Rutgers-Newark

"The Newark Trust for Education is an independent organization committed to acting as a convener in bringing together diverse civic stakeholders around reform. We engage in meaningful collective work on behalf of all Newark’s children."

Clement Alexander Price is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of History and Director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience, Rutgers University, Newark Campus.

The Prudential Foundation

“As a local education fund, The Trust works to reduce fragmentation of efforts and mobilize civic leadership.”

Shané Harris serves as the Vice President of The Prudential Foundation, where she is responsible for management of Foundation staff and program strategy and overseeing the distribution of $25 million in annual Foundation grants. Ms. Harris oversees education policy for Prudential’s Community Resources Department and advises senior management on their support of education initiatives.  She also serves as Secretary of the Foundation.

Essex County College

"I have a passion for the 'tipping point' of Newark, and I really believe that we are at a tipping point."

Essex County College President Dr. Edythe M. Abdullah joined the Trust's board of directors in December 2012, bringing with her the experience of an entire career spent in higher education.

The Newark Charter School Fund

Mashea Ashton is the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, having joined the organization as a partner in February 2009. Before joining NCSF, Mashea served as the Executive Director for the New York Program and Senior Advisor for Charter School Policy for New Leaders for New Schools.

Mashea has also served as the Executive Director for Charter Schools for the New York City Department of Education, the National Director of Recruitment and Selection for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and as a special education teacher in Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC.

Victoria Foundation

“While reform efforts and superintendents come and go, the Trust is here for the long haul to ensure that student outcomes follow a positive, upward trajectory."

In June 2006, Irene Cooper-Basch became the third Executive Officer and Secretary of the Board for Victoria Foundation, a private grantmaking institution founded in 1924,with current assets totaling $200 million. Prior to this appointment, she served as a Program Officer at Victoria Foundation and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey for10 years. Both foundations have a strong grantmaking focus on the city of Newark, New Jersey.

Newark Public Schools Advisory Board

“My goal here is to save the lives of the children of our city—and I mean that quite literally."

A retired educator, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson currently serves as chair of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board, but from 2008 until her retirement in July 2010, she was the coordinator at the Newark Public Schools Marion A. Bolden Student Center, where she developed a core of after school classes and university partnerships for Newark's high school students.

Rutgers-Newark

“The Newark Education Trust acts as an advocate for the community in holding the Newark Public Schools accountable in establishing a new culture of excellence.”

Chancellor Steven J. Diner has headed Rutgers University-Newark since July 2002.

Bethany Baptist Church

From his early life in Americus, Georgia to the present, M. William Howard, Jr. has sought to apply his faith toward transforming the human condition.

As the elected youth leader of the Sumter County (GA) Voters League in 1961, he was engaged in the first massive voter education and registration drive in Southwest Georgia. As a national staff member of the (Dutch) Reformed Church in America; as Moderator of the Programme to Combat Racism of the World Council of Churches; as President of the National Council of Churches; and as President of the American Committee on Africa, he was deeply involved in a wide-range of Human Rights and anti-colonial campaigns in the US, Southern Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. He was denied visas to South Africa until after Nelson Mandela was released in 1990; in 1979, with the late Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton and the late Leon-Etienne Cardinal Duval, he ministered to US personnel being held hostage in Iran; and with The Reverend Jesse Jackson, he helped to secure the release of US Navy pilot, Robert O. Goodman from Syria.

Founder, Ontic Education

 “The Trust promotes and advocates for the communal value of quality education for all children in Newark.”

Leadership Newark, Inc.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to contribute as a board member of the Newark Trust for Education. As an independent organization, we work diligently on behalf of the students of Newark, and our focus is high student achievement and academic excellence for all students.”

Presently, Celia M. King serves as the executive director of Leadership Newark, Inc., where she is responsible for ensuring a myriad of citizens committed to the City of Newark, enhance their skills and knowledge based on numerous public policy issues affecting the community.

Newark Alliance

“As a board member for The Newark Trust for Education, I am dedicated to helping the city of Newark establish effective and sustainable education reform policies. We must put an end to the high turnover of efforts and initiatives.”

Alfred C. Koeppe is currently the CEO of the Newark Alliance. He has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Atlantic-New Jersey. 

The Prudential Foundation (retired)

“The Trust intends to be a beacon of effective capacity building, and elevate what works in education in Newark.”

Gabriella E. Morris is the former president of The Prudential Foundation and former corporate vice president of the Community Resources unit of Prudential Insurance Company of America. In these positions, she directed all aspects of Prudential’s interface with communities and national and international philanthropies and non-profits by coordinating and leveraging company resources.

La Casa de Don Pedro

“The Trust’s only constituencies are the students and parents of Newark.”

Since 1998 and under Mr. Ocasio’s stewardship La Casa has experienced tremendous growth and consolidation of its programs and advocacy activities while adding vigor to its economic development work by employing a focused, targeted, comprehensive and integrated strategy plan.

Schumann Fund for NJ

Barbara Reisman has been Executive Director of The Schumann Fund for New Jersey since 1997.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

“One of the goals I have is that arts education be as important and preeminent in any of the work that we do."

NJPAC President John Schreiber joined the Trust's board of directors in December 2012 and has served as president of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center since July 2011.

Prior to his arrival at NJPAC, he served as executive vice president of social action and advocacy of Participant Media, LLC, where he was responsible for managing the creation, development and execution of unique social action and advocacy campaigns for each participant film.

Abbott Leadership Institute

“The community’s voice is vitally important in the conversation of education reform in Newark. As such, The Trust will augment and support the voices already engaged in education reform, providing information and access to other resources as needed. This is one way The Trust helps to align efforts.”

Junius W. Williams is a noted attorney, educator, musician and community advocate.  As the Director of the Abbott Leadership Institute, at Rutgers University, Newark, he teaches advocacy skills to parents and professional educators.

City of Newark

President, Newark Teachers Union