NEWS

Meet the newest members of the Cohoes Board of Education

May 31, 2011 — On May 17, voters in Cohoes elected four members of the Board of Education. They include returning members, Ann Marie Hume, who serves as Board President; and Christopher Briggs. Two new members were elected and now fill seats that had been vacated when two board members resigned in the fall of 2010. They are Laurie Rizzo and Matthew Nolin.

As the third and fourth highest vote getters respectively, Rizzo and Nolin will serve one-year terms that expire on June 30, 2012. Learn more about them here:

Laurie M. Rizzo

Laurie Rizzo, of 8 Hiltop Drive, is an Environmental Program Specialist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany. She is currently assigned to the Division of Environmental Remediation and serves as the Division’s liaison to Federal grantor agencies. Her previous duties have included fiscal management, personnel management, contract management and outreach to stakeholders. Laurie holds an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Hudson Valley Community College.  

Ms. Rizzo has served on the Character Education and Parent Teacher Association Committees at Harmony Hill School and was a member of the Superintendent Interview Committee. She was Secretary and Board Member of the Glen Meadows Park Association, Committee Chair of the Cohoes Cub Scouts and Secretary of the Boy Scouts Troop 670, and a Board Member of the Cohoes Little League.

Laurie and her husband, Mark, have two children: Christopher, a third-year student at Nazareth College; and Gregory, a junior at Cohoes High School. She has been a resident of the district for 28 years and attends Holy Trinity Parish.

Ms. Rizzo’s first Board assignments are as member of the policy review committee and Board liaison to the High School. Policy review is underway and the committee will evaluate and update board policies. Copies of board policies will be posted to the district website as review in each area is completed.

Matthew Nolin

Matt Nolin, of 31 Congress St, is a designer at 1st Playable Productions in Troy where he creates prototype games and communicates game concepts. As a lead designer, he is working to design a title for the mobile gaming platform, Nintendo DS. He also recently worked on the company’s first iPhone/iPad title, Disney's Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho.

Matt has coordinated the annual Games in Education Symposium (http://www.gamesineducation.org/) that 1st Playable hosts in conjunction with Capital Region BOCES and local public television station, WMHT. The symposium focuses on how teachers may use video games to supplement and inspire in-classroom education.

Matt is a lifelong resident of Cohoes and a graduate of Cohoes High School who studied the core curriculum as well as a number of AP classes and Artificial Intelligence in Games through the high school’s Science Research program. He went on to study at New York University's Gallatin School where he received a BA in Individualized Study with a concentration in Games & New Media.

Mr. Nolin has been involved in the creation of a number of websites and iPhone apps. He credits his studies with RPI and the Science Research program at CHS for his securing various jobs such as: programming teaching assistant at RPI; quality assurance positions at local Guitar Hero developer Vicarious Visions; and at online education startup Knewton.

Matt is a member of the anti-bullying committee at Cohoes High School and a member of the International Game Developers Association Albany chapter. He has participated in Cohoes Little League, Youth Soccer, and Modified/JV/Varsity Soccer. He has participated in productions at Cohoes Music Hall and Cohoes school theatrical productions.

Awards Mr. Nolin has earned include: the 2010 President's Service Award from NYU for making significant contributions to the university community in the areas of learning, leadership, and quality of student life; the 2009 Max Goldstein Award from NYU for creatively applying computing to improve the academic, cultural, and social life of the University community; the 2006 Cohoes Rotary Club - Frank Hines Memorial Award; and the 2006 Cohoes Rotary Club Certificate of Achievement for Outstanding Achievement in Character.

Matt is also an avid player of Ultimate Frisbee and participates in area soccer matches.