Holmdel board elects Chris Demarre president, Allison Lopresti vice president; adopts meeting calendar

Chris Demarre was elected president of the Holmdel Township Board of Education and Allison Lopresti was elected vice president at the board's reorganization meeting, following nominations, roll-call votes and debate over leadership roles and potential conflicts tied to upcoming teacher negotiations.

The reorganization meeting also formally adopted the board's 2025 meeting schedule, affirmed public-participation procedures under the Open Public Meetings Act, and moved into a brief executive session to discuss matters subject to attorney–client privilege.

The votes followed nominations from the board. A motion to elect the president produced a 5–4 roll-call result in favor of Chris Demarre; the board then elected Allison Lopresti vice president by a 5–4 roll-call vote over another nominee, Kimberly (last name recorded in the transcript variously as Tesoro/Tesello/Tesilho; spelling not specified). The board later approved the calendar and meeting procedures as proposed.

Board members debated the vice-presidency at length. Member Pete Reddy nominated himself for president earlier in the meeting and supporters praised his experience; during the vice-presidential discussion several members argued that Kimberly's direct work in Holmdel schools made her valuable in leadership during a contract year, while others said she would face conflicts connected to negotiations. In nominating Lopresti for vice president, one supporter said Lopresti had “spent countless hours” reviewing finance materials and historical budget data; another said that Lopresti’s work gave her “a better understanding as far as budget and finance.”

After the president's election, Demarre thanked colleagues and families and outlined priorities. “Education is the foundation of our community, and I'm excited to continue to work on things that prioritize academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, innovation, and safety in our district,” Demarre said.

The board adopted a calendar that sets regular business meetings to begin at 6 p.m. with the public portion advertised to start at 7 p.m.; members clarified that the meeting opening at 6 p.m. allows the board to begin executive-session business and that public comment will be available later in the evening. The board discussed a proposed procedural change to read the statutory Open Public Meetings Act statement in the executive-session room (the conference/executive-session room) and allow members of the public to attend that reading when present; members described the change as an efficiency measure to reduce waiting time before closed sessions.

A short motion to enter executive session passed and the board recessed for that closed discussion. On returning, members completed adjournment procedures.

The meeting included a brief public comment in which Rob Purcell of 18 Redcoach Lane congratulated newly elected members and offered support. Mayor Foster also attended briefly and told the board, “Almost 3,000 kids count on you guys to deliver a good quality product,” before leaving for another municipal meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Election — Board president: Chris Demarre elected (5 votes) over Pete Reddy (4 votes). Outcome: approved. - Election — Vice president: Allison Lopresti elected (5 votes) over Kimberly (last name not consistently recorded) (4 votes). Outcome: approved. - Action — Adopt 2025 meeting calendar and public-participation procedures: approved by roll call. Outcome: approved. - Action — Enter executive session (attorney–client privilege): approved. Outcome: approved.

All quotes and attributions in this article come from the meeting transcript and are attributed only to speakers recorded in the meeting.