3rd Annual Women’s High Tea
The Linden Cultural & Heritage Committee, an all-volunteer group that works together to provide cultural events and entertainment to the residents of the City of Linden, hosted the Third Annual Women’s History Month Celebration on March 26, 2023 at the JTG Center in Linden. The Woman’s High Tea honorees were Barbara Greco-Brady, Rebecca Kerins-Tattoli, Kelly A. Koziol, Danie Orelien-Armstead and Laura “Sissy” Sasarak.
Barbara Greco-Brady was born and raised in Linden and graduated from Kean College of NJ with a BA in Health and Physical Education. She began teaching in the Linden Public School District in September of 1998 and is currently the Dance Director at Linden High School. Before her teaching career began, Barbara was a professional dancer who performed with the New Jersey Ballet Company, the Joffrey Ballet (NYC), and the NJ State Opera. She also performed and choreographed for the Cumberland County Playhouse in Tennessee. Barbara is Co-founder and board member of Mystic Vision Players, a Union County based non-profit community theater company. She is listed in Who’s Who in Entertainment and Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers. A Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award Nominee and the recipient of many NJ ACT (Achievement in Community Theater) Awards, Barbara received the NJAHPERD Dance Education Award as a senior in college and was awarded a medallion from Governor Whitman for promoting culture in the state of NJ. Barbara was named the 2018-2019 Union County Teacher of the Year. She was also named the SHAPE America Eastern District Dance Teacher of the Year for 2018 and 2013, NJAHPERD Dance Teacher of the Year in for 2016 and 2012 and was a runner up for SHAPE America National Dance Teacher of the Year 2018 and 2013. Barbara is married to Kevin Brady, Jr., who is a Deputy Chief in the Linden Fire Department. They have been married for 21 years and have 3 beautiful children – Marisa, Giulia, and Michael.
Rebecca Kerins-Tattoli is a lifelong resident of Linden whose family dates back to 1854, and resided in the neighborhood between the former General Motors and Merck& Co. The streets in the area they lived are named after her great-grandparents, Rebecca and Hampden Smith. Rebecca went through the Linden School system and upon graduating in 1972 went to work for the federal government. She then went back to school to get an Associates in Business at the Taylor Business Institute. After graduating, she went to work for the United Nations in Rome, Italy. After returning home she worked with Federal Express but eventually left FedEx to raise her children while also helping run the family business and volunteering at School 10. While at home she opened her own consulting business and consulted for PG&E & Cavallo Energy. Rebecca went to work for the Board of Education, but left there to run the full-time NJ office for Cavallo Energy. Currently, she is the Confidential Secretary to Mayor Armstead, and Secretary/Treasurer to the Linden Economic Development Corp.
She has been involved in the community, county, and state for many years, both professionally, politically, and as a volunteer. A list of some of her involvements include: wrote Special Education Bill which was passed in the NJ Assembly and Senate and has been implemented in the teacher curriculum at NJ Colleges and Universities, Substitute Teacher’s Aide, Part-Time Bus Aide, Mid New Jersey Licensed Traveling Soccer Coach, Linden Youth Soccer Association Co-Founder & Soccer Coach, Linden Recreation Soccer Coach & Girls Softball Coach, St. Elizabeth’s CYO Cheerleading Coach, Linden PAL Little League Team Sponsor, PTA President 1995-1997, PTA Lifetime Member, NJ PTA Guiding Light Award, Past President Linden Chamber of Commerce, Past President and Trustee Mayor’s Youth Commission, Member LIA, served on Linden Board of Education 1997-2000, Member of the Cultural & Heritage Committee, Linden Coalition of the Arts, Linden Historical Society, 2017 Women of Excellence Award, and 2018 Municipal Alliance Volunteer of the Year Award, NJ Institute for Disabilities 2020 Appreciation Award, and the Boy Scouts of America 2021 Good Scout Award.
Of all Rebecca’s achievements, she is most proud of her children, Carl and Gina, and the individuals they have become. They are her life and have her heart always and forever as do her grandchildren, Daniel and Ava Tattoli and Alora Ortiz.
