J.D., Head of School
Maria Pilar Paradiso was named Head of School in February of 2010, after serving as the interim since July of 2009.
Maria joined Link Community School as Director of Development in 2002, then overseeing a small office with responsibility over development, trustee relations and alumni relations. In 2006, she was named Vice Principal, Director of Institutional Advancement to reflect the expansion of her role to include public relations, publications, and extracurricular student programming. Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees and Principal, her team successfully reached each year’s fundraising goals and supported key programming initiatives.
Prior to joining Link Community School, Maria practiced family law with the Middlesex County Legal Services Corporation and consumer law with the Passaic County Legal Aid Office after clerking for United States Magistrate Judge John J. Hughes. She began her fundraising experience with the campaign office of former United States Senator Bill Bradley, where she successfully managed major events for the Senator’s 1990 Re-election Campaign. She then served as Coordinator of Educational Programming and Coordinator of Corporate and Foundation Relations for the New Jersey State Museum. While at the State Museum, she helped launch and secure funding for after-school programming for Trenton youngsters and weekend family programming.
Maria holds a J.D. from Rutgers Law School-Newark and a B.A. in Political Science from Montclair State University. She lives with her husband and four children in Cranford, New Jersey. She is a native of Argentina and is fluent in Spanish.