More About Our Directors
Cortney Stephenson
MA, Foundation President
Cortney has called West Milford home for the past 18 years, where she and her husband, Joe, are raising their three children. From 2019 to 2021, Cortney served as a Board of Education Trustee for the West Milford BOE, demonstrating her commitment to education in the community.
Actively engaged in her children’s education, Cortney regularly participates in school events and volunteers for PTA/PTO sponsored activities. She holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing a second Master’s in Educational Leadership. Cortney is in her twenty-first year as a teacher in a neighboring community. With her strong educational background and expertise in school funding, Cortney is dedicated to leveraging her knowledge to foster positive growth within the Highlander Education Foundation. Cortney is hopeful and excited to see how the HEF enhances our local school community.
Lisa Johnson
MS, Foundation Vice President
Lisa is raising two children in West Milford with her husband of seventeen years, Bob, who is a lifelong resident of West Milford. Her children attend West Milford High School and Macopin Middle School and are graduates of Marshall Hill and Apshawa, respectively.
First in her family to earn a Bachelors and a Masters degree, she knows firsthand how important a person’s education is to creating a positive life trajectory.
Lisa’s career in nonprofit management and fundraising has provided her with opportunities for success in both private and public higher education, and large, complex health systems. She holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from William Paterson University, her Masters Degree in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, and a Project Management Certificate from Rutgers Business School. She is dedicated to volunteering her skills to create meaningful opportunities for the students of West Milford.
Marisa Gough
PT, DPT, CLT, Foundation Treasurer
Marisa is a mother of two, a wife, an avid runner, and an advocate for her community. She grew up in Jefferson Township, graduated Kean University in 2010 with her B.A in Biology, and then went on to complete her doctorate at UMDNJ in 2012. She is now a certified lymphedema therapist, and board certified in oncology. She has experience in speaking at Medical Grand Rounds, Tumor Boards, participating in multiple community outreach events, and is currently working on a prospective research study across multiple hospital sites.
She married her high school sweetheart, Matt, in 2015 after moving to West Milford to start a family. She has since come to know and love the town that she calls home. She loves it for its natural beauty, and for its residents that show what true community means. Once her daughter started elementary school, she soon found out what financial hardships her town was facing. The public schools were being hit hard by budget cuts, cost of living was rising, and restaurants were closing. One motto Marisa lives by is “be the change you wish to see”. Things do not change unless you act, and that is exactly what she plans to do with the Highlander Education Foundation. She hopes to bring a POSITIVE change to the community that she fell in love with.
Christina G. Duffy
CTFA, AEP®, MBA, Foundation Secretary
Christina has lived in West Milford for nearly 20 years and currently has children in our district at both the middle school and elementary school levels. She has served in various positions on her children’s elementary school PTA executive board for the last 5 years and is passionate about ensuring the children of West Milford have access to the best resources possible to pave the way toward a successful future. Her goal in working with the Highlander Education Foundation is to support collaboration with the West Milford Board of Education to stabilize “at risk” programs for the benefit of not only our children but all of our town residents.
Christina is a seasoned professional with 20+ years of experience in the private wealth management industry. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Montclair State University and her MBA from Northeastern University. Christina maintains a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation and has been named an Accredited Estate Planner® ( AEP®) by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils.