Kelly Anne Koziol, a lifelong Linden resident, resides in Linden’s Second Ward with her husband, Richard. She attended Linden School 8, McManus Jr. High School, Linden High School, and The Newark School of Fine & Industrial Arts. As her children entered Linden Public Schools, she joined the School Eight PTA and went on to serve on the Executive Board as PTA President for four years. In subsequent years, she served on both the McManus Middle School and Linden High School PTAs serving as PTA President of both schools. Her involvement in Linden School’s PTAs did not go unnoticed as she was asked to serve on the Union County PTA Executive Board and also as PTA Union County Liaison to Linden Schools. While involved with our district’s PTA organizations, she joined the Linden Mayor’s Youth Commission, serving from 1993 through 2009. She also served as co-coordinator of the BASH (Project Graduation) from 2000 through 2009. A lover of all animals, Kelly was a founding Member of Angel Paws, and a volunteer at Friends of Linden Animal Shelter for over 15 years, and she still helps various groups place animals that need homes. Kelly was a member of the Linden Cultural & Heritage Committee and is currently President of the Linden Halloween Parade Committee of which she has been a member for 33 years. She has been a member of the L.I.N.C.S. (Linden Interfaith Network of Community Services) Food Panty since 2012 and currently serves as the organization’s Secretary. Kelly is the annual coordinator of the Annual L.I.N.C.S. Citywide Walk-A-Thon Food Drive, which takes place yearly at Wilson Park. She has been employed by the Linden Board of Education for the past 28 years and is the secretary in the Health, Physical Education and Athletics Department, and as a member of the Linden Education Association, served as Philanthropic Chairperson for many years. In 2021 Kelly was awarded the “Good Scout of the Year” by the Boy Scouts of America. Although very accomplished in her many volunteer capacities, Kelly feels her greatest accomplishment is being a Mother and Grandma to her sons Jonathan, 38, a network management professional who resides in Linden with his wife Nancy, and Matthew, 35, an accomplished singer/songwriter who resides in Nashville Tennessee, and, of course, her awesome grandson Nathan 7.
Danie Orelien-Armstead is the First Lady of Linden, and mother to five children, Brianna, Ryan, Ashton, Abigail and, step-daughter, Erika. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick and two master’s degrees from Kean University. After 23 years in the classroom, Danie transitioned into her new role as Acting Supervisor for ESL, Bilingual, and World Languages in the Linden Public School District. She has an extensive resume in public service, and subsequently, in 2013 she received the Award of Excellence by the Rutgers University Haitian Association for outstanding vision, dedication to education, and commitment to her students and community. In 2018 she was awarded the community service Award by the Boy Scouts of America, and in 2021 Danie was the recipient of the Union County SHEro Award. She is also the co-founder and former secretary for the Haitian Alliance Relief funds, a community-based organization that helps families and individuals with continuous efforts of rebuilding Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. She describes herself as a teacher, counselor, and community liaison between parents, students, and schools. Her commitment to education and the youth of Linden is evident with her work as Chair of the Mayor’s Youth Commission Fundraising and Scholarship Committee. Serving on the Union County Professional Development Board she also worked as a liaison for the New Jersey Immigration and Policy Network where she organized workshops to educate families in the Haitian community about their rights under the law: Section: 6A:15-1.1 The New Jersey Bilingual Education Code. Danie Orelien-Armstead believes that education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world. Each year she and her husband, Mayor Derek Armstead, provide scholarships for two students from Linden High School. She sums up the dedication that she has to her students and to the teaching profession with the following statement, “I can honestly say that I have the best job on earth…It is truly a blessing to have found one’s passion and true calling in life.”
Laura “Sissy” Sasarak became the First Woman to work in the Linden Department of Public Works – Sanitation Department. She persisted to secure employment there after being told “a woman didn’t want to work on the back of a garbage truck.” 25 years later she is still working there in a position of responsibility running the Department of Community Services recycling center. She has set an example for her daughters, for women, and for our community that everyone has equal abilities and should have equal opportunities. Sissy, whose birth name is Laura, is the proud daughter from a family of honest hardworking parents, Vincent and Theresa DaSilva. A life-long Linden resident, she still lives on Winans Ave., where she grew up with 3 sisters and two brothers. She has dedicated her life to her husband and four beautiful children, Kimmie, Buddy, Ashley, and Justin and seven wonderful grandchildren. As a mom and nana, she can always be counted on to help cheer them on and wipe their tears. Her continuous membership in the PTA has given her the opportunity to participate and watch as her family has grown throughout the years. The time and effort she spent at the dance studio as a “Dance Mom/Nana” with her children and grandchildren helping them to achieve their goals, passions, and dreams. Her commitment did not stop with family but poured over into our beloved community. Her love of her neighborhood and wanting to give back shows through in her dedication as a 7th Ward Committee Person for over 20 years. Sissy provides a valuable resource to her neighborhood by keeping the Councilman and Police aware of problems. There is no one who knows the neighbors there better than Sissy. She’s is looked up to and sought out for solutions regarding the safety and quality of life issues of her neighbors. The love of family, friends, and community is shown every day through her thoughtfulness, her willingness to help, and her ability to make everyone feel like family. Sissy would like to congratulate the other honorees and thank the Committee for recognizing and honoring her today.
