A career educator whose work spans the classroom, the superintendent's office, and the field, Brian P. Gatens brings three decades of experience to teacher preparation at Ramapo College of New Jersey. He has served as a teacher and administrator in the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Bergen and Passaic Counties, and as superintendent in Norwood, Leonia, and Emerson, NJ — earning Bergen County Superintendent of the Year (2019–2020) and the BCASA Distinguished Service Award (2021–2022). He holds an Ed.D. from Seton Hall University and is currently completing post-doctoral work in Conflict Resolution at Columbia University. As Coordinator of Field Services, he works alongside his Ramapo colleagues to connect teacher candidates to the practical realities of schools and classrooms.

• Current Roles: Coordinator of Field Services, Teacher Education, Ramapo College of New Jersey
• Past Experience: Superintendent, Norwood, Leonia, and Emerson school districts; teacher and administrator, Catholic Archdiocese of New York (Bronx)
• Expertise: Clinical teacher preparation, field placement systems, instructional leadership, and educator development
• Education: Ed.D. in Education Leadership (Seton Hall University); post-doctoral study in Conflict Resolution (Columbia University)
• Recognition: Bergen County Superintendent of the Year 2019–2020; BCASA Distinguished Service Award 2021–2022