Conference Speaker Bios
Wayne Boatwright, MHA, CDM
Wayne Boatwright is Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Hackensack Meridian
Health, where he leads the company’s diversity initiative for 16 hospitals, including
three academic medical centers, two children’s hospitals and nine community hospitals,
two rehabilitation hospitals, more than 450 patient care sites and physician offices.
He has appeared as a keynote speaker at the National Leadership and Education Conference
for the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, and as a guest speaker at the
MedAssets Healthcare Business Summit, the South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association’s
Annual Dinner and the Connecticut Hospital Associations Regional Health Equity Council.
Wayne has over 20 years of experience partnering with senior management in ensuring the most productive use of human assets. His areas of focus include diversity management, employee relations, strategic planning, and fostering a culture that makes growth possible. Because of this expertise, Wayne is often called upon for speaking engagements and interviews. He has appeared as a keynote speaker at the National Leadership and Education Conference for the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, and as a guest speaker for the Massachusetts Hospital Association’s annual conference, the New Jersey State Association Medical Staff Services Education Conference, the MedAssets Healthcare Business Summit, the South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association’s Annual Dinner and the Connecticut Hospital Association’s Regional Health Equity Council. Wayne’s interviews have appeared in various publications, including the 4th edition of Tyler's Guide: The Healthcare Executive's Job Search, Modern Healthcare, The Diversity Factor and Bridges, a newsletter published by the American Hospitals Association
Wayne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Francis Marion University, and a Master of Health Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and is a doctoral student in the School of Health Sciences at Walden University. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. He is a Board member of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, the United Way of Monmouth County and Ocean Counties, and the Fulfill of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Wayne is a commissioner with the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters and Chair Emeritus of the American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare.
Elizabeth Williams-Riley
Elizabeth Williams-Riley, President & CEO for the American Conference on Diversity
has more than two decades of experience in the field of diversity and inclusion locally
and nationally. Elizabeth is an award-winning diversity and inclusion expert. She
was named Girls Scouts of America Jersey Shore 2015 Woman of Distinction, 2013 Woman
Worth Watching and was featured in the 2014 September issue of Diversity Journal.
Mrs. Williams-Riley is the 2016 NAACP New Brunswick Corporate Community Service Award
Winner.
She is a sought-after D&I speaker, facilitator and trainer to work with companies from the public and private sectors to implement inclusive leadership, healthcare disparities, conflict management, cross-cultural communication, advocacy, and social justice initiatives. She has been featured in national publications, Diversity Best Practices, InSight Diversity, and Diversity Journal. Ms. Williams-Riley was a panelist at LinkedIn “DayIN” Trailblazers in Diversity forum and featured workshop presenter L’Oréal’s Executive Women’s Leadership Conference in New York, NY. Ms. Williams-Riley presented at 2017 National Convention for the Young Democrats of America. Ms. Williams-Riley presented at 2018 St. Thomas University Forum on Workplace Inclusion in Minneapolis on the intersections of D&I and Social Justice. Elizabeth specializes in customized D&I training, strategic planning and experiential learning.
Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Central FL with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations. She is a member of the Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce Board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., National Association of Professional Women, and President of the NAACP Perth Amboy Area Branch.
Hester Agudosi
Hester Agudosi is a veteran government leader with diverse experience that spans over twenty five
years. She began her career in public service as a prosecutor with the Manhattan District
Attorney’s Office and transitioned to serving in senior management positions in government
which include: Chief of the Office of Bias Crimes and Community Relations and Chief
of the Prosecutors Supervision and Coordination Bureau for the Division of Criminal
Justice; Deputy Director of Equal Opportunity for the Office of the Attorney General;
and Director of Equal Opportunity and Public Contract Assistance for the Department
of Environmental Protection. She was recently appointed by Governor Phil Murphy to
serve as the first Chief Diversity Officer for the state of New Jersey.
