The youngest students in the Robbinsville School District got a surprise visitor recently during “Clothing Day,” when U.S. Marine Col. Nick Mackres arrived at Pond Road Middle School in full dress blues.
For the 3- and 4-year-old pre-K students, it was an impressive show-and-tell. For staff, it was a rare glimpse into the dual life of a colleague who normally goes by “Mr. Mackres” — the district’s business administrator and board secretary since 2020.
Mackres, 48, has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for nearly 30 years, including three combat tours in Iraq. Today, he remains active in the Marine Corps Reserves while focusing on school operations in Robbinsville.
“I wanted to share an important message with the students that you can pursue more than one passion in life,” Mackres said. “While I love my job at Robbinsville Public Schools, with the opportunity every day to make positive impacts on the school community, I am also passionate about my service in the Marine Corps.”
Dressed in his ceremonial uniform, Mackres pointed out symbols like the eagle globe and anchor on his cap and medals across his chest.
The preschoolers, wide-eyed with curiosity, asked questions about the uniform’s colors and insignia. He even got them counting to four in French, explaining the meaning of the “quatrefoil” stitching on his white cap.
“This January, when I joined the school district, I was immediately impressed by Nick Mackres as our business administrator,” Superintendent Patrick Pizzo said. “He is enabling the preservation of student-facing programs, while making the right decisions to best serve the interests of all stakeholders.”
Mackres, a former administrator in the Jamesburg, Spring Lake, and Mullica school districts, has led several cost-saving initiatives in Robbinsville.
These include overseeing solar panel installations at the high school and middle school that are expected to generate $1.7 million in energy savings over 15 years, and eventually up to $500,000 annually. He has also worked to reduce healthcare and overhead costs through long-term planning.
“The military — and the discipline that comes with it — has made me much more effective in my role in Robbinsville,” Mackres said. “Would I join the military again? Absolutely. But I first see myself as a school administrator. This is where I want to be.”
Mackres is currently assigned to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is expected to serve as a military liaison to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
