Board of Education

Julianne Miller, Board President

Term Ends- 2030

Julianne Miller’s was elected to her second term on the Board in 2025. Her career spans over twenty five years in a variety of educational settings.  She is currently the Assistant Director of the Center for Spirituality at Nazareth University and previously served as the Director of the Abbe Center for Jewish Life in the Office of Spiritual Engagement at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  Prior to HWS, she was a high school social studies teacher in Massachusetts and New Jersey and taught middle school and adult education courses in Rochester. She is a graduate of Princeton University and earned a Master’s Degree in History from Brown University. She is a past president of the Board of Trustees at Temple Beth-El in Geneva and served for many years as an officer for CA Soccer Boosters.  She was a volunteer coach with the Canandaigua Area Soccer League (CASL) and continues to enjoy volunteering for CA Tennis, the CA Music program, and the musical at CA and CMS. Julianne and her husband Justin have three children, one of whom is a graduate of Canandaigua Academy and two of whom currently attend the Canandaigua schools.

Amy Hall

Term Ends: 2031

Amy Hall is in her first term on the Board of Education. She is the Vice President for Advancement and Communications for Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, NY, and a career nonprofit fundraiser with experience in grant writing and working with New York State agencies on fundibng, compliance, and reporting. She is a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media Communications. She and her husband have two children who attend Canandaigua Schools.

Milton Johnson

Term Ends: 2029

Mr. Johnson was re-elected to his second five-year term in 2024 and is the chairperson of the Board's Audit Committee. He is a professor of communications at Finger Lakes Community College. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana State University.  Mr. Johnson has volunteered and held leadership positions in many community organizations including Canandaigua Jr. Baseball and Softball, Canandaigua Outdoor Track Boosters, and Canandaigua Soccer Boosters. He is currently a trustee for the First United Methodist Church. Additionally, he has served as a volunteer coach for Canandaigua Jr. Baseball and Softball and Canandaigua Area Soccer. He was also the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the SUNY Faculty Council for Community Colleges. He and his wife, Catherine (Beth), have two children; who graduated from Canandaigua in 2018 and 2021. 

Megan Personale

Term Ends: 2028

Mrs. Personale was elected to her first term on the Board of Education in May, 2019. She is a case worker with the Department of Social Services of Ontario County. In that role, she has worked closely with the school district on child protective and other matters on a regular basis during her career. Mrs. Personale is a lifelong resident of Canandaigua. She graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 1997 and she holds a degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Alfred University. She is a member of St. Mary’s Church. She and her husband, Phillip, have three young children, two of whom attend the Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School. The family resides on North Road in the City of Canandaigua.

John A. Polimeni 

Term Ends: 2028 

Mr. Polimeni was elected to the Board in May, 2006, to complete a vacated term. In May, 2013, Mr. Polimeni won his second full five-year term. He is an attorney in private practice in Canandaigua as well as Broker/Owner of Red Jacket Realty. He is a 1979 graduate of Canandaigua Academy, 1983 graduate of St. John Fisher College and a 1986 graduate of Nova Southeastern University School of Law. He previously served for many years in volunteer emergency medical services as a member of the Thompson Health System Board of Directors, the F.L. Regional EMS Council and the Canandaigua Emergency Squad. He was also a volunteer coach with Canandaigua Junior Baseball and the St. Mary's Church CYO Basketball program. He and his wife, Karen, have two sons. Both are graduates of Canandaigua Academy.

Dr. Jennifer Schneider

Term Ends: 2027

Dr. Schneider was elected to her second term on the Board in 2022. She is a professor and FRAM chair at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and leads a university-wide student-focused initiative in Applied Critical Thinking, She is also a recognized teacher/researcher that engages students from many different backgrounds.  She holds a doctorate from UMASS Lowell College of Engineering and a MS from the University of Rochester. Before, RIT, Dr. Schneider began her career as an engineer in the local industry.  Dr. Schneider serves on the District Council for Instructional Excellence, Audit Committee and the COVID-19 taskforce. Dr. Schneider and her husband, Tim, have two daughters who attend Canandaigua Academy and they live in the Town of Canandaigua.

Ms. Jennifer Tessendorf

Term Ends: 2027

Ms. Jennifer Tessendorf was elected to her first five-year term in 2022 on the Canandaigua City School District Board of Education. Ms. Tessendorf is an Instructor of Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Indiana University in Political Science and East Asian Studies and a Master’s of Arts from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. She completed Ph.D. coursework in Political Economy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Her volunteer work includes membership on the Board of Elders and Capital Campaign Director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and as a Trustee on the Board of the Pioneer Library System (OWWL). She and her husband, Feisal Khan, have two daughters, one who attends Canandaigua Academy. They live in the town of Canandaigua.

Beth Thomas, Vice President 

Term Ends: 2029

Mrs. Thomas was re-elected to a fourth five-year term in May, 2024.  She served 6 years as a past Board Vice-President. Mrs. Thomas served six years as a past Board President. She is a past President of the Four County School Boards Association, with member school districts in Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne Counties. She holds a bachelor's degree from Quinnipiac College and was a Cardio-Pulmonary Physical Therapist at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics for eight years. She now is Practice Manager for her husband, a gastroenterologist in Canandaigua. She served as the President of Friends of Wood Library, President of Canandaigua PTSA, and was a member of numerous school district committees prior to election to the Board of Education. Mrs. and Dr. Thomas have two children who graduated from the Academy in 2013 and 2017.

Amber Valvano 
 

Term Ends: 2031 

Amber Valvano is in her first term on the Board of Education. She is a 2006 graduate of Canandaigua Academy. She attended the University of Rochester, and received her Doctor of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University-Wegmans School of Pharmacy. Amber has worked for Wegmans for 19 years-previously as a Pharmacy Area Manager, and currently as a Marketing Manager. Amber and her husband, Matthew, have three children who all attend Canandaigua Schools.