Trustees
David Wolfe, Chair
David is a Managing Partner at Skoloff & Wolfe, P.C, in Livingston and is an expert on commercial property tax matters. A graduate of Cornell University and New York University Law School, David lives in Bernardsville with his wife, Dominique. All of their four children have attended Willow; two are currently enrolled and two are recent graduates, Diana (Class of 2020) and Julia (Class of 2022). The Wolfes are actively involved with the school in many ways. David joined the Board in 2017.
Kamran Rafieyan, Vice Chair and Treasurer
Kamran has been on the Willow Board of Trustees since 2015 and an officer since 2016. Kamran and his wife, Jennifer, have two Willow alumni daughters and are actively involved in the school community. Kamran has a B.S.E. from Princeton University and a M.S. from the University of California at Berkeley. Kamran has spent his career in Technology and Finance, with a focus on startups.
Pearl Johnson, Co-Founder
Pearl founded The Willow School in 2000 and has held several leadership positions at the school since that time. Prior to Willow, she taught at the Pennington School in New Jersey and at the Charles Armstrong School in Belmont, California. Pearl holds a B.A. from Brown University and a M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the Institute of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Miller Bugliari
Miller has been a coach, educator, and role model for the past 65 years, coaching The Willow School’s co-founder, Mark Biedron, at The Pingry School in the late 1960s. He has held numerous roles at Pingry, including his current roles as Head Soccer Coach and Special Assistant to the Head of School. He has also served as a biology teacher, Head of the Science Department, Director of Alumni Affairs, and Special Assistant for Alumni and Development. His record as a high school soccer coach is legendary, not only for his over 934 victories and national and state coaching awards, but also for his emphasis on sportsmanship and his dedication to the players themselves. Miller joined The Willow School Board of Trustees in 2022. His wife Elizabeth, former Development Director for Kent Place and The Purnell School, also generously volunteers her time to share her expertise with the Development Committee.
Blake Ellman
Blake has been an entrepreneur his whole adult life, notably co-founding Net Access Corporation in 1995. Blake is currently involved in acquisitions and management of a NJ-based real estate portfolio. In addition to his business experience, Blake served for five years on another local private school’s Board of Trustees. Blake is an active member of SoundBoard Angel Fund in Morristown, NJ. He also founded the Ellman Discovery Foundation, which seeks to facilitate long-term positive social change and scientific development in NJ. Blake’s son Miles graduated from Willow in 2019.
Glenn Likus
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Glenn founded G.S. Likus Design Build in 1997. An active member of his community, Glenn has served on three other local not-for-profit boards. His daughter has attended Willow since preschool and will be graduating in 2024.
Rob Pritchard
Rob has served as President of the James & Gretchen Johnson Family Office since 2012, providing financial, operational, and strategic support to three generations of the Johnson family. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Rob previously served as President and General Counsel of The Griffin Group of Companies, overseeing the real estate, entertainment, and financial interests of entertainer and entrepreneur Merv Griffin. Rob began his career in private legal practice with the Manhattan firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Samir Sherif
Samir is the Chief Information Security Officer at Imperva, a global cybersecurity firm based in the Bay Area, California. He brings over two decades of experience in fraud, risk, compliance, and IT security disciplines. Samir holds an Executive MBA from Williams College of Business and a B.A. from Xavier University. He lives in Bernardsville with his wife Jin and their son Adam who is a student at Willow.
Wanda Shoer
Wanda joined the Willow Board of Trustees in 2023. Wanda currently holds the position of Chief Learning Officer at Sanofi. Wanda brings 20 years of experience in business operations, talent management, and learning to the Board. Prior to joining Sanofi, Wanda worked across multiple industries in Human Resources, IT, and Talent Development. She worked at Johnson & Johnson for over a decade leading strategic operations in Research & Development, Drug Safety, and Talent Management. Prior to J&J, she spent 10 years both in-house and consulting on organizational change and process improvement in the pharmaceutical and investment banking industries. Wanda holds a BA in Italian Studies and Economics from Wheaton College and an MBA from Simmons University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, fitness, and spending time with her husband and two children who are both Willow students. Additionally, Wanda serves on the board of Mariposa DR Foundation, a not for profit centered on empowering the advancement of girls through education and is an active member of the Latinx community, supporting various organizations through community building, mentoring, and educational programming.