Three candidates announced today that they have filed to run for South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education: Daniel Caplan, Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, and Ashwat Rishi.
The three are running together on the “Progress, Partnership, Promise” slate. They are running for the seats currently occupied by BOE President Nubia DuVall Wilson, 2nd Vice President Regina Eckert, and Facilities Chair Bill Gifford; the three incumbents said they are not seeking re-election.
In an announcement provided by former BOE member Anthony Mazzocchi, the three candidates said there were “neighbors and parents of students in SOMSD,” who “share a deep commitment to strengthening our district at this pivotal time.” Mazzocchi also supported the slate of Wilson, Eckert, and Gifford, as will as the successful 2024 slate of Jeff Bennett, Bimal Kapadia and Deirdre Brown.
Caplan is described as someone who “has followed Board of Education and district issues closely for years—going so far as to replicate the algorithm used for III placements with more recent local census data in order to better understand enrollment trends and equity concerns.” Ludovicy-Donahue and Rishi are both appointees to the district’s recently revived Budget Advisory Committee, where they oversaw “real strides made by the current Board toward fiscal transparency and the important work still ahead to maximize every dollar spent in service of students,” according to the statement.
Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue and Ashwat Rishi and Daniel Caplan
The statement continues: “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.”
The candidates said, “In the weeks ahead, we’ll share a detailed platform and there will be opportunities to connect with residents throughout South Orange and Maplewood.”
Village Green reached out to the candidates for more biographical information. Ludovicy-Donahue responded with the following on July 10: “I am a labor and employment law attorney for the federal government. My family has lived in Maplewood since November of 2022. We have a daughter going into 2nd grade and a son heading to kindergarten, both at Clinton Elementary. Our third child is in Pre-K at the YMCA. I am involved in the Clinton PTA as the Community Events Chair, including support to SOMA Swish, and our daughter’s girl scout troop.”
Caplan sent this statement on July 11: “I have lived in Maplewood since 2021. Professionally, I am a Director of Quality Engineering at Fresenius Kabi USA, a manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals. I focus on compliance within our R&D department to ensure that our products meet FDA regulations. My wife Samara and I have two children, both at Marshall Elementary where they were placed through the III. Within the community, I am involved with the Marshall PTA as the Technology Chair and at my synagogue, TSTI. In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out at the Maplewood Pool, seeing live music (especially Maplewoodstock!), playing recreational softball and going to any college basketball game in the area.”
Rishi sent a biographical statement on July 11. It reads: “I am an intellectual property attorney at a law firm in NYC. My family moved to Maplewood in July 2022. Our daughter is a rising 2nd grader at Seth Boyden, where our son will be starting kindergarten after two wonderful years at Montrose. I enjoy hiking and playing card games with my family, running and playing golf.”
Every year, three of nine South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education seats are up for election in the November general election. There are no primaries: the BOE is non-partisan.
Deadline for filing with the Essex County Clerk is July 28 at 4 p.m. See the petition attached.
Read the full statement from Ludovicy-Donahue, Rishi and Caplan here:
We’re proud to announce that Daniel Caplan, Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, and Ashwat Rishi will be running together for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education as the Progress, Partnership, Promise slate.
As neighbors and parents of students in SOMSD, we share a deep commitment to strengthening our district at this pivotal time. Daniel has followed Board of Education and district issues closely for years—going so far as to replicate the algorithm used for III placements with more recent local census data in order to better understand enrollment trends and equity concerns. As members of the district’s appointed Budget Advisory Committee, Ashley and Ashwat saw both the real strides made by the current Board toward fiscal transparency and the important work still ahead to maximize every dollar spent in service of students.
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.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll share a detailed platform and there will be opportunities to connect with residents throughout South Orange and Maplewood.
This story was updated on July 10 with biographical information from Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue and on July 11 with biographical information from Daniel Caplan and Ashwat Rishi.
