Instructor Biographies
Danielle M. Sicard, MMC,CMMC
Danielle M. Sicard, Town Clerk in Easton, MA, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Mathematics from Rhode Island College. A 2012 graduate of NEMCI, Danielle achieved the professional designations of Certified Massachusetts Municipal Clerk (CMMC) and MMC in 2015. She has served as both an elected and appointed Town Clerk for both Representative and Open Town Meeting forms of government. Danielle currently serves as the Governor’s appointee for the Massachusetts Victim & Witness Assistance Board, chaired by the Attorney General, and is the Massachusetts Town Clerks Associations (MTCA) appointee to the MA Elections Task Force. Danielle has served as a member of the MTCA’s Executive Board, Secretary and Treasurer and currently is the MTCA’s 1st VP and chairperson for the Communications & Mentoring Committees. Danielle is faculty for NEMCI&A and has presented courses at MTCA and IIMC Region 1 conferences since 2013. Prior to becoming a town clerk she was the Operations Director overseeing four YMCA locations, owned and operated her own business and served as the Chairman for the 1500 Volunteers at the Deutsche Bank PGA Championship. She has 4 adult children and one grandson. Whether in her job or in her personal life, Danielle’s motto is “Everything happens for a reason….you must always look for the positive.”
Phillip L. Warren, Town Manager, Meredith, NH
Mr. Warren attached a BS at Bridgewater State College, with a major in Political Science and minor in Aviation Science. He holds a Master in Public Administration from Suffolk University. Phil has been employed in Municipal Management since 1996, as an Assistant to the Town Manager, Elected Treasurer – Collector, Town Administrator and Town Manager. Mr. Warren has more than 20 years’ experience in all areas of municipal management, assisted and instructed hundreds of employees during this career in various municipal management topics, including ethics, municipal law, municipal finance, dealing with boards and commissions. He participated in and assisted instruction of Political Science / Public Administration students at the Bachelor and Master level.
James Ognibene, M.Ed.
Jim is a Facilitator of Group Learning Experiences, Career Coach, Learning Catalyst, Keynote Speaker, Educator, and Talent Development Consultant. Jim’s passion is helping both individuals and organizations set and reach personal and professional goals. Jim has been deeply immersed in the field of Organizational and Talent Development for over two decades. He and his team have designed leadership empowerment, team energizers, change engagement and agile workplace programs while Jim has personally delivered over 1,400 professional development workshops, seminars and keynote presentations over a twenty-seven year period. Jim was invited to join the faculty at NEMCI in 2018, and played a lead role in 2020 in bringing a suite of 65 OnDemand courses approved by IIMC for both CMC & MMC points as well as EPP hours. He has delivered presentations for clerk conferences in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well. Jim has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing from George Mason University, Virginia and a Master of Education in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is past president of the Boston Trainers Roundtable and the Old South Arts Committee in Boston. Jim is an avid photographer enhanced by his coursework at the New England School of Photography in Boston. To learn more, please visit: www.visioneerconsulting.com
Jim lives in Salem, MA; he grew up on Long Island, New York, completed his undergraduate work in Virginia, then moved to Boston where he completed his graduate degree. He loves the great outdoors: hiking, biking, the ocean, beach, nature walks, kayaking, gardening, and landscaping. He is chair of the Social Outreach Committee at the Salem Unitarian Universalist church and regularly serves as a volunteer at the local soup kitchen, preparing and serving meals at the Salem shelter.
Lisa Pagano
Lisa Pagano is a Microsoft Certified Instructor who has her Master in Computer Education from Johnson and Wales University. She is the owner of LL Data Designs LLC, a software development company specializing in custom database development and has been teaching Microsoft Office products in a variety of state agencies, municipalities, and private industries since 1992. She has also taught numerous courses at Rhode Island Colleges, University of Rhode Island, New England Institute of Technology, and Quinebaug Valley Community College as an adjunct professor. Lisa lives with her husband and three adult children.
Chris Pudlinski Ph.D.
Chris Pudlinski is chair and professor of Communication at Central Connecticut State University. He has published articles and book chapters on advice giving, empathy and sympathy, encouragement and empowerment in a peer support setting. He teaches courses in such areas as Public Speaking, Nonverbal Communication, Interpersonal Communication and Research Methods. Over the past 5 years, For a number of years, Chris has also conducted workshops on a variety of Communication-based topics with town/city/village clerks in Connecticut, New York, and the Northeast region.
Tracy Borst, MMC/CVC/CVT
Tracy Borst has served as Town Clerk for the Town of Thetford, Vermont since 2003 and as Town Treasurer since 2018. A graduate of the New England Municipal Clerks Institute (NEMCI) Class of 2008, Tracy has remained deeply committed to the education and professional development of municipal clerks throughout New England. She has served as a member of the NEMCI faculty since 2023, is a former Chair of the NEMCI Board of Directors, and was honored by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) as the recipient of the 2023 Institute Director of the Year Award.