Ashante Cooper
Ashante Connor serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Student Development and
Campus Life at Berkeley College. Ashante has spent the past 12 years building a comprehensive
portfolio in Student Affairs and Higher Education administration. More specifically,
Ashante has spent the last nine years at Berkeley College serving in various capacities
including the Coordinator of Student Activites, Director of Student Development, and
Assistant Dean of Student Development and Campus Life. In these roles, Ashante has
developed her passion for serving contemporary college students from diverse and disenfranchised
backgrounds. Also, Ashante serves as the Lead Title IX Investigator and Equal Opportunity
Coordinator for students. In these roles, she works to ensure students are experiencing
a fair and equitable experience while enrolled at the college.
Ashante serves as the co-chair of the New Jersey Title IX Administrators Working Group and as a Board Member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the City of Orange Township.
Currently, Ashante is pursuing her Doctorate of Organizational Leadership, in Higher Education, at Abilene Christian University. Previously, Ashante earned her Master’s of Science, in Human Resource Development, at Towson University and her Bachelor's of Arts, in Public Administration, at Kean University.
Ashante is a results-driven expert in urban-serving education committed to student development, social justice, restorative justice, and advocating for first-generation college students. Also, Ashante’s enthusiastic, yet focused approach, has yielded augmented numbers and success in student development, civility, retention, technology, engagement, student learning outcomes, inclusion, and cross-cultural generational knowledge.
Leila Costa
Leila Costa is the Sustainability Manager for Sodexo Universities in the US and Canada.
Working on Sodexo's Offer Development team, she designs and pilots new sustainability
offers, while also supporting existing corporate responsibility initiatives to meet
Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 Objectives. Leila received her Master of Environmental
Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Suzy Domenick
Suzy Domenick brings 35 years of human resources and leadership experience to her
role as a coach. Throughout her career, she has been a leader of teams responsible
for coordinating all aspects of human resources for businesses within Fortune 500
companies. During her tenure in corporate human resources, she and her teams oversaw
and partnered with the business to further the talent strategy, focusing on right
work, right role, right people and right environment. They helped build a performance
management culture, further succession management, focus on leadership capability
and culture. Suzy’s teams have included consulting through HR business partners, performance
and effectiveness consultants, labor relations and diversity expertise.
As a champion and advocate for all associates, Suzy influenced leaders to focus on a broader definition of diversity, driving diversity education and changing compensation processes to include diversity results. She also helped the organization navigate through major changes in its business model, hiring practices and creating a performance culture.
During Suzy’s career, she has helped create a subsidiary in Ireland for software development, as well as lived in Tokyo for six months to enable an acquisition. She has spent much of her career helping to develop leaders through formal education, as well as leadership and executive coaching.
Suzy is now the founder of Emerging You Coaching and Healing, LLC, which is focused on helping individuals reach their goals and transform their lives. In her current business, she uses coaching, centering and meditation, along with Reiki and intuitive healing to help individuals step into their power, clearing out negative energy blocks and propelling them forward, transforming their lives. Suzy recently chronicled her own transformation in the book The Morning Butterfly, which is also the name of her weekly blog.
A graduate of Cook College-Rutgers University, she holds a B.A. in psychology. She is a certified practitioner in a number of leadership development tools including the MBTI and Caliper Leadership profile. Suzy is certified in Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder-Centered Coaching. She is currently with iPEC learning the core energy coaching process. She is a member of International Coaching Federation and the International Association of Reiki Professionals
Suzy also serves on the Board of Trustees for the McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ and has been a mentor for Women Unlimited for more than 15 years.
Jenny Dunkle
Jennifer Dunkle PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Stockton University.
She received her PhD from Fordham University in New York City, her MSW from Monmouth
University in West Long Branch, NJ and her BA in Sociology from Marshall University
in Huntington WV. Her academic areas of interest include aging, social policy, qualitative
research, environmental justice, and community health and well-being. Dr. Dunkle is
currently serving on the Board of Directors for the South Jersey AIDS Alliance and
partnering with Garden State Equality and Monmouth University to conduct a statewide
needs assessment of LGBT Elders.
