THE TEAM
DAN M. DENOSE,
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RON ANDREWSBoard Member
Former head of Human Resources for all of Prudential’s domestic businesses |
Innis BaahTreasurer of the Board of Directors
Senior Consultant within the Construction and Real Estate Advisory Services (CREAS) Practice at Ernst & Young (EY) |
Kaleena Berryman |
karen denose mdivSecretary of the Board of Directors
Senior Manager of Student Success Gateway U |
STEPHEN GREEN
Vice President of Board of Directors
Chief Program Officer with Noodle Partners |
Rick KeshishianChair of the Board of Directors
Benefits and Human Resources Professional |
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Andrew coombsBoard Member
CEO and Founder of Coombs CPA, CP |
lavar youngBoard Member
Managing Director at Mercury New Jersey |
marta pateiroChair of Board of Directors
Head of Organizational Development, Diversity, Inclusion & Culture for Pernod Ricard North America |
Dan M. DeNose
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Dan M. De Nose grew up in Newark, NJ as a first generation American born to Haitian parents.
During his undergraduate study, Dan designed his own major called Rhetoric of Leadership, co-creating a program called “Leaders of Tomorrow”, which mentored young men at the Boys and Girls club. He was recognized with the Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Service to Campus and Community and the President’s Civic Leadership Award. Dan also sat on the Board of Trustees as a student for Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, and inducted into the Phi Alpha Alpha Honor Society as Magna Cum Laude. During his time as a graduate student, Dan received the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration Academic Excellence Award, accepted into an international 2-month fellowship with USAID Global Development in Cape Town, South Africa where he researched ways to improved STEM education, as well as receiving placement in an international research public policy case study with Seoul Metropolitan in Seoul, Korea |
Dan’s professional experience ranges from Senior Manager for the Office of Family and Community Engagement, Newark Public School; Assistant Director, Rutgers University – Cooperman College Scholars; Community Relations Manager, Newark Fairmont Promise Neighborhood; Project Director, Rutgers Newark Freedom School; Deputy Director for Community Advocacy, iReform; Program Coordinator, Prudential Financial; Personal Aide: [former] Mayor Cory Booker - Newark, NJ
Dan is a proud Board of Directors member of Lake Delaware Boys’ Camp, a proud alumnus of Leadership Newark class of 2014, and a proud member of Bethesda International Ministry Church. He works and lives in Newark, NJ. |
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RON ANDREWS
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As the former head of Human Resources for all of Prudential’s domestic businesses, before his retirement Andrews led the Human Resources practice that provides consulting and generalist support to Individual Solutions (Individual Life, Prudential Advisors and Annuities), Workplace Solutions (Group Insurance and Retirement) and PGIM, as well as the US Businesses functional organizations: Enabling Solutions, Chief Customer Office, Client Management and Strategic Initiatives. Andrews is a Dartmouth College alumnus. His 35 plus years with Prudential were balanced between assignments in the business, including Operations, Sales Support and Marketing, and increasingly responsible roles in Human Resources. He holds the Senior Professional in HR designation as well as certificates from the Institute for Applied Management & Law. Andrews served for two years as Chair of the Board of Directors for Integrity House, a drug treatment and prevention agency based out of Newark.
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Andrews is well‐recognized for his courage and creativity as a former HR leader, as well as his ability to build engaged teams and drive strategy. He was recognized in a variety of publications including HR Magazine, Black Enterprise, Diversity Journal and Forefront and was presented with the “Eagle Award” granted by the National Eagle Leadership Institute. Additionally, he is a sought‐after speaker, successfully sharing messages regarding the value of diversity and inclusion at events such as EssenceFest, The Root, Argyle’s Human Capital Leadership Forum and the Executive Leadership Foundation. Since retiring in July 2020, Andrews has been very intentional about “not loading up the ‘dance card’ with lots of activities”. Rather, he is spending a lot of time reading and thinking. Retirement and the pandemic have enabled self-reflection in a way that has proven to be an unexpected blessing.
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Innis Baah
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Innis is a Senior Consultant within the Construction and Real Estate Advisory Services (CREAS) practice at Ernst & Young (EY). His responsibilities include leading teams to provide solutions to clients with challenges dealing with funds, REITs, leases, property management and other core Real Estate needs. Before joining EY, Innis spent five (5) years within Deloitte’s Financial Risk Advisory practice serving clients in the Capital Markets industry with Internal Audit and Assurance needs. Some of his clients included Morgan Stanley, Charles Schwab, Bank of America, GE Capital and USPS. Outside of client work, Innis enjoys giving back to the community.
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He led Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for Deloitte’s NYC office for three (3) years and also served on the Board of Sound Business Inc., a New York City not-for-profit education services organization that prepares publicly educated high school students for admission into selective undergraduate programs. Innis is an avid LeBron James fan and enjoys watching basketball. He currently lives in West Orange, NJ with his wife Edith.
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Kaleena Berryman
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Kaleena Berryman is a social justice advocate, author, mentor, and program director committed to the empowerment of children, parents, women, and people of color in the city of Newark.
Born and raised in Newark, NJ, Kaleena Berryman graduated with honors from Arts High School, as a Television Communications major in 2000. After being awarded a Presidential Scholarship to William Paterson University, Kaleena earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication in 2004, with a minor in African American & Caribbean Studies. She served as President of William Paterson’s college chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and founded the first culturally responsive campus monthly publication, entitled UMOJA in 2007. In January 2011, she earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University-Newark. |
Currently, Kaleena is the Director for the Abbott Leadership Institute at Rutgers University-Newark. ALI’s
mission is to teach education advocacy and family engagement skills to parents, educators, community leaders and students in Newark, NJ. ALI’s Youth Media Symposium, develops youth leaders by inspiring high school students to use the power of their voice and the media to advocate for better schools. In her role at ALI, she has helped develop critical programs such as New-Ark Leaders of Health, Parents as Partners in Extended Learning Time, the YMS College Success Centers, Parent Outreach 101 and Ten Tips for the Empowered Parent. In addition to her work at ALI, Kaleena currently holds the position of President for the Organization of Black Faculty and Staff on the Newark campus. In 2013, Kaleena founded Newark Circle of Sisters, an organization of women in the city of Newark who provide service scholarships to Newark women at all stages in their advanced education pursuits. NCOS currently has over 5,000 members on social media, 100 active members, and the group is steadily growing. |
The NCOS Board hosts well attended events and meetings throughout the year in the spirit of sisterhood, support, celebration, service and scholarship. Kaleena also serves on the board of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of NJ (SPANN) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s National Community Schools Advisory Board.
Kaleena’s most important job, however, is that of mother to Jharid Jr, born 16 weeks premature in 2012. Inspired by his early birth, five month NICU stay, and cerebral palsy diagnosis, Kaleena is committed to spreading the importance of prematurity awareness and excellence in special education Pre-K and beyond. As a writer of poetry and inspirational blogs, she has reached thousands of parents across the country and the world via her online preemie support network, viral poem “On the Day You Were Born” and blog, Praying4MyPreemie. In 2014, Kaleena published her first book, Stronger than We Thought: Poetry for the Preemie Mom’s Journey, available on Amazon. In 2016, Kaleena founded The Preemie Parent’s Club, Inc., which provides support services to mothers and fathers whose babies currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Newark, NJ, her hometown. |
Karen DeNose
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Karen De Nose is an ordained pastor who serves in Newark, NJ at Bethesda International Ministry Church, Inc under the tutelage of Reverend Rosmond De Nose. She spends a great amount of time there, not just pastoring but developing programs to assist in expanding the church and the community of Newark. She also sits on the Executive Board of the non-profit organization: Leaders of the 21st Century.
Karen obtained a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Church Development at Alliance Theological Seminary in 2015. In 2005, she obtained a Bachelor of Art degree at Seton Hall University, with a Major in Psychology and Minor in English. While attending Seton Hall University, she founded the Haitian Student Organization entitled, Haitian Organization Promoting Education (H.O.P.E.) which has been in existence for over ten years. The student organization was founded to provide education, cultural and social enrichment to the students of Seton Hall University and to share knowledge about Haiti and the Haitian Community. In 2015, she received the Legacy award for her hard work and dedication to the organization. |
Pastor Karen has counseled youth to assist in overcoming dependencies and self-esteem issues while uncovering their untapped potential. Moreover, she spent a great deal of time counseling adults with mental illnesses in individual and group sessions to assist in coping with substance abuse, mental and/or physical illnesses.
Pastor Karen aims to be a bridge that connects people to Christ. She believes that everyone is unique and was created intentionally by God. Karen is a Speaker, Preacher, Teacher, Spiritual Counselor & Church Developer. She equips the body of Christ through various seminars, workshops, trainings and programs. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, spending time with her family and encouraging people to live positive and fulfilled lives via social media. |
STEPHEN GREEN
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Stephen's career has been shaped by his commitment to improving the intersection between access, education, and technology. Stephen is currently the Chief Program Officer with Noodle Partners. Prior to joining Noodle Partners, Stephen was the CMO at eCornell, the online learning arm of Cornell University, and Qubed Education, an ed tech company that builds online career exploration programs for millennials with top universities and leading consumer brands. Earlier in his career, Stephen was one of the earliest employees at 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ: TWOU), where he helped several great institutions build and run high-quality online degree programs in a series of senior management positions including EVP/General Manager and President of Graduate Programs.
