse on what teachers value and what continually disappoints them. I see the things we need to do to establish more trust with the BOE as well as improving the way the community understands and values the role of the BOE in our big small town of Bristol and keeping it All Heart.

I am proud to serve the Bristol community.