Team EFG – Empowering Future Generations for Teaneck Board of Education

Eric Rhea is the owner and founder of Furnish My Space, an interior design and furnishing services company. He received his BS in Political Science from Howard University in Washington, DC in 1994 and later earned an interior design certification in NYC. Eric is the youngest of three children whose parents, though they did not finish college themselves, were deeply committed to education — putting Eric and his siblings through Howard University, Wesleyan University, Columbia University (Masters in Journalism), and Harvard Business School (MBA). It is this access to quality education, and the knowledge of where it can take any child, that drives Eric's commitment to ensuring kids receive the best public school education possible. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Hoods To Woods Foundation, a NYC-based outreach program that mentors kids from underserved communities and takes them snowboarding in the winter to expose them to new experiences. Eric is the proud, involved father of a 4-year-old daughter currently enrolled in Pre-K 4 in Teaneck public schools. He has participated in reading to the kids at her school and volunteered for activity days on multiple occasions.

Liza Fernandez moved to Teaneck with her Dominican family in 1992 as the eldest of five siblings. All five of them attended Teaneck Public Schools. She has been a Teaneck resident for over three decades, owns a home in Teaneck, and co-owns a local family business with her husband George, The Well Purified Water. She stays involved by volunteering at the schools, organizing school fundraisers, as a PTO member, serving as three-term chair at Teaneck Charter School Community Organization, and as acting President of the Teaneck Road Business Community Alliance. Liza is a Sunday School Teacher at The Summit Church of Bergen County in Hackensack. She believes that meaningful change begins when ordinary people are willing to step forward and serve. She is a First Grade Teacher at Bergen County Christian Academy with a master's in Elementary Education from Grand Canyon University. She earned her degree while raising three boys alongside her husband, George Fernandez, Jr., and all three attend Teaneck Public Schools. Her son at Teaneck High is also enrolled in the first cohort of the dual enrollment program at Bergen Community College and will graduate in June 2027 from the college and the high school simultaneously. Liza has worked alongside teachers, parents, local businesses, faith leaders, and volunteers to support the community and build partnerships. Her hope is to continue building bridges across the Teaneck Public School District by inspiring others to join in creating a brighter future for Teaneck students.

Dr. Venegas-Pizarro is a Physician, HIV and Hepatitis Specialist, Health and Social Justice Activist, Urgent Care Specialist, and Social Entrepreneur. He attended medical school at the University of Illinois in Chicago and completed his residency in Social Medicine and Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He has held HIV leadership positions at Promesa Inc, HousingWorks, and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he served as Director of HIV and Hepatitis Services. He is the Regional Medical Director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), supervising over 20 clinics across the Northeast, DC, and Midwest, and has provided relief work in Mexico, El Salvador, and Haiti. A volunteer attending at NYU Langone Medical Center and member of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Venegas has dedicated over 20 years to HIV care and expanding access to health services for underserved communities. He has three daughters and lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, where his youngest daughter attends Teaneck public schools.