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Stephen is a member of the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the National Council on Educating Black Children. Green also sits on the boards of Bright Star Schools, a Los Angeles based Charter School Network, and UThink PC, a build your own computer company. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross; an M.A. from Columbia University; and an Ed.M. from Teachers College.
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Rick Keshishian
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Rick is an accomplished Benefits and Human Resources professional with over thirty years in management and leadership roles. His extensive benefits (retirement and health & welfare plans) experience includes positions in operations, administration, client/customer service, communications and project management.
Rick spent the first part of his corporate career managing and leading a defined pension plan service unit, then led the project to develop and roll out Prudential’s new 401(k) plan. He managed that administrative area for a number of years before spending 15-years in Prudential’s Corporate Office. His first assignment there was to lead the effort to develop and deliver communications to Institutional management and clients regarding Pru’s plans to go public/demutualize. |
From there, he transferred to Corporate Employee Benefits where he was responsible for all benefits communications and education for employees. He also had the opportunity to lead a number of high profile projects over the years, including a reengineering effort that assessed and redesigned key processes within pension operations, creating a new performance management model, developing a dedicated extranet for new hires, building and executing a strategy to roll out consumer directed health plans, overseeing annual benefits enrollment communication campaigns and teaming up on the introduction of a new Total Rewards platform.
Since 2014, Rick has consulted in the benefits space, managing a project to assess and select vendors to administer 401(k) and defined benefits plans and providing day-to-day pension/health & welfare administrative and technical support for a life/sciences company. |
Rick’s credentials also include managing vendor relations, running a two-site defined contribution call center, developing and delivering benefits educational “road shows” and webinars and leading monthly HR Business Partner meetings and strategic HR communication sessions.
Rick also maintains a New Jersey teaching certificate and taught for one year out of college. He briefly ran a pension administration unit within a mid-size insurance company. Rick currently serves as Board President for Leaders of the 21st Century, a non-profit focused on developing leadership skills in urban high school students. A high energy, dynamic, results-driven leader with a track record of building strong, collaborative relationships, Rick has a passion for delivering outstanding client and customer service and leading high performing teams. |
CELIA M. KING
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Presently, Ms. King serves as the chief executive officer for Leadership Newark, Inc. Her responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the leadership development program, which has an emphasis on public policy enrichment and civic engagement for adults. Celia is responsible for ensuring a high quality & relevant training program is offered for citizens committed to the City of Newark, which enhance their skills and knowledge on numerous public policy issues affecting the greater Newark community. In her role, she strives to expand and improve the network of civic and community leaders in the City of Newark. As an advocate of civic participation, Celia takes her role seriously in engaging the public to be informed and involved. Ms. King feels community building as well as a commitment to social and civic responsibility requires the development of servant leaders through community leadership programs.
Ms. King is also a speaker and facilitator in the area of leadership, leadership development and team building. Additionally, she is a professional career and executive coach. These experiences have provided a strong foundation to serve in her current capacity with Leadership Newark. She recognizes the growth and development of others is the highest calling of leadership. |
Prior to assuming her current position, Celia worked in the field of healthcare as an administrator for more than 10 years. She is an expert in healthcare planning and total quality management, specifically for urban communities and underserved populations.
Her role involved managing health centers for communities in Harlem, New York; Jersey City, New Jersey and Paterson, New Jersey. She developed strategic plans to ensure growth and expansion of health services in these cities. Additionally, she implemented patient education programs, which involved staff outreach in the community to share health and wellness information. Celia M. King is a former Councilwoman from Maplewood, New Jersey, serving from 1994-2002. During her tenure she served in the capacity of Deputy Mayor from 1997-2001. Maplewood is a suburban community of 24,000 in Essex County in which the local elected officials serve in an at-large capacity. In office for 8 years, Ms. King’s responsibilities included service as the President of the Board of Health for Maplewood, working closely with the local drug alliance to educate children in public and private schools about the campaign against drugs and Co-Chair of the finance committee. |
Celia also established a Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention program, which provides support services for victims of domestic violence. She continues to host a cable show focusing on health issues called “Community Health Watch”. She served as the liaison for the Senior Citizen community in town and continues to be an advocate for older adults working on issues that assists them in continuing to enjoy a quality lifestyle that is affordable.
Celia’s affiliations includes either currently or in the past, serving as a member on the board of the following organizations: Prospect Presbyterian Church; Marion P. Thomas Charter School; Supreme Court of New Jersey District Fee Arbitration Committee; The Newark Trust for Education; The Hypersomnia Foundation; Greater Newark Women’s Conference, Inc.; Emerge New Jersey; The Jewish Museum of New Jersey; Newark Emergency Services for Families; Family Connections and she also volunteered as a math tutor at Rise Academy in Newark. Ms. King holds a Master’s degree from Milano The New School University for Management and Urban Policy and completed her undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. |
DR. LAUREN SHALLISH
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Dr. Lauren Shallish is an Associate Professor of Disability Studies in Education and affiliated faculty in the Africana Studies Department. Her research examines the hyper-labeling of multiply-minoritized students and how constructs of ability and dis/ability are framed in higher education equity work. She teaches community-engaged courses on inclusive and social justice pedagogies, educational planning, disability studies, and qualitative research. Dr. Shallish worked in higher education and urban K-12 settings, most recently as Chief of Staff at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, in the Office of Special Education in D.C. Public Schools (Early Stages and the Incarcerated Youth Program), and as a qualitative research assistant for the Center on Institutional and Social Change at Columbia University Law School. She was named a 2015 Exemplary Diversity Scholar for the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) and keynote speaker at Columbia Law School, New York State's Self-Advocates Conference, The P3 Collaboratory, The New York State Communcation Association, The Schering Ploughing Lecture Series, and New Jersey's Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), among others. She founded the first Disability Studies program at Rutgers University, is a current partner in ExternalTeaching Against Erasure, inaugural member of The Pulitzer Center's 1619 Project Education Network, and a 2022 recipient of the Chancellor's SEED Grant Award.
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Her work has appeared in Disability Studies Quarterly, AERA Open, Disability & Society, the Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory, SPARK: The Online Magazine for the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Women's Reproductive Health, and The Educational Forum. Invited book chapters include publications in DisCrit Expanded: Inquiries, Reverberations, & Ruptures, Disability as Diversity in Higher Education, and Critical Readings in Interdisciplinary Disability Studies. In partnership with local students and educators, she received numerous grant awards for her work on The Troublemaker Project, a collaborative, school-based, local knowledge-making effort that reimagines student agency and community capital in the context of special education and school discipline systems. Examples of scholarly works can be found on ExternalAcademia.edu. Her recent interview on disability and higher education is available at ExternalInside Higher Ed and a recent op-ed piece is available at ExternalNJ.com.
Dr. Shallish also teaches for the Department of Urban Education's partnership with the Newark Board of Education and the Rutgers University ExternalNJ STEP program. She is a current board member for the city of Newark's Leaders of the 21st Century organization. |
Andrew Coombs
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Andrew started his career in public accounting at a Big four accounting firm with a focus on corporations and partnerships tax. After sharpening his skills in tax, Andrew decided to broaden his knowledge base by switching to preparation and audits. There, he focused on improving accounting practices, increasing efficiencies and learning more about compliance. His experiences in the corporate world, along with the CPA credential, have given Andrew the confidence to fulfill his lifelong goal of building his own firm.
Andrew earned his bachelor degree in Accounting from Loyola University of Chicago in 2009. He graduated from Bentley University where he earned a Masters in Taxation in 2010. Andrew is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Urban League of Essex County. |
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lavar young
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LaVar Young is a Managing Director at Mercury New Jersey. A highly regarded leader, he has nearly 20 years of proven success supporting local municipalities, government agencies, non-profit organizations and political campaigns in the areas of human services, education, coalition building and advocacy.
Prior to joining Mercury, LaVar was the Director of the Office of Civic and Social Engagement for the New Jersey Department of Education. In this role, he served on the Executive Leadership team and was responsible for supporting the Governor and Education Commissioner by executing their operational blueprint and serving as a liaison between the NJDOE and New Jersey’s 661 school districts. LaVar’s primary responsibilities included organizing and facilitating community events and developing internal and external communications strategies to support department and community needs. Along with his prominent presence within the educational landscape, he has worked with a variety of stakeholders including state and local political campaigns, religious organizations and community-based organizations. |
Additionally, LaVar served as the New Jersey State Director for the Black Alliance for Educational Options (NJBAEO). Under his leadership, NJBAEO was successful in recruiting and mobilizing New Jersey parents to actively support parental choice to empower families and increase quality educational options for working-class families. LaVar was also influential in creating the “Unity Slate,” a slