Our Team

LauraBeth is a pediatric nurse with a Master of Public Health. She aims to help cultivate an inclusive and welcoming community and lives in town with her husband and rescue dog. 

Carol Sue DeCinque has been a Haddon Township resident for 23 years. She has 3 children with her husband Tom. Carol Sue also works in HT as a Behavorial aide. She enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, the outdoors and is also part of a Dragon Boat team. 

She loves Haddon Township and the opportunities HT continuously offers for learning and growth across all populations. 

This is her third year participating in the HTEI Pride events. She identifies as an ally and loves to volunteer time to help others and help this community become a safer place for her family and friends. 

She is proud to be a part of the growth that this community shows in coming together to support everyone.

Ricque has worked as an educator for the past twenty years in Philadelphia. She has served as the Associate Director of the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACTS) since 2015. In this role, Ricque has been committed to furthering the school’s mission of “serving Asian American students and immigrant and refugee students of all races and engaging students in understanding their role as active participants in working for a just society.” 

She lives in Haddon Township with her husband and teenage daughter. The whole family has volunteered for years with the Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council (IHOC). They particularly enjoy attending on-going mentor night events with men who have graduated from the program.     

Ricque first volunteered as a member of the HTEI PRIDE planning committee in 2022. She is excited to continue to serve as an ally and to collaborate with this team of like minded people working together to build a more inclusive community.

Small business owner and Retail Manager, born and raised in Haddon Township class of 2003. After graduating, lived up and down the east coast from Savannah to NYC before making it back in town with his boyfriend Caleb.

Growing up in town, he always felt comfortable with being who he was but learned quickly after graduating that there are a lot of people in our community that have not been so lucky. He is grateful to be part of HTEI and couldn’t be more proud of our town for supporting such an amazing event like PRIDE and the work that HTEI has done to support the community.

Ryland has been a kindergarten through fifth grade general music teacher in Medford since he graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2015. In addition to teaching general music, he instructs 4th/5th grade chorus, 5th grade band, and 5th grade drama club. Ryland also spent his first six years upon graduating working with and directing high school marching bands. In December of 2021, he graduated with his masters in music education from Kent State University. 

Ryland came out as a transgender man in January of 2021. Being the first known openly transgender teacher in NJ to transition after already being established at his school- this was unknown territory for students, parents and administrators alike. Ryland had to strategically navigate these uncharted waters because of the multi-faceted complications such as age-appropriately handling this with elementary-aged children and being the music teacher at his school for six years by this point. 

Ryland now resides with his wife and daughter in Haddon Township. After growing up in Haddonfield and not feeling safe to come out, it is a relief to come back to the area to a community that he not only feels safe, but celebrated.

Ryland has given talks at several universities including Indiana University of PA, The College of NJ, Arcadia University, and University of Arkansas to discuss his journey as a transgender man and educator. He has catered his presentation to music educators, physician assistants and school counselors. Ryland enjoys sharing his journey to spread awareness and most importantly provide the representation that he so desperately needed, but never experienced, for the first 27 years of his life. It is his pleasure to serve Haddon Township Pride.

Scott is a cis gay male who was raised in the town of Shamong, located in the New Jersey Wharton State Forest. He graduated from Seneca High School in Tabernacle, New Jersey and later attended Stockton University, where he received his bachelor's degree in Environmental Science in 2016. While studying at Stockton, Scott also volunteered at the university's arboretum, where he developed a passion for forestry and environmental conservation. 

Scott has a deep love for nature and enjoys spending his free time exploring the Pine Barrens, Longwood Gardens, the Jersey Shore, and local parks in Haddon Township. He is a strong advocate for sustainability and conservation, and is committed to preserving the environment for future generations. 

Aside from his love for nature, Scott also has a passion for caring for people, particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community. He has set his sights on pursuing further education in the medical field, with the goal of becoming a licensed practical nurse. Scott plans to return to school to become a medical assistant and hopes to join a practice that specializes in LGBT care, where he can provide compassionate and inclusive care to those in need. 

Overall, Scott is a driven and caring individual with a strong sense of purpose. He is committed to making a positive impact in his community and in the world at large, both through his love for the environment and his dedication to providing quality healthcare to marginalized communities 

J is your friendly neighborhood queer mom. Knowing at a very young age that she was a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, J has a gift for seeing people as people. 

With a bachelors degree in Communications and a masters degree in Instructional Design, J has a career as a Digital Learning Specialist at Chubb Insurance. In addition to her involvement with HT Pride, she also serves on the Chubb Pride Business Round Table Workplace Committee and previously ran a youth LGBTQIA+ support group with her husband. She looks forward to raising her daughter in a community full of pride!

Creating change and encouraging other humans to accept and love themselves fully as individuals is her daily mission. As the band The Police sing, “be yourself. Not matter what they say.”

Laura is a resident of Haddon Township and lives with her husband and three children. For the past 19 years, Laura has worked at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in various nursing roles, most recently as a Nursing Professional Development Specialist. During the school year, Laura is also a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing. Laura is passionate about education, volunteering, and community outreach - especially bystander CPR. Her and her husband have volunteered internationally through various organizations combining their love of travel and healthcare.

Laura is proud to say that she is a volunteer with HTEI because she firmly believes in the mission and vision of the group. The positive impact that HTEI has made in the community is palpable and she is honored to be part of the team that is making equitable change.

Melanie is a communications and fundraising professional with more than two decades of experience advancing equity in the education sector. She serves as Chief Advancement Officer of Freire Schools, a network of public charter schools in Philadelphia and Wilmington. Melanie develops robust communications and public affairs strategies and leads all aspects of fund development, including annual appeals, major and planned giving, and capital efforts. She has extensive experience in public charter school operations and compliance, project management, new school development, grant writing, and public advocacy. Melanie believes that “school choice” is not a new concept, but a privilege historically enjoyed exclusively by those with means. She believes in and fights for public charter schools because they extend that right to families from traditionally underserved communities.

Melanie also believes that game nights are good for the soul, and so has organized Pride Quizzo as part of Haddon Township Pride’s Pride and Progress Night for the past three years. When she’s not dreaming up Pride Quizzo questions, you can find Melanie spending time with her three amazing siblings or walking her dog Whitman in Collingswood where she lives. 

Cristina Aicher, she/her, is a born & bred Norwegian, psychologist in private practice by day, and presents as Cris Valkyria; a songwriter and performing artist in the original alt/rock/pop band Valkyrians by night. She is a devoted mother of a 15 year old Haddon Township freshman, and enjoys spending time with her son as much as possible. She enjoys the great outdoors, traveling, animals, good food, yoga, socializing, arts and culture, she is good for a humorous bit or a friendly banter, and is passionate about equity.