Executive Team: Board of Directors

Bobby Issar
Bobby Issar is currently the Director of the Spirit Eagles Field Hockey Group.  He has been involved in field hockey for over 20 years beginning as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Field Hockey Team.  More recently, Bobby has been named to the U.S. Men’s and Women’s High Performance Coaching Staff and as a selector for the U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team.

As the Director of Spirit Eagles Field Hockey Group, Bobby has a track record of success. His training program has facilitated the recruitment of over 150 players who have gone on to play at Division 1 colleges and universities with many players receiving athletic scholarships. 

Bobby’s love for the game was instilled in him at a very early age. In fact, the Issar family has represented the U.S. in field hockey since 1959 when Bobby’s father was first selected to the U.S. Men’s National Team. Bobby’s brother, Kulbir, was selected to the 1963 squad and represented the U.S. in the 1967 and 1971 Pan Am Games. Bobby continued the legacy when he was first selected to the 1985 team and participated in the 1987 Pan Am Games

Chris Weir
Chris is a partner at Marks Paneth & Shron LLP, one of the largest independent accounting firms in the New York region where he renders tax, consulting and audit services to clients in the Advertising, Architecture, Wine & Liquor Importing, Nonprofit, Direct Mail or Public Relations industries.  He currently services 10 nonprofit clients including one for which he sits on the finance committee.  Chris is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in New York and New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the New York State Society of CPAs and the New Jersey Society of CPAs.  He holds a BS in Accounting from St. John’s University and lives with his wife and daughter in Millington, New Jersey.

Dennis Casale
Dennis, an attorney, is the co-managing partner of the Princeton, NJ office of Pepper Hamilton LLP.  He is a 1978 cum laude graduate of Seton Hall Law School, where he had the distinction of graduating first in his class.  His practice includes representation of financial institutions and their affiliates on regulatory matters, product development and other legal concerns.  Mr. Casale is also known for his representation of nonprofit institutions, including community associations.  He is a registered New Jersey governmental affairs agent, and a former Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey.  Mr. Casale also served asPresident of the Lawrence Township Board of Education for five years. 

Clarissa Sacco
Clarissa is a graduate of St. Elizabeth College with a BS degree in Biology. She also holds an AS in Biology from the County College of Morris and pursued a Master’s Degree in Microbiology/MBA from Seton Hall University. Athletically, a graduate of Chatham Township HS, Clarissa was named Most Outstanding Senior Athlete having played 7 sports throughout her time in high school. She continued her career as a field hockey player on the Women’s New Jersey Field Hockey Team.  Following her education, she spent 20 years working for the Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceutical Company (presently Novartis) as a Senior Scientist in Microbiology and as a Senior Technical Education Specialist.  Throughout her time at Ciba-Geigy, Clarissa also committed herself to various fundraising projects, providing most of her time fundraising for the United Way.  Since her retirement, Clarissa has devoted considerable time to promoting the sport of field hockey. She serves as a coach for grade school and middle school recreational teams. Most recently, she became a full-time coach for the U16 Division of the Spirit Eagles Field Hockey Club.

Karen Murray
Karen is a partner in the Murray Law Firm LLC, which specializes in Labor Law.  She is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and the Albany Law School where she received the Business and Professional Women Fellowship.   While in college, Karen worked for New York State Senator Howard Nolan Jr., and in the Governor’s Council Office as a Confidential Legal Assistant to the Governor.   She has also worked for the General Electric Silicone Business Products Division specializing in employee relations operation.   When not practicing law, Karen is the “Team Mom” for one of the U19 Spirit Eagles Field Hockey Teams. 

Steve Cohen
Steve is currently the owner of Prep Sports Marketing, a provider of video services for the student-athlete and high schools in the tri-state area.  Following a 25-year career at AT&T where he held numerous positions in marketing, sales and new product development, Steve started the video services business after assisting his daughter through the field hockey recruiting process.  While at AT&T, Steve led the development of two telecommunications services for which he received patents.  He holds a dual BS degree in Marketing and Advertising from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University as well as an MBA from SU.  In addition, he received an Executive MBA degree from the Keenan-Flagler School at the University of North Carolina.  Steve is also on the Executive Committee of the Lackawanna Sail and Power Squadron.  He is married with one daughter and resides in Summit, NJ.