Brigid D'Souza
Brigid D'Souza is an Assistant Professor with the School of Business at Saint Peter's
University. She is a licensed CPA with an MBA in accounting from The George Washington
University who has a professional background in public accounting, formerly working
for Deloitte and Ernst & Young. For the past five years, Brigid has published and
advocated from a fiscal literacy platform at CivicParent.org which offers content
about public finance, including property taxes, municipal budgets, and public-school
funding in NJ. As a parishioner at St. Aedan’s: The Saint Peter’s University Church,
Brigid was part of a social justice ministry team that helped found the St. Aedan’s
Migrant Center, an independent interfaith organization that aims to empower immigrants
through education, skills development, and capacity building. Brigid currently serves
on several non-profits in the Jersey City area, including Team Wilderness, Hudson
Hospice, and Positive Impact Development
James E. Harris
James E. Harris is the immediate past President of the Montclair Branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and First Vice President
of the State Conferences of NAACP branches. Mr. Harris has received numerous awards
for his social policy work and leadership in education, including Community Service
Awards as President of the Montclair NAACP; and recognition from the New Jersey Association
of Black Educators, the New Jersey Black United Fund, and the New Jersey Alliance
of Black Educators. Mr. Harris is also Associate Dean of Students and University Ombudsman
at Montclair State University. He earned his B.A. in Social Studies with a New Jersey
Secondary School Certification from Montclair State College, now Montclair State University.
He holds masters degrees in Personnel Service and in Public Administration. He is
currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Public Administration at New York University.
Mr. Harris is also a retired Major of the New Jersey National Guard.
Jason C. Hernandez, Esq.
Jason is a 2011 graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. He joined Rutgers
Law School in August 2017, hired as an Immigrant Rights Attorney to found the Rutgers
Immigrant Community Assistance Project (RICAP). RICAP offers free legal consultations
and individual representation to Rutgers students and provides community immigration
and know-your-rights presentations throughout New Jersey. Prior to that, Jason was
Director of the Asylee Outreach Project at HIAS Pennsylvania, a refugee resettlement
and immigration legal services nonprofit organization in Philadelphia. He has also
served as co-chair of the Pro Bono Committee of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American
Immigration Lawyers Association, connecting Delaware Valley residents to free legal
services. He received his BA in Philosophy with a minor in Anthropology from The
College of the Holy Cross and participated in a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps prior to moving to Philadelphia in 2008.
Helen Higginbotham
Miss Higginbotham is an attorney and MBA whose professional energies are focused on
advocating for human and civil rights. She is a community activist whose work largely
addresses matters of race, politics, children and women. She enjoys opinion writing,
public speaking, community organizing and teaching.
She has served on several community boards, volunteered as a human rights commissioner and president of a local NAACP chapter. She is founder of When Black Women Gather, LLC, an initiative charged with promoting relationship building and intergenerational conversations between women. She is committed to uplifting the community through volunteerism, mentoring, educating, advocating and promoting community development via political and self empowerment.
Recently, Miss Higginbotham is the former Director of Affirmative Action and Workplace Compliance at a NJ State College. She resides in Harlem and is a graduate of Rowan University, Howard University and Rutgers University, School of Law, respectively. Please follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@Miss_Higgi) and enjoy her blog at www.misshiggisays.blogspot.com.
Jack B. Lewis, DSW. LCSW
Dr. Lewis earned a BA in Psychology from Johns Hopkins in 1979 and an MSW in Social
Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. He worked at the University of Pennsylvania
for 15 years, as a clinician, administrator and educator. In 2006 Dr. Lewis began
teaching as a part-time lecturer at various institutions including the University
of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, Temple University and Rutgers University for
eight years.
In 2012 he earned a Doctorate in Clinical Social Work. Dr. Lewis joined the faculty of Stockton University in fall, 2014 and taught primarily in the Master of Social Work program. His research interests include teaching cultural competence and cultural humility in higher education, self-care for emerging and professional social workers and mental health and wellness in minority populations.
Enilda Mahrer 
Enilda Mahrer holds the position of Manager, Diversity and Inclusion at AtlantiCare,
a member of Geisinger. She has over 20 years of experience as a Human Resources professional,
with a focus on recruitment, employee relations, and most recently diversity management.
In the current role, she leads the organization’s diversity strategy which includes
the design and implementation of practices and programs that foster an environment
of inclusion for the workforce and patients. The strategy includes establishing external
strategic partnerships and collaboration with business units to effectively manage
company-wide inclusion initiatives. Additionally, she is responsible for the design
of workforce cultural competence and diversity education.
