With the July 28 filing deadline passed, the final number of candidates is set for the November 4 election for South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education — barring any write-in campaigns.
Six candidates, running on two slates, are vying for three seats on the 9-member Board of Education. Terms are for three years. The election is nonpartisan. The candidates are:
- Malini Nayar, Paul Stephan, and Meredith Higgins — running on the “Listen, Learn, Lead” slate.
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Daniel Caplan, Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, and Ashwat Rishi, running on the “Progress, Partnership, Promise” slate.
Notably, although candidates can run together on a slate, each candidate is listed individually on the ballot.
The Caplan, Ludovicy-Donahue and Rishi slate filed petitions with the Essex County Clerk on July 10. Per their campaign announcement:
“We believe that before we can achieve the aspirations our community holds for our children, we must maintain a stable financial foundation. The fiscal cliff ahead affects every student and family in our schools, and addressing it will be the Board’s central responsibility in the coming year. We are committed to ensuring that every dollar spent is aligned with what matters most—supporting student learning, well-being, and success. We’re running because we see a Board working cohesively as a team—growing into a body defined by transparency, professionalism, and effective governance. We’re ready to help accelerate that progress and work in true partnership with the administration and the community to meet this challenge with courage, innovation, and focus.”
Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, Ashwat Rishi and Daniel Caplan
Daniel Caplan is a Maplewood resident, parent of two Marshall School students, and Director of Quality Engineering at Fresenius Kabi USA, a manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals.
Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue is a labor and employment law attorney for the federal government, a Maplewood resident, and parent of two Clinton Elementary students, and an appointee to the district’s recently revived Budget Advisory Committee.
Ashwat Rishi is Maplewood resident, a father of a Seth Boyden student, an intellectual property attorney at a law firm in NYC, and an appointee to the district’s Budget Advisory Committee.
Read more about Caplan, Ludovicy-Donahue and Rishi and the “Progress, Partnership, Promise” slate here:
The Malini Nayar, Paul Stephan, and Meredith Higgins slate filed petitions on July 28.
Malini Nayar, Paul Stephan, and Meredith Higgins.
In their campaign announcement, Nayar, Stephan and Higgins wrote that they are eager to “listen to what’s working in our schools, learn where there’s room to grow, and ultimately lead with integrity, collaboration, and care. Through open, respectful dialogue, we hope to earn your trust, your partnership—and your vote.
The team continued: “We want to foster continuous improvement, manage resources responsibly, and uphold our community’s deep commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize that students come to our district with different strengths and needs, and we will work closely with the Superintendent to meet the needs of all students. We know that a strength of our district is the range of opportunities we offer, and we will ensure our district retains its commitment to the arts. We also realize that our district exists in the world, and our national challenges—from building a sustainable future to validating the humanity of people from all backgrounds—are not distractions from the work of educating the next generation, but integral parts of it.”
The teams wrote that they “are encouraged by the leadership of the new Superintendent, and we are excited to collaborate with members of the Board of Education, build on the momentum, and meet this moment together.”
Paul Stephan, a public interest lawyer, former public school teacher, and Maplewood resident, ran for the BOE in 2024 as a solo candidate. He also has been serving as campaign manager for Jane Collins-Colding, who won the Democratic primary for Maplewood Township Committee in June.
Malini Nayar is a community development finance professional, Maplewood resident, and parent of two Columbia High School students.
Meredith Higgins is a community dance educator, Seth Boyden parent, graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Maplewood resident.
Read more about Stephan, Nayar and Higgins’ personal biographies and campaign here:
