Who is Liliana? Her friends know her as Lili, the cheerleaders she coaches know her as Coach Lili, and the people she works with know her as Board President Liliana. I know her as a Mom.
Liliana Baez-Moliana came to the United States from Barranquilla, Colombia, when she was 7 years old with her single mother, Blanca, my grandma. They lived in the Bronx, New York. She then moved to Paterson, New Jersey, and attended Mary Help of Christians Academy for her high school years. Attending this school meant her mother had to work three jobs to pay the tuition. A few years after Liliana graduated, she found out she was pregnant with a baby boy. Shortly after her son, Brandon, was born, she moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother. After a year of living in the Dominican Republic, she moved back to Paterson, NJ.
When her firstborn child started at Haledon Public School, Liliana began her journey in the PTA as a Class Mom, and that meant many late nights spent preparing party favors for class parties and taking time out from work to accompany the class on trips. Even after I was born, she continued to work on the annual Halloween parade and later progressed to being one of three Class Moms who put together the class of 2025 8th-grade dance, which, for the first time, took place at The Tides in North Haledon.
When I was in second grade, I sparked an interest in being a cheerleader, so Liliana, a.k.a. mom, signed me up to be a cheerleader for the Manchester Junior Falcons. When we arrived at our first practice, we were informed that there was no coach for the squad, so Liliana volunteered to serve as a cheer coach. And just like that, 7 years of being a cheer coach for MJF began. During Liliana’s 7 years of coaching, she created the Advisor Management role, which recruits experienced cheerleaders from local high schools to advise the four cheer squads: the Mighty Might, Peewees, Juniors, and Seniors. Additionally, the advisors have their volunteer hours tracked.
Once I arrived in the 4th grade, my mom started thinking about which high school I would attend, and she decided on Manchester Regional. She ran for the spot of commissioner on the Manchester Board of Education, and she got the position. In 2024, Liliana made Manchester history in becoming the first Latina Vice President of the board of education, and later in February 2024, became the Board President. In her time in office, she has made many changes to MRHS. She was part of the football field makeover, the auditorium upgrade, and the plan for the new locker rooms. During her time in the BOE, Liliana has had the privilege of meeting Nellie Pou, a United States representative who attends conferences for school improvement and has given two County Teacher awards to Manchester teachers.
When Liliana isn’t volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family. That could be a nice Sunday spent at home, ending the day by the fire pit, or it could be a family vacation with fun activities. Liliana wants to leave a future where every student graduates from high school with a good education and equal opportunities. She’s a picture of a strong, independent, hard-working mother who wants the best for her kids and her community.
