Public Policy Summit 2015

Newark In Action: Educate, Engage and Empower

Thank you for your interest in “Newark In Action: Educate ♦ Engage Empower, the 2015 Leadership Newark Public Policy Summit! As promised during our first Summit in 2013, we are bringing back the opportunity to hear your voice.  At that time, we asked the over 200 stakeholders in attendance to act on their passion and be prepared to share how a collective would be able to work on behalf of making Newark a better place for the greater good.  The Leadership Newark Public Policy Summit will provide the opportunity to share that passion and your solutions.  We also are responding to what came up as the most pressing public policy issues with a focus in 2015 on education and public safety.

The 2015 Summit is designed to include in depth discussions on both education & public safety with workshops that will enable you to roll up your sleeves, share working viable solutions and pointers on how to Educate v Engage v Empower one another.  The intent of the 2015 Summit is to provide a conference setting for Newark stakeholders to become informed about the latest developments in education and public safety and how they are impacting Newark and other urban communities.  The conference provides a space for policy wonks and those interested in learning more to jointly share their thoughts, ideas and concerns and more importantly, solutions.

Helping us understand and navigate just how we as a community can bring our theme, “Newark In Action: Educate ♦ Engage ♦ Empower, to fruition will be noted experts, facilitators & speakers.

Highlights

Overview

The theme – Newark In Action: Educate • Engage • Empower was born out of the desire to mobilize and energize Newarkers to become activists on behalf of the community. Newarkers are defined broadly to include all those who live, work, volunteer and play in the largest city in the State of New Jersey. A strong public education system is a key ingredient for any thriving metropolis in the United States. In order to strengthen the system, we need all to not only be knowledgeable about the issues but to feel empowered enough to become engaged. A safe community is also critical for a thriving metropolis. Newark In Action: Educate • Engage • Empower will encourage and motivate stakeholders to become more actively engaged in these public policy issues, lending a voice of solutions for the Newark’s future!

The Leadership Newark Public Policy Summit will help rebuild the city’s civic infrastructure by strengthening its linkages, informing the citizenry, stakeholders and key leaders in New Jersey. The Summit will also offer an opportunity for new relationships among people who may not have previously viewed themselves as collaborators to join forces while inspiring, empowering, and informing those committed to Newark to engage in dialogue to identify problems and more importantly identify solutions through workshops, panel discussions, & keynote addresses. Ultimately, it is our goal to connect resource seekers and resource givers – both tangible and intangible – and foster creation of a coalition or consortium of people, from a diverse group of backgrounds, and professions, who want to become part of an action oriented group that will stick together and support each other in making sure the ideas developed at the Summit become realities. Join us and let’s dare to be greater!

Plenary Discussion:

Education

There is no question we face tremendous challenges to realize these opportunities for wide swaths of our population, as virtually any substantial growth in our nation’s college-going rate for the foreseeable future would have to be among students from groups long left on the sidelines by our educational system: those underrepresented in higher education, from low-income families, and/or those who would be the first generation in their families to attend college. Indeed, students who live in poverty are more likely to be first-generation college students; they tend to drop out of college at higher rates than those whose parents have college degrees. For others, the sheer complexity of applying to college is enough to dissuade them from pursuing higher education. When students from such backgrounds do make it to college, they often find it difficult to adjust to academic expectations for which they were not prepared and a social environment that is often isolating.

What is best for Newark? A district responsible for a student population of approximately 40,000 students, Newark is the largest and one of the oldest school systems in New Jersey (Source: Newark Public Schools website). Not only is the education of our children at the center of one of the most passionate topics of discussion in Newark and the nation but also literacy and the education of the non-traditional student. There are no easy answers regarding the best approach for success but it is critical to share innovative ideas and best practices as we strive to remain competitive with other nations.

The Summit offers an opportunity to not only hear from noted experts with successful track records in education reform but also offers an opportunity for collaborative solutions that will lend itself to meeting the needs of students, parents, educators, educational innovators & experts as well as residents in the community.