Enilda is also responsible for the management of AtlantiCare’s Employee Resource Groups: (Asian-Pacific, African-American, Disabilities, Hispanic, Interfaith, LGBT, Military, Women, Recovery, and Fitness/Well-Being). In this capacity, she provides direction and guidance to the groups. She has established practices and processes to enable the groups to effectively contribute to AtlantiCare’s strategic objectives, while supporting their respective communities.
Under Enilda’s leadership, and for the seventh year in a row, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, has designated AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC), a member of Geisinger, as a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.” In 2017, AtlantiCare earned a spot on DiversityInc’s list of Top Hospitals & Health Systems further demonstrating the organization’s commitment to its diversity and inclusion programs.
Nilda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership, and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Thomas Edison State University. She has certifications as a Diversity and Affirmative Action Professional, and certificate in Equal Employment Opportunity studies from Rutgers University. Enilda is a member of Delta Mu Delta International Business Honor Society. She has served as a member of the Atlantic County Chapter Board for the American Conference on Diversity, where she served as the Vice Chair, Public and Advocacy, and currently serves on its Advisory Board. Enilda is also a member of the Association of ERGs and Councils.
Marilú Marcillo
Dr. Marilú Marcillo is an Associate Professor of the School of Business at Saint Peter’s
University joining the faculty in Fall of 2014. In her role as Associate Professor,
Dr. Marcillo works with students studying all areas of Business Management, Business
Ethics, Marketing and Sustainability.
In August of 2016, she accepted the role as director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Saint Peter’s reporting directly to University President. She serves as the chair of the advisory council for The Center for Undocumented Students (TCUS) at Saint Peter’s University. She currently serves on the four faculty senate committees: Curriculum, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA), Honors and was elected Chair 2017 of the University Service Committee. She is also involved in the SURGE STEM committee which helps to encourage more minorities to pursue STEM at Saint Peter’s. Finally, she is a member of the Sustainability Council and Latin American and Latino Studies Advisory Committee at Saint Peter’s.
In May 2017 she was an invited lecturer at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de Mexico/ International Relations Program. The topic of her lecture was “U.S & Mexico Business Relations in the Trump Era.” She is a board Member GLACO Foro Educativo 2017 to present. Under the auspices of the Consulate generals of the governments of Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Chile & Uruguay she works on issues related to educational needs of these immigrant communities in the U.S. In October 2016 she was a panelist at United Nations and spoke on the topic of “The gender perspective in promoting prevention of violence around the world.” In March 2018 she became a special envoy for education and social entrepreneurship for the United Nations office of El Salvador serving a five-year term.
She was a contributing author in the book The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change published in 2012. Other papers she has presented are on Collaborative Online Distance Learning which was presented at International Academy of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) 2015, this paper was pre-selected for publication in Journal of Technology Management & Innovation (JOTMI) March 2016, and on the topic of Corporate Whistleblowing at the Marriot Hotel, which she presented at BAASANA 2015; this paper was selected as best paper in its category and was published in the Journal of Business Cases and Applications Volume 20. She co-authored a white paper for the Guarini Institute on the Minimum Wage debate in New Jersey in 2017. In August 2016, she presented a paper at SOLAR Conference in Ecuador on the topic of Empowering Women for Economic Growth, which she presented in Spanish. As a rural woman from Ecuador, this topic of empowering women through education is near and dear to her. In mid-2017 she submitted three abstracts for consideration titled, Micro Finance and Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries, Social Responsibility and Business Ethics, and Sustainability in Business Strategy, two were accepted for presentation at international conferences and Micro Finance and Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries was presented at BAASANA 2017 and accepted for publication in the International Journal of Business & Applied Sciences December 2017. In August 2018 she presented her paper on “Student-directed reflective case studies in the business ethics curriculum” at BAASANA.
Dr. Marcillo graduated from Alfred University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration where she attended on a full academic scholarship. Upon graduation, she went to work in various capacities for 16+ years at 3M Company, Jostens Corporation and Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Corporation. While working, she earned her Master in Business Administration from Centenary College in New Jersey and her Doctor of Management from the Institute for Advanced Science at Colorado Technical University where she concentrated in the Environmental and Social Sustainability. She left the professional business environment to pursue teaching full time and has taught in China, Mexico, Ecuador and in the United States over the past eleven years. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her three children and continues to mentor her former students who seek her personal and professional advice. During her Summer breaks, she volunteers with her partner, Dr. Dwayne Williams, to provide workshops to educators in Latin America about how to teach critical thinking skills to children in El Salvador and Ecuador. This is an ongoing five-year pedagogical intervention that leads into research and publications in this area of education in order to affect change on a larger scale. With her partner, she is also working (since 2016) to replicate “Ciudad Mujer,” a highly successful program from El Salvador in Ecuador. This holistic program is a private/public partnership which empowers women through education about their human rights, business education, training and micro-financing to enable them to become productive and independent members of their community.
Perry Mays
Perry Mays is a retiree from AtlantiCare Health System, where he worked for 32 years.
Perry started his career in the Emergency Room and worked his way quickly up through
the organization and held several key positions at AtlantiCare. Prior to his last
position, there were several accomplishments in Perry’s Career, which included, a
Total Quality Management Fellowship, in which Perry worked directly with the CEO of
AtlantiCare. This Fellowship focused on “two” key issues: Why Youth Take Drugs and
Why Youth Join Gangs. Soon thereafter Perry became the Coordinator of an initiative
called “Healthy Cities,” in which the focus changed to organizing communities to become
more aware of their environment, both in clean air, preventative programs, and a sense
of community. In 1997, Perry organized and trained individuals to take their communities
back from “drug dealers” who had shown their disregard for positive lifestyles. Perry
coordinated over 200 drug marches in Atlantic County. Through the success of the
drug marches, a few crack houses were closed, and people began to take back their
communities in both Atlantic City and Pleasantville. Additionally, Pleasantville and
Atlantic City were soon eligible for a Weed and Seed Grant. The concept of Weed and
Seed was to “weed out the bad elements and “seed” with the good programs/resources.
Over a span of 5 years, both Atlantic City and Pleasantville received over a “500
dollars” in grant funding. Perry soon became the Director of Atlantic County Weed
and Seed and was very successful for the entire grant funding period.
Other accomplishments were: Pennies for the Homeless, Young Ladies at Peace Program, Community Expos, 5 Gun Surrender Programs, in which over 3,500 guns were retrieved off of the streets of Atlantic County, HIV/AIDS Seminars, and a Healthy Cities Basketball Team, where “x-gang members” were recruited to shot hoops instead of each other. These are just a few of the many initiatives Perry facilitated for AtlantiCare.
Currently, Perry is retired and is the Chairman of Atlantic County Coalition for a Safe Community. This group was formed in August 2010, by concerned citizens, public officials, law enforcement agencies, faith-based/social/religious organizations for the betterment our communities at large. Also, Perry has won several awards and recognitions. In addition, Perry has developed a new business called Faith At Work, where he seeks to positively impact four specific life situations: A Re-entry program, working with Recovery Court Clients on 2nd Chance Programs, Drug/Alcohol Referrals, and a Job Interview Training Program. Perry is the founder and the Executive Director.
But best of all, Perry is a Child of God. He is Chairman of the Deacon’s Board, the President of the Youth Congress, and a Sunday School Teacher for Holy Trinity Assembly of the Living God in Mays Landing NJ. Perry is married to his beautiful wife Wendy, four children, Tara, Perry Jr., Markus and Michael, a daughter-in-law Shakemia, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. God is Good!
Frank C. Merckx, II
Frank Merckx is Vice President of Campus Life and Student Affairs & Dean of Students
for Drew University. Frank has over 15 years’ experience in serving a diverse population
of students at Drew University. Frank has extensive experience in Title IX, Human
Rights, Threat to Self, and Critical Incident and Crisis Response in student affairs.
Frank earned a masters in Public Administration from Seton Hall University and a bachelor
of arts degree from Anderson University.
Tyree Oredein
Since 2005, Dr. Tyree Oredein has dedicated her career to the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized
communities. Prior to joining Garden State Equality in August 2018, she worked with
Hudson Pride Center where she served as the Health Educator and Trainer for nearly
13 years. There she was largely responsible for developing and delivering LGBTQ+ Sensitivity,
and Cultural Competency workshops to educators, administrators, social service & medical
providers, officers, students, and community members to create safe spaces for sexual
minorities. Additionally, Tyree has worked extensively with ethnic and sexual minority
youth facilitating workshops on HIV/AIDS, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), STIs, sexuality,
healthy relationships, consent, media and health literacy, social justice issue and
other pertinent subject matters. Previously she worked with Select Media/The HEAR
ME Project whose major programming included CDC-approved HIV-prevention curricula,
and was instrumental in launching their national HIV story-writing competition targeting
at-risk youth to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. A graduate of Wellesley College,
she received her Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Hunter College, and her Doctorate
of Public Health (DrPH) from Rutgers University in the Health Education & Behavioral
Sciences track. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Say Ah!, a non-profit
agency dedicated to increasing health literacy, is an adjunct professor at Montclair
State University in the Department of Public Health, and is a member of the Wellesley
College Racial Justice Initiative Leadership Collective.
Luanne Peterpaul
Luanne Peterpaul, one of the state’s champions for LGBT rights and equality, is vacating
her position as Chair of Garden State Equality’s (GSE) Action Fund. Peterpaul has
served as a board member and chair for 12 years, and has proved to be a fundamental
partner of Garden State Equality. Peterpaul has played an influential role in most,
if not all, of the over 250 laws and local ordinances passed with the guidance of
Garden State Equality. She was one of the pioneers in the fight for equality, while
also advocating for greater emphasis on educating our youth on diversity, equality
and respect for their peers. “Garden State Equality has evolved from a single mission
organization – Marriage Equality – an important one at that – to an organization that
makes an impact on the lives of the LGBT community and its allies every single day,”
said Peterpaul. “I am confident that with the GSE’s executive director, staff and
board members, GSE will continue the great work being accomplished. We all must be
mindful that we can’t continue to make strides forward and justice will not be served
until, as Benjamin Franklin said, ‘those who are unaffected are as outraged as those
who are.’”
One of her most notable accomplishments is co-authoring the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which sailed through both the State Assembly and Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie in January 2011. She was also the recipient of last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the LGBT Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Eileen Poiani
Dr. Eileen Poiani spent over 40 years at Saint Peter’s College as a faculty member
and then Vice President of Student Affairs. She was appointed to the VP role in 1999,
making her the first woman vice-president in the history of Saint Peter’s College.
During her time as the Vice President, she was a strong supporter of athletics as
she oversaw the athletics department. Before becoming Vice President, she directed
the College’s self-study that led to unconditional NCAA Division I certification.
She remains at Saint Peter’s College as a Special Assistant to the President.
Rev. Forrest Pritchett
Rev. Pritchett is the Director of Special Projects for Freshman Studies at Seton Hall
University. He joined Seton Hall in 1978. During that time, he functioned as the following:
Assistant Dean of the Black Studies Center; Faculty Mentor in Freshman Studies; Adjunct
Professor in the departments of Africana, Interdisciplinary and Religious Studies;
Program Director of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program and the SHU
Gospel Choir; and he currently serves, or did serve as an adviser to numerous student
organizations.
Rev. Pritchett has been recognized several times for his contributions to the University. He was awarded the University McQuaid Medal in 2003, Employee of the Year in 2008, the University Faculty Pirate Pride Award in 1999-2000 and the University Human Relations Citation in 1997. Rev. Pritchett has been also been acknowledged for his involvement in the community. Rev. Pritchett was awarded by the New Jersey Association of Black Educators the "Black Educator of the Year Award," by the Association for the Study of Afro American Life and History the "Frederick Douglas-Sojourner Truth Award," by the Jersey City Library the "Paul Robeson Award," by the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Programs the "Educational Champion Award," and by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: New Jersey Convention the "Distinguished Educator Award." In 2016 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cooperation for National and Community Service and office of the President of the United States.
