Meet Michael Unis | Verona School Board Member

Michael Unis was raised in Verona and has been a resident of Martin Road for 21 years. Along with support from his family he took out loans to put himself through college. After graduating from Ithaca College in December 2008 he continued his work within the non-profit field, as well as in the for-profit sector through roles in Management and Business Consulting. During his senior semester in college he applied to Teach For America. Michael will be teaching Elementary school in Newark, NJ, in September 2009.

Early Years
Michael Unis was born in Livingston, NJ, on March 21, 1987. His father was born and raised in Belleville, NJ; but he moved to Verona at the age of 21 to start a family with his wife, Laurie.

Michael’s mother, Laurie Unis, grew up in Belleville, NJ, and dedicated 20 years of her life to raising her four children in Verona. In 2004, Laurie enrolled at Montclair State University, while working part time, and raising a family.

Michael graduated from the Verona School District in the Spring of 2005. Since he was a toddler he has been a member of the Boy Scouts of America. He achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout in June 2005.

The College Years
With the values of determination, service and empathy that he learned over the years from his teachers, Michael spent the majority of his time in college founding and developing the non-profit organization, Do Anything Nice (D.A.N.).

With over 1000 hours of community service per year from 2005 to 2008, Michael worked with students in service projects from New York, New Jersey, California, as well as globally.

After having spent 8 years dedicated to student organizations, he came to realize that in order to truly improve the school systems in America, it would take not just change on the student level, but also change at the policy making level.

His interest to serve on the Verona Board of Education began in 2002. One day after school he stumbled upon the board office and was greeted by the board secretary, Cheryl Nardino. The time Cheryl took to have a conversation with Unis left a lasting impression. For the next 7 years, he planned to return to Verona to serve on the Board of Education as a leader who could grow alongside the residents from an early age.