Education Workshops:

Using Policy to Support a Culture of Literacy:

Today, much of the discussion around education reform highlights a sense of urgency regarding quality, access and preparation. The foundation of preparation one could argue would be literacy in our community. It is definitely time to take action and develop an agenda for advancing adolescent literacy for college and career success. Where does the focus need to be in Newark’s education reform movement as it relates to literacy? In the 1990’s there was a national push to have every American literate in 10 years, however Newark has yet to achieve that mark. Today we know 20-23 percent of adults in New Jersey perform in the lowest level of literacy prose. In reviewing statistics for US cities, Newark is among the top 25 of most illiterate cities with a rate of 52% according to the illiterate digest for those 17 years and older. This has become a major barrier for employment for Newark residents. Although basic literacy programs in the City has touched many lives and have numerous success stories, it is by far not enough. Traditionally, literacy has been referred to as individual mastery of reading, writing and basic math. However, today the term has come to take on broader meaning, reflecting fundamental changes that have taken place in technology, in the workplace and society as a whole. This workshop is designed to share the current practices and initiatives underway in the City to reduce the illiteracy rate as well as gain an understanding of how the efforts of organized and committed citizens can help contribute to improving outcomes as well as the role technology will play in bringing forth 21st century tools to enhance opportunities for the population.

This workshop will share innovative measures and plans for establishing Newark’s definition of literacy and the barometer for the community in the future. We will hear from City officials how stakeholders can participate, invest time and commit to helping residents achieve a minimum level of literacy.

Newark and Adult Learners:

The importance of postsecondary attainment is unquestioned. Research has shown the positive impacts, including increased earnings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “total employment is expected to increase by 20.5 million jobs from 2010-2020.” While jobs requiring a professional degree will experience the fastest growth, jobs requiring a high school diploma or less will grow at the slowest pace, indicating that career opportunities for those without a postsecondary credential or degree are steadily declining.

These challenges converge to make a “perfect storm” in Newark, with a population predominantly composed of groups underrepresented in higher education and challenged by high poverty, significant unemployment, and low rates of high school graduation and college attainment. Nearly one-third of Newark residents (30%), and 44% of local children live below the federal poverty level. Given these stark numbers, it should not be surprising that educational attainment for Newark residents is low. According to 2012 Census data, 31% of Newark’s population age 25 and older have no diploma, 34% have a high school diploma, 19% have some college education, but no degree, 4% have an associate’s degree, and 13% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

This workshop will engage and educate stakeholders in the plan in place with the Newark City of Learning collaborative and their commitment to have 25% of the Newark adult population to attain a post secondary degree by the year 2025.

 

Edu-nomics: Life After Graduation:

The City of Newark is recognized for its academic village, commonly known as “University Heights.” Within the heights are NJ’s largest state and research educational institution, Rutgers, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which ranks high in programs like Architecture and design, and Essex County College, which has graduated many students to progress into higher academic studies. Like other cities, the higher education sector provides additional diversity not only through nationality and ethnicity but a diverse array in intellect. Additionally, The number of college-educated people age 25 to 34 living within three miles of city centers has surged 37 percent since 2000, even as the total population of these neighborhoods has slightly shrunk. Unfortunately, Newark suffers from “brain drain” where it finds itself unable to retain graduates from its higher educational institutions. If there’s one thing that any rebounding city needs, is it’s college graduates. The college graduate helps to support the economy and that support has a ripple effect on jobs, from waitresses to architects.

In this workshop, participants will collaborate to determine what innovative approaches can the city, schools, and community take to encourage college graduates to settle in NJ’s largest city.

Plenary Discussion:

Public Safety

One of the most important issues in any community is Crime and Public Safety. Experts would argue there is a direct correlation between crime and socioeconomics, unemployment, social neglect and overall economic abandonment, factors which tend to plague U.S. urban centers. How a community’s law enforcement entities address crime while protecting its citizens is key towards bringing satisfaction and an overall sense of safety. National trends of “zero tolerance” in local communities has not made communities safer or reduced the perception of a reduction in crime to promote safer communities. However, it has led to mass incarceration and episodes of discrimination within a criminal justice system that is designed to be colorblind. How do we in New Jersey and Newark advocate stopping the violence and striking the delicate balance for fairness and justice? A citywide discussion on and creation of effective collaborative strategies and coalitions that will stem the tidal wave of violent crime in Newark is vital to rebuilding the dream that is our great city.

The Summit offers an opportunity for collaborative solutions and a call to action to develop solutions to stem the violence and advocate for social justice issues amongst law enforcement, legal experts, social service providers, prisoner re-entry advocates, youth empowerment leaders, anti-violence activists, community based organizations, and residents.

 

Public Safety Workshops:

Improving Neighborhood Safety:

The establishment of stable public safety initiatives will guarantee social and economic growth of a community. In Newark, sustainable initiatives involving strategic partnerships and collaborations are underway as the city continues to build on their crime prevention effort. Neighborhood watches, for example, have been in existence for over 30 years across the United States and have given local residents the power to build a sense of community, while building relationships between police force and citizens. In addition to neighborhood watches, tenant associations have also been supportive in ensuring residents live in a quality standard of housing. Lastly, green spaces have begun to gain great momentum in building in open spaces that impact the health and safety of residents. In collaboration with non-profits, city agencies, and the private sector, the City of Newark will continue the conversation around effective and efficient public safety programs.

During the 2015 Public Policy Summit, workshop facilitators will begin a conversation on how Newark’s stakeholders can participate in public safety strategies that affect their communities and public environments. Participants will walk away with tools they can employ to be more vigilant and safer as they live their daily lives.

The Challenges of Prisoner Reentry:

The importance of concrete programs to re-engage formerly incarcerated individuals into their neighborhood are essential to a community’s economic and social growth. Newark, according to the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration page, recently held the title of being the city with the highest per capita number of parolees of all U.S. cities. And so, with NJ’s largest city holding this title, be it past and/or present, critical discussion around program strategies to help the formerly incarcerated transition into productive members of society must continue to go on until solutions are met, reviewed, and implemented once again. According to the City of Newark’s Blueprint, an establishment of a community task force will strengthen the collaborative work of parole and probation with city agencies and develop meaningful relationships with service providers well known for providing support around individuals transitioning out of incarceration. One June 6, during our 2015 Public Policy Summit, moderators of this workshop will review real cases of Newark ex-offenders to help attendees understand the realities of prisoner re-entry.

This workshop will encourage participants to generate creative solutions to help Newark’s re-entry population more successfully re-acclimate into Newark’s neighborhoods. These solutions will be shared with policy makers and planners to ensure the voices of the stakeholders are considered.

Youth Crime Prevention & Juvenile Justice Strategies:

“We will care for our youth, to address their needs and fears. We will tap into the energy, idealism, and power of our City’s youth, and make them a powerful and positive force for good in our community,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Research shows that youth who experience social, economical or financial limitations may be hindered in full personal development and successful integration into the economy and society. Subsequent results in a lack of full personal development include poor academic performance, peer pressure into criminal activities such as drug use, gang affiliation, and petty crimes. These challenges, coupled with a 29.1% poverty rate in Newark, according to the latest Census data, demand for a serious discussion on prevention strategies that will focus on deterring Newark’s youth from becoming involved in criminal activities.

Workshop participants will gain a better understanding as to what pushes youth towards negative engagements. Participants will also develop community strategies that will protect and deter Newark youth away from involvement in criminal behavior towards more positive activities.

Media

To Be Announced...

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Todd Clear

Provost Rutgers University-Newark

Todd Clear

Provost Rutgers University-Newark

Todd Clear is Provost Rutgers University-Newark; previously, he was Dean of the School of Criminal Justice. In 1978, he received a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from The University at Albany. Clear has also held professorships at Ball State University, Florida State University (where he was also Associate Dean of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice) and John Jay College of Criminal Justice (where he held the rank of Distinguished Professor). He has authored 13 books and over 100 articles and book chapters. His most recent book is The Punishment Imperative, by NYU Press. Clear has also written on community justice, correctional classification, prediction methods in correctional programming, community-based correctional methods, intermediate sanctions, and sentencing policy. He is currently involved in studies of the criminological implications of “place,” and the economics of justice reinvestment. Clear has served as president of The American Society of Criminology, The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and The Association of Doctoral Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice. His work has been recognized through several awards, including those of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, The Rockefeller School of Public Policy, the American Probation and Parole Association, the American Correctional Association, and the International Community Corrections Association. He was the founding editor of the journal Criminology & Public Policy, published by the American Society of Criminology.

Ryan P. Haygood

Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.

Ryan P. Haygood

Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.

Ryan P. Haygood President & CEO, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Biography Ryan P. Haygood, one of the Nation’s leading civil rights advocates, became the third President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (the “Institute”) in April 2015. As President and CEO, Haygood is leveraging his national expertise to advance the Institute’s cutting-edge work in expanding access to social justice and economic opportunity and advocating for juvenile and criminal justice reform in communities across New Jersey.

For more than a decade, Haygood has been engaged in social justice advocacy on a national level. Previously, as the Deputy Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Haygood worked to empower communities of color around the country by ensuring an open and inclusive political process, better educational and housing opportunities, access to employment that enables community residents to compete in a global economy, and a fair criminal justice system.

A proud resident of Newark, New Jersey’s South Ward, Haygood came to Newark fifteen years ago from Denver, Colorado, where his single mother raised him. Since then, he has been deeply invested in his community, mentoring hundreds of young people through Newark’s C.H.O.S.E.N., a teen youth group that he leads with his wife, Charity Haygood, a principal at a Newark public school. Newark’s C.H.O.S.E.N. seeks to prepare young people for purpose-driven living by developing and supporting spiritual growth, character, educational excellence, leadership skills, community service, and financial responsibility. Haygood also works closely with other leaders in his community to ensure that government agencies, including law enforcement, are responsive to their needs.

At LDF, Ryan litigated some of the most important civil rights cases of our time.

Ryan twice defended the constitutionality of a core provision of the federal Voting Rights Act, widely regarded as one of our nation’s greatest pieces of civil rights legislation, before the United States Supreme Court. In the most recent challenge, Ryan represented Black community leaders in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, a devastating case in which the Supreme Court struck as unconstitutional the coverage provision of the Voting Rights Act, leaving millions of voters of color vulnerable to voting discrimination.

Within days of the Shelby County decision, Texas implemented the strictest photo ID law in the country. Ryan led LDF’s successful legal challenge to Texas’s photo ID law, 2 arguing during a two-week federal trial that the law, which allowed for the use of concealed hand gun licenses but not student IDs, is racially discriminatory and imposes substantial and unjustified burdens on voters of color in Texas.

In September 2014, the district court found that Texas’s photo ID law, which prevented more than 600,000 registered voters from voting, is intentionally racially discriminatory, violates the Voting Rights Act, and is an unconstitutional poll tax.

Ryan also successfully challenged Fayette County, Georgia’s discriminatory at-large method of electing members to its county commission and school board, under which no Black candidate had ever been elected. As a remedy for the Voting Rights Act violation it found, the district court required Fayette County to conduct its elections under a district-based voting plan. In the November 2014 election, under the new plan, Fayette County voters both led the state of Georgia in voter turnout and made history by electing the first-ever Black woman to serve on the county commission.

Ryan has also been a pioneer in challenging state laws that disproportionately deny voting rights to people of color with felony convictions, widely recognized as the next frontier for the expansion of voting rights. In one of those cases, Farrakhan v. Gregoire, Ryan successfully challenged Washington’s law that denied the vote to people with felony convictions.

In the first ruling of its kind, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit struck down Washington’s law, finding that it shifted racial discrimination from the criminal justice system into the political process, thereby denying the right to vote to nearly 25 percent of all Black men in the state. Ryan subsequently argued the case before an 11-member panel of the Ninth Circuit, which ultimately reversed the historic ruling.

A passionate advocate, Ryan speaks and writes regularly on issues concerning race, law, civil rights, and democracy. He is frequently interviewed by numerous media outlets, including: MSNBC, CNN, National Public Radio, and the New York Times.

Prior to joining LDF, Ryan was a litigation associate in the New York office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP, and was a recipient of the prestigious LDF/Fried Frank Fellowship. At Fried, Frank, Ryan represented clients in a variety of complex commercial and civil rights matters before federal courts.

Ryan received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law and B.A. in American History and Political Science cum laude from Colorado College, where he was nominated for the Rhodes scholarship and earned academic and athletic All-American honors as a football player.

Facilitators

Roaldn Anglin

Facilitator

Roaldn Anglin

Facilitator

Roland Anglin’s career spans over twenty years of working in the public, educational, and philanthropic sectors. In all his professional positions, Anglin has focused on promoting economic and community development in and for marginalized communities. In addition to his role as the Cornwall Center director, Dr. Anglin is Associate Research Professor at the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers-Newark. Dr. Anglin began his academic career at Rutgers University. There he examined issues related to economic development and growth management. During this time, he published some of the seminal work on citizen attitudes toward sprawl development. In 1991 he was recruited to the Ford Foundation where he spent eight years. He served first as the program officer responsible for community development and later became Deputy Director for Community and Resource Development, which is part of the Asset Building and Community Development Division. After leaving Ford, Dr. Anglin went to the Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco), a national community development intermediary. At Seedco, Dr. Anglin was the senior vice president responsible for building the capacity of community-based housing organizations in 23 cities partnering with Seedco. Since returning to academia, Dr. Anglin has pursued an active research agenda and has managed many demonstration initiatives for philanthropy, state governments, and national associations including the National League of Cities. Dr. Anglin is the author and co-author of four books, including: Promoting Sustainable Local and Community Economic Development, Resilience and Opportunity: Lessons From the U.S. Gulf Coast after the Storms (with colleagues), Managing Disaster Recovery: International Policy and Practice (with colleagues), and Katrina’s Imprint: Race and Vulnerability in America (with colleagues).

Marcia Brown

Facilitator for Public Safety Panel

Marcia Brown

Facilitator for Public Safety Panel

Marcia Wilson Brown is vice chancellor for external relations and governmental affairs, a position in which she forges and maintains relationships on behalf of Rutgers University – Newark with public officials, governmental agencies, and civic groups. She has spent more than 15 years in higher education at Rutgers University-Newark, holding positions as vice chancellor for student and community affairs, associate dean for program development in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA), associate dean and director of academic foundations, and associate dean of the Rutgers School of Law-Newark Minority Student Program.

Brown is an alumna of the School of Law-Newark where she was elected class speaker and was the recipient of three honors: International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award, Judge J. Skelly Wright Award for Civil and Human Rights Activities, and the Rutgers Alumni Senior Award. She clerked for Chief Justice Robert Wilentz, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and was admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, U.S. Federal District Courts (Eastern Districts, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit), and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brown is involved with research, teaching, and civic engagement activities at RU-N. She helped to expand the Office of University-Community Partnerships; engaged funders as partners for access and retention programs for students from Newark and from first-generation families; and served as a consultant and adjunct with the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience. She also teaches a seminar annually focused on social justice and health disparities, and is affiliated faculty at SPAA. Under the leadership and guidance of former RU-N Chancellor Steve Diner, she helped bring in more than $500,000 in scholarship money for first-generation students from Newark to attend college and live on campus.

Brown has spent more than 30 years in community development advocacy in Newark, working on housing, education, and nonprofit leadership issues, and through the Lucent Foundation, she helped structure more than $10 million in philanthropic dollars toward Newark’s nonprofits engaged in rebuilding neighborhoods and providing learning opportunities for young people. As president and co-founder of the University Heights Neighborhood Development Corporation (UHNDC), she and social activists Junius Williams and Richard Cammiereri helped develop more than 60 units of affordable housing in the Central Ward for low- to moderate-income families.

Brown has been recognized on numerous occasions for her contributions to young people and the quality of life in Newark. She is a mother, grandmother, poet, and the founder of the newly minted Newark Repertory Theater Company committed to engaging and educating audiences with bold, dynamic, and diverse theatrical plays.

Ross Danis, Ed.D.

President and CEO of the Newark Trust for Education

Ross Danis, Ed.D.

President and CEO of the Newark Trust for Education

Today, as the president and CEO of the Newark Trust for Education, Dr. Danis continues to demonstrate his commitment to empowering educators, policymakers, and community members with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to ensure that all Newark’s children receive the education they deserve. Ross has been successfully challenging the status quo since he collaborated on the design of a groundbreaking non-graded high school in the late 1970s. As a staff developer at the highly regarded Academy for the Advancement of Teaching and Management, the staff development arm of the New Jersey State Department of Education in the 1980s, he provided high impact professional development for teams of teachers across the Garden State. While serving as a K-8 principal in the 1990s, he demonstrated his commitment to “choice” by launching the first multi-age primary program as an option to the single graded program in a public school. Ross has served as an appointee to the education task forces, commissions, or education policy transition teams of four New Jersey governors, and five education commissioners. Most recently her served as one of the nine members of the Teacher Effectiveness Task Force appointed by Governor Christie and charged with developing an evaluation system that holds teachers accountable for student outcomes.

Lauren Wells, Ph.D..

Facilitator for Education Panel

Lauren Wells, Ph.D..

Facilitator for Education Panel

Dr. Lauren Wells is an educator, researcher, and community organizer known for her comprehensive, systemic, and collaborative approaches to change in schools and communities. She began her work in education twenty years ago while undergraduate student at Temple University. She then went on to become a high school English teacher in the Bronx. In both roles, Dr. Wells experienced how the structure of society and the structure of schools organize opportunities and learning such that opportunity gaps create the so-called achievement gaps. This led her on a quest to understand how social and structural inequality impacts communities and schools and to mediate those structures whenever and wherever possible. Her research and practice lies at the intersections of social and structural inequality, education policy, pedagogy, and community organizing.

Dr. Wells is trained in qualitative research and uses an interdisciplinary approach to understanding communities and schools including economics, sociology, and history. She applies this background not only to the work of school transformation, but also to transforming how communities, educators, and policy makers think about, approach, and undertake school change. She utilizes research-based strategies to disrupt the impacts of poverty and racism both the processes and outcomes of public education in urban communities and schools. Specifically, she works to increase inclusiveness and democracy for those marginalized from decision-making and to foster integrated strategies that reconnect schools with communities and that link educational outcomes to indicators across systems.

Since 2006 Dr. Wells has based her work in New Jersey. From 2006 to 2009 she was the Project Coordinator of a statewide education policy coalition called the New Jersey Education Organizing Coalition. In 2009, Dr. Wells became the Director of the Broader Bolder Approach to Education at the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University (NYU) where she the led the design and implementation of a major school reform initiative in Newark called the Newark Global Village School Zone. Dr. Wells co-founded 211 Community Impact a non-profit organization in Newark. In 2014, Dr. Wells was appointed Chief Education Officer for the City of Newark. Dr. Wells is an educational consultant and speaker who works with schools and communities across the U.S.

Dr. Wells received a BA in English from Temple University, an MA in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and PhD in Urban Schooling from the University of California Los Angeles

CRIME AND PUBLIC SAFETY TRACK

Hanaa A Hamdi, Ph.D.

Director of the City of Newark’s Department of Health and Community Wellness

Hanaa A Hamdi, Ph.D.

Director of the City of Newark’s Department of Health and Community Wellness

Dr. Hamdi is currently the Director of the City of Newark’s Department of Health and Community Wellness. Dr. Hamdi is systems scientist, she holds a joint PhD in Urban Public Health & Environment from Rutgers, UMDNJ and NJIT, College of Architecture. Her research examines the impact of social and structural exposures on health outcomes. More specifically, her work focuses on neighborhood characteristics (i.e. food environment, open space, community-level violence, and community resiliency) and metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Hamdi is trained in mix method research, she has extensive training in longitudinal and repeated measure designs, cluster analysis (cognitive mapping), and spatial analysis of cluster and non-parametric events (i.e. density of crime, food venue outlets, healthcare facilities) with GIS. In addition, Dr. Hamdi has a strong background in qualitative research design and analysis; she specializes in methods of Grounded Theory, phenomenology and content analysis.

Dr. Hamdi is the Principal Investigator of the Healthy Living Initiative, a multicomponent longitudinal community programing and intervention studies designed to improve children’s health through community development and revitalization programs, health policy and behavioral modification.

Dr. Hamdi earned her first bachelor’s degree from University of California San Diego and San Diego State University where she majored in Neuropsychology and double minored in Mathematics and Languages—Romance and Arabic. She earned an advanced bachelor’s degree from Hunter College’s School of Public Health in Community Health Education and Social Epidemiology.

In addition to her academic training, Dr. Hamdi has extensive work experience in program implementation and evaluation. From 2002-2006 Dr. Hamdi served as the regional Director of Projects on CDC funded HIV/AIDS prevention case management programs in New York State. In this capacity Dr. Hamdi, provided scientific guidance and oversaw the administrative progress of prevention programs. Also in this capacity, she co-chaired the evaluation working group on HIV/AIDS intervention studies at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New York City.

Dr. Hamdi has lectured at national and international level on topics related to social and structural determinants of health. In addition to her work in the US, Dr. Hamdi is a visiting lecturer at Botswana University.

Ingrid Johnson

Chair of the Newark Reentry Advisory Board

Ingrid Johnson

Chair of the Newark Reentry Advisory Board

Ingrid Johnson is chair of the Newark Reentry Advisory Board and manages the Office of Reentry for the city of Newark, New Jersey, which oversees the Newark Prisoner Reentry Initiative and other reentry projects managed by the city of Newark. In addition to operating reentry programs, the Office of Reentry coordinates services among governmental and community organizations to improve the delivery of services to formerly incarcerated individuals, manages performance of city agencies and contracted service providers to improve effectiveness of reentry programs, and works to expand resources for reentry initiatives. Ms. Johnson’s work in Newark is sponsored by the Manhattan Institute. She is a board member for the Institutional Review Board of Rutgers University and chairperson of Redeem-Her, a nonprofit dedicated to women returning from prison. Ms. Johnson was previously an attorney at Legal Services of New Jersey and the law firms of Podvey, Meanor, Catenacci, Hildner, Cocoziello & Chattman and Drinker Biddle & Reath, as well as a clerk for the New Jersey Supreme Court. She received her J.D. from Rutgers University and her B.A. in history from Bryn Mawr College.

Lori-Scott Pickens

Director of Community Outreach/Community-Based Learning at the School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) at Rutgers-University Newark

Lori-Scott Pickens

Director of Community Outreach/Community-Based Learning at the School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) at Rutgers-University Newark

Ms. Scott-Pickens is the Director of Community Outreach/Community-Based Learning at the School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) at Rutgers-University Newark. Recently, she was the Deputy Executive Director SCJ’s Police Institute. The Police Institute, founded by Dr. George Kelling, it served as the Neutral Convener for several community and law enforcement collaborations including; the Greater Newark Safer Cities, the Serious and Violent Offender Re-Entry Initiatives, Operation CeaseFire, the Gun Strategy, Newark Violence Reduction Initiative, and four of the five Fugitive Safe Surrender programs held in NJ; Newark, New Brunswick, Atlantic City and Jersey City where NJ leads the nation in more than 13,000 participants.

Ms. Scott-Pickens has an extensive background in community organizing at the local, state and national levels where she has provided consultation and technical assistance. She is the co-facilitator of the Juvenile Justice Re-entry Initiatives in Essex County where she is a member of the Youth Services Commission’s Multi-Disciplinary Team. She also served as Co-Chair of the statewide Juvenile Re-Entry Coordinating Council. She works closely with various levels of government, faith-based institutions, residents and community-based organizations around Restorative Justice, Community-Policing and Prisoner Re-Entry efforts where she also serves in an advisory capacity.

Ms. Scott-Pickens has worked for some of Newark’s premiere non-profit organizations including; the Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Unified Vailsburg Services Organization, Newark Fighting Back Partnership Inc. and Community Agencies Corp of NJ. She has also held positions in both state and local government. Ms. Pickens is a committed community advocate for children and families and has been involved in the development of several publications, grants and articles on behalf of the Newark’s children and families. She served two terms as co-chair of the Essex Vicinage’s Advisory Committee on Minority Concerns. In addition, she has also been a Board Member of the US Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Resource Advisory Board under President, Bill Clinton and the Essex Juvenile Justice Committee. She is an active member of various organizations involved in criminal justice endeavors on both the local and national levels.

Ms. Scott-Pickens has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work and holds a BA in Sociology from Montclair State University and a Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University.

Ommeed Sathe

Director of Newark Investment Fun

Ommeed Sathe

Director of Newark Investment Fun

Ommeed is responsible for underwriting, origination, pipeline development and portfolio management activities. He also is director of the Newark Investment Fund, which provides investment resources to support the Strong Healthy Cities Initiative. Before joining Prudential in June 2011, Ommeed was director of real estate development for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, a quasi-public entity that alleviates blight, redevelops residential and commercial properties and implements crucial public projects in New Orleans. Previously, he was a real estate and land use attorney with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York City. Ommeed has an undergraduate degree in neuroscience and urban planning from Columbia University; a Masters degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

EDUCATION TRACK

Dale Anglin

Senior Program Officer with the Victoria Foundation

Dale Anglin

Senior Program Officer with the Victoria Foundation

Dale Robinson Anglin is currently a senior program officer with the Victoria Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of children and families in Newark, NJ and protecting water resources and preserving precious open space statewide. She serves as co-chair of the Newark Funders Education Subcommittee. Ms. Anglin previously served in senior roles at New Community Corporation (NCC) in Newark, the largest community development corporation in the U. S. Prior to NCC, Ms. Anglin was executive director of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), the trade association based in Washington D. C. for public policy graduate schools, policy think tanks and public policy professionals. Ms. Anglin also served as an analyst at the Congressional Research Service in D. C. working on child abuse, family violence and national service.

Originally from Chicago, IL, Ms. Anglin is a graduate of Smith College and the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. As a volunteer, she helped launch one of the most successful charter high schools in Washington, D. C.-the Cesar Chavez High School for Public Policy. She currently serves on the board of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, the Newark Youth Investment Council, and Bethany Cares Inc.–a faith-based community development organization.

Mashea Ashton

CEO, The Newark Charter School Fund

Mashea Ashton

CEO, The Newark Charter School Fund

Mashea Ashton serves as the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund (NCSF), a private foundation established in April of 2008, that makes grants to support the quality and sustainability of Newark’s charter schools. Mashea previously served as the Executive Director for the New York Program and Senior Advisor for Charter School Policy for New Leaders for New Schools. At New Leaders, Mashea worked with over 100 New Leaders impacting approximately 40,000 students and families in New York City and Newark. Mashea also served as the Executive Director for Charter Schools for the New York City Department of Education. As head of the Charter Schools Office, Mashea set the vision and policy direction of nearly 50 charter schools throughout the Big Apple and supported the city’s unprecedented $130 million effort to open 200 new small schools, including 50 new charter schools. Mashea formerly served as the National Director of Recruitment and Selection and Midwest Director of Business Development for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). She worked to establish and maintain relationships with key decision makers in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Detroit to support the development of KIPP schools. Mashea served several years as a special education teacher in Williamsburg, Virginia and Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the boards of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and the New Jersey Charter Schools Association. Mashea has a M.Ed in Special Education with emphasis on learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and a B.A in Sociology and Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary.

Mahako Etta

Mahako Etta

Mahako Etta has over seven years of experience as both a researcher and practitioner in the field of public affairs and administration. Her research focuses on the role of higher education institutions in the global development of urban metropolitan cities. Her research is mostly grounded in organizational theory, network governance, and social equity theory.

As a Program Manager at the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, Ms. Etta manages a city-wide postsecondary network called the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC). The goal of the collaborative is to increase the percentage of residents in the city of Newark with postsecondary degrees and high quality credentials to 25 percent by 2025. The NCLC, a nationally funded network, has over 150 members representing over 60 organizations and institutions serving Newark residents.

Ms. Etta is currently completing her doctorate at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark. She earned her master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration and her bachelor’s degree in Journalism, both from Rutgers University-Newark.

Lauren Wells, Ph.D.

Lauren Wells, Ph.D.

Dr. Lauren Wells is an educator, researcher, and community organizer known for her comprehensive, systemic, and collaborative approaches to change in schools and communities. She began her work in education twenty years ago while undergraduate student at Temple University. She then went on to become a high school English teacher in the Bronx. In both roles, Dr. Wells experienced how the structure of society and the structure of schools organize opportunities and learning such that opportunity gaps create the so-called achievement gaps. This led her on a quest to understand how social and structural inequality impacts communities and schools and to mediate those structures whenever and wherever possible. Her research and practice lies at the intersections of social and structural inequality, education policy, pedagogy, and community organizing.

Dr. Wells is trained in qualitative research and uses an interdisciplinary approach to understanding communities and schools including economics, sociology, and history. She applies this background not only to the work of school transformation, but also to transforming how communities, educators, and policy makers think about, approach, and undertake school change. She utilizes research-based strategies to disrupt the impacts of poverty and racism both the processes and outcomes of public education in urban communities and schools. Specifically, she works to increase inclusiveness and democracy for those marginalized from decision-making and to foster integrated strategies that reconnect schools with communities and that link educational outcomes to indicators across systems.

Since 2006 Dr. Wells has based her work in New Jersey. From 2006 to 2009 she was the Project Coordinator of a statewide education policy coalition called the New Jersey Education Organizing Coalition. In 2009, Dr. Wells became the Director of the Broader Bolder Approach to Education at the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University (NYU) where she the led the design and implementation of a major school reform initiative in Newark called the Newark Global Village School Zone. Dr. Wells co-founded 211 Community Impact a non-profit organization in Newark. In 2014, Dr. Wells was appointed Chief Education Officer for the City of Newark. Dr. Wells is an educational consultant and speaker who works with schools and communities across the U.S.

Dr. Wells received a BA in English from Temple University, an MA in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and PhD in Urban Schooling from the University of California Los Angeles.

Sponsors

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Summit Sponsor

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The Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies is a signature effort by Rutgers University to focus the intellectual talent and resources of the institution in service to Newark and its surrounding region and beyond. Housed in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark, the Cornwall Center encourages and conducts relevant research and hosts learning opportunities aimed at improving the cultural, social, and economic development of the community, city, and region in which the Center resides.

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Tollo Community System is an online resource that will assist in connecting anyone seeking social or financial assistance to programs and/or services within their community. These services include employment, financial assistance, re-entry after prison, housing and other social service needs.