The following individuals will be on this year's ballot. The election will take place electronically from April 7 through April 11, 2025. All members will receive an email with a link for online voting. Bios appear here as they were submitted to NYSPRA by each candidate.

Candidate for Vice President/President-Elect

Sondra Whalen 

Sondra Whalen, APR is the Director of Student Programs and Communications at Vernon Verona. Sherrill Central School District, where she develops communication strategies and cultivates enriched student learning opportunities. With a strong foundation in education and over 17 years of experience, she began her career as a middle school English Language Arts teacher before transitioning to school communications in 2017.

Passionate about elevating the field of public relations, Sondra has earned recognition for her authentic and engaging presentations at both state and national events. With a focus on empowering PR professionals to confidently navigate their roles and showcase their impact, she has been a featured presenter for the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and SPRA chapters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, New England, and Washington. Additionally, she has represented school public relations at conferences for the New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA), New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), and the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYSAHPERD).

Sondra holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from Clarkson University. She earned a Master of Science in Teaching from Le Moyne College in 2009, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2017, and a School District Leader certificate in 2018.

In her daily work, Sondra focuses on storytelling and fostering meaningful relationships within the school community. Through strategic campaigns, collaborative events, volunteering, and thoughtful communication efforts, she works to strengthen engagement and trust among all school partners and stakeholders. Her creativity and dedication in these areas have earned her multiple awards from the New York School Public Relations Association and a Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association.

Outside of her professional life, Sondra enjoys reading, traveling, baking, and family adventures. She lives in Bridgeport, NY, with her husband, son, and daughter.

Candidate for Treasurer

MADELINE GIRANDOLA

Madeline Girandola is a Public Information Assistant specializing in school athletic communications and the first in Rockland County to hold a sports-specific school P.R. role. She has been with Rockland BOCES for two years, initially handling district communications for East Ramapo Central School District and BOCES communications for Rockland Works before transitioning within six months to focus specifically on athletics at North Rockland Central School District. She currently manages a student worker team and is actively involved in HUDSPRA and the Sunshine Committee. She enjoys collaborating with others and values the power of teamwork in achieving shared goals.

A 2024 NSPRA Award of Excellence winner for Video Series and Honorable Mention recipient for Video-Single, she has also presented at this year's NYSPRA and NYSAAA Conferences on building school communities through athletic social media. Known for her strong work ethic, attention to detail, teamwork approach, and ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines, she excels in time management, project management, and strategic content development. She is always looking to learn new skills to continue growing as a person. 

Madeline holds a degree in Sports Communication & Media from Sacred Heart University, where she was a Videographer for the football team and Senior Information Technician in the IT Department. While at Sacred Heart, she served as Vice President of Finance for Kappa Delta Sorority, managing a $100,000 budget, dues, and financial operations. Madeline was also in charge of the photography section of the SHU newspaper, an anchor on the university’s news station, The Pulse, and a tutor for the communications school.

Passionate about storytelling and community engagement, Madeline thrives in fast-paced environments where creativity and precision are key. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, diamond art, and running social media for her dentist’s office as a creative side project!

Alex Wolff

Alex Wolff has served as the public information officer for Pelham Public Schools in Westchester County since 2016. Before joining the school public relations field, he spent nearly a decade in print journalism, earning awards from the New York Press Association for his coverage of municipal government and high school athletics. He holds a B.A. in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire.

As a one-person PR department, Alex has led several initiatives to enhance district communications. His key areas of focus include developing a crisis communications plan, redesigning the school website, introducing new communication tools, and spearheading a strategic campaign to pass the largest capital improvement bond in district history—a topic he presented on at the 2019 NSPRA Conference in Washington, D.C. His work in budget and bond communications, as well as crisis communications, has been recognized in the annual NYSPRA Awards.

In 2022, Alex partnered with NSPRA to conduct a communications audit of the district, resulting in a strategic communications plan aimed at strengthening community engagement. A longtime member of both NYSPRA and NSPRA, he also contributes to the informal Hudson Valley School Public Relations Association (HUDSPRA), which fosters collaboration among communications professionals in the region.

Alex lives in Pelham with his wife and daughter. When he’s not fulfilling his roles as husband, father, and PIO, you can find him on the golf course or cheering for the Knicks, Yankees, and Jets.