Dallas Reed
Dallas Reed was named Vice President, Student Development and Campus Life, in 2013.
In this role, she provides vision and leadership for all student success programs
including student development, student activities, athletics, residence life and counseling.
Dr. Reed previously served as Berkeley College Associate Vice President, Student Development and Campus Life, and Dean, Student Development and Campus Life, New York. Before coming to Berkeley College in 2011, she served as Associate Vice President for Student Life at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS.
Dr. Reed recently participated in the HERS Bryn Mawr Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration. She was the recipient of the Berkeley College Associate of the Year award in Leadership in 2012. In 2015, Dr. Reed was recognized by the YWCA at the 42nd Annual Academy of Women Leaders Salute Luncheon.
Dr. Reed holds a Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS; an M.S.O.L. (Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership) from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, NC; and a B.A. in General Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in Public Relations and Management from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA.
Amee P. Shah
Dr. Amee P. Shah is an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences and Director
of the Cross-Cultural Speech, Language, & Acoustics Lab at Stockton University. Dr.
Shah is certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and has practiced
as a bilingual speech-language pathologist for over two decades spanning India, New
York City, Montreal, and Cleveland. She is a leader and pioneer in Speech-Language
Pathology in creating an evidence-based area of practice around cultural-linguistic
diversity and accent management. The communication programs developed and tested under
these three industry-specific models made a significant impact in leading organizations
such as Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical School, Towers Watson, Airgas, Boston University,
KeyBank, and Cleveland State University to name a few. She is a noted keynote and
seminar speaker on the topics of cultural competence, managing communication barriers
for impact and ROI, foreign accents and regional dialects, accent modification, bilingual
concerns, and multicultural diversity, presenting on these topics at nationally- and
internationally-recognized platforms. Her many contributions have been recognized
by her profession, for which she has been honored with major awards, namely “2015
Trailblazer”, “2017 Trailblazer” and “2017 Media Champion Award” from the American
Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. She has been interviewed and featured on
many media outlets including NPR, MSNBC, NBC News, Huffington Post, The Atlantic,
Today's Show, Fox News, Slate.com, Reddit.com, and more.
Kaleen Shabazz
Mr. Kaleem Shabazz, the Third Ward Councilperson was elected in November 2015. He
won the Democratic Primary with over 81% of the vote and was unopposed in the General
Election. A Graduate of Rutger’s University, Kaleem is a product of local schools
and a proud graduate of Atlantic City High School The winner of numerous awards: The
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award, The Father Thom Schivago Humanitarian Award (from
Beth El Synagogue), The Community Service Award from the Mainland NAACP, and The Community
Service Award from the Fellowship of Churches. One of his proudest moments was helping
to lead a successful effort to keep a South African-based casino from coming to Atlantic
City during the time of apartheid, by speaking at the United Nations.
Married to his beautiful wife, Yolanda, for forty-two years, Councilman Shabazz has one daughter, Anjail and two grandsons, Emanuel (a Stockton University Graduate) and Emil (a Junior at Rutger’s University). A recovering 76ers basketball fan, Kaleem is a confirmed ‘nerd,’ enjoying reading the Times, The Star-Ledger, The Inquirer and The Press on Sunday mornings over breakfast or brunch.
“My goal is to represent the people of the Third Ward with intelligence, vigor and dignity. I want to be effective in my advocacy for Atlantic City, efficient in my response to constituent concerns and responsible to insure that government works to the maximum benefit of our residents and citizens.”
Adrian J. Wiggins
Adrian J. Wiggins is director of Campus Public Safety at Stockton University. Wiggins
recently served as the executive director of Campus Safety and Public Safety at Morgan
State University in Baltimore, Md. Prior to that role, he served as Morgan State’s
chief of police for seven years. Before working at Morgan State, Adrian served 11
years with the City University of New York (CUNY) Public Safety Department, advancing
through the ranks to deputy director of Public Safety at the Borough of Manhattan
Community College in New York City. He earned a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in
Security Assessment and Management and a Master of Science in Integrated Homeland
Security Management from Towson University. He is also a graduate of the National
Emergency Management Advanced Academy in Emmitsburg, M.D.
