Our newest member of the ACNJ Board of Trustees, Reginald Lewis became executive director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) in September 2016. He previously served as executive director of The Chad School Foundation, Inc., a Newark-based education policy and advocacy organization that seeks to improve conditions in public school systems serving disadvantaged and at-risk youth.  Housed at the Rutgers University-Newark’s Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, NCLC is a citywide post-secondary attainment initiative that seeks to increase the percentage of Newark residents who hold degrees, certificates, and other high-quality credentials to 25% by the year 2025.

Mr. Lewis brings to his new role at the NCLC more than 15 years of senior management experience in the philanthropic, non-profit, state, and municipal government sectors. He has held positions with the Ford Foundation in New York, New York; The Joyce Foundation in Chicago, Illinois; Victoria Foundation in Newark, New Jersey; and The Fund for New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey. While at The Fund for New Jersey, he co-edited Better Schools, an issue report that outlined strategies for improving New Jersey’s K-12 public schools. He has also served as City Administrator for the City of East Orange, New Jersey, and an Obama appointee on the U.S. Commission on Presidential Scholars.

In addition to his duties at NCLC, Mr. Lewis is serving as Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration. A cum laude graduate of Morehouse College, Reggie holds a Masters Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

We welcome Mr. Lewis and look forward to the contributions his wealth of experience will bring to ACNJ.

ACNJ has received calls related to immigration and the impact of recent executive orders on undocumented families here in New Jersey. Since ACNJ staff does not have expertise in the immigration arena, we reached out to other organizations and colleagues to find answers to frequently asked questions. Please share these helpful resources to help undocumented families understand their rights.

If you or your organization is aware of other resources, please share them with us and post to ACNJ social media. ACNJ will continue to share other resources as we learn of them.

Find out on March 14 when ACNJ will be releasing its annual Kids Count report on the well-being of Newark children.

From Indicator to Action - Get the Stats. Then Get the Tools.

Following the data presentation there will be a hands-on workshop on ways to:

• navigate the Casey Kids Count Data Center
• use Kids Count data for grant writing
• create easy graphics with Powerpoint
• promote change through data driven advocacy

Click here  for more details and to RSVP.

The New Jersey Senate recently approved legislation that would dedicate state dollars to feed children facing hunger, while bringing more federal dollars back to New Jersey.
 
Under the bill, S-2819/A-4363, the Nourishing Young Minds Initiative Fund would defray the costs of effectively implementing the federal school breakfast and summer meals programs in high-poverty communities, helping to increase the number of low-income children receiving healthy meals and bringing more federal dollars into New Jersey communities to feed hungry kids.
 
The measure awaits action in Assembly before heading to the governor's desk for consideration.