Candidates for Secretary

MADELINE GIRANDOLA

Madeline Girandola is a Public Information Assistant specializing in school athletic communications and the first in Rockland County to hold a sports-specific school P.R. role. She has been with Rockland BOCES for two years, initially handling district communications for East Ramapo Central School District and BOCES communications for Rockland Works before transitioning within six months to focus specifically on athletics at North Rockland Central School District. She currently manages a student worker team and is actively involved in HUDSPRA and the Sunshine Committee. She enjoys collaborating with others and values the power of teamwork in achieving shared goals.

A 2024 NSPRA Award of Excellence winner for Video Series and Honorable Mention recipient for Video-Single, she has also presented at this year's NYSPRA and NYSAAA Conferences on building school communities through athletic social media. Known for her strong work ethic, attention to detail, teamwork approach, and ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines, she excels in time management, project management, and strategic content development. She is always looking to learn new skills to continue growing as a person. 

Madeline holds a degree in Sports Communication & Media from Sacred Heart University, where she was a Videographer for the football team and Senior Information Technician in the IT Department. While at Sacred Heart, she served as Vice President of Finance for Kappa Delta Sorority, managing a $100,000 budget, dues, and financial operations. Madeline was also in charge of the photography section of the SHU newspaper, an anchor on the university’s news station, The Pulse, and a tutor for the communications school.

Passionate about storytelling and community engagement, Madeline thrives in fast-paced environments where creativity and precision are key. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, diamond art, and running social media for her dentist’s office as a creative side project!

Jason Laz

Jason Laz has been the Troy City School District’s Communications Specialist since 2021. A proud Troy CSD graduate, his one-person office oversees all district communications, including social media, the district website, budget, crisis and internal communications, mass notifications and media relations. Before returning to his alma mater, he spent seven years with Questar III BOCES Communications Service, supporting BOCES programs and component districts.

Jason is committed to improving family engagement and creating proactive, inclusive communication strategies. To pursue this goal, Jason led the implementation of ParentSquare at Troy in the spring of 2022 and is currently working to enhance the district’s content strategy to ensure accessible and equitable communications for all.

With a background in journalism and TV/video production, Jason’s expertise in digital media and content creation has been instrumental in his growth as a public relations practitioner. Telling the stories of students and staff in Troy and building positive internal and external relationships is at the heart of his work.

Before joining the illustrious ranks of school communicators, Jason worked in broadcast news as a studio camera operator, videographer, editor, and audio operator at Fox23 News in Albany and as a master control operator and news producer managing content creation for several New York markets at YNN Albany (now known as Spectrum News).

After graduating from Troy High School, Jason earned an Associate Degree in Broadcast Communications with a concentration in TV/Video Production from Hudson Valley Community College. He later completed a Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Studies/Broadcast Journalism at Empire State University.

An active member of the New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA) and the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) since 2021, Jason has presented at both state and national conferences, in-person and virtually.

He lives in North Greenbush with his wife, Megan, and their soon-to-be five-year-old son, Owen. Jason is also a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and will be at the parade when the Jags (eventually) win a Super Bowl title.

Mackenzie Rigg

Mackenzie Rigg has always loved talking to people — just ask her fourth-grade teacher. Three decades later, she’s built a career around it. An accomplished communications specialist and news reporter, she has over 15 years of experience in storytelling, public engagement, research and crisis communications.

As the Communications Specialist at Ichabod Crane CSD, her alma mater, she prioritizes using the voices of students and staff to highlight the impact of public education. Her 8-year-old is a second grader at the Primary School, set to graduate in 2035.

As a district employee, Mackenzie oversees all communications, including family and staff outreach, media relations and newsletters. She produces the monthly e-newsletter and biannual mailings (Fall Newsletter and Budget Newsletter) for 7,100 residents, develops social media campaigns, and designs slide decks and other materials. She also manages the district’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, incorporating her own photography and graphic design, advises leadership and ensures accessible communications.

After graduating from high school, she started as a biology major at UMass Amherst, where a professor sparked her passion for non-fiction writing, leading her to switch to journalism. She graduated in 2007 and quickly launched her career as a reporter. In 2010, after covering Haiti’s devastating earthquake from a Massachusetts newsroom, she traveled there to report firsthand, later earning a spot at Columbia Journalism School’s investigative program. Her thesis took her back to Haiti to report on illegal detentions in women’s prisons.

For the next six years, she covered breaking news, politics and social issues at publications in New York and Connecticut, reporting on the Sandy Hook and Boston Marathon tragedies. Her work also took her to Uganda for a five-part investigative series. In 2018, she shifted to communications, joining a Connecticut nonprofit focused on equitable health care and the social determinants of health before returning to Ichabod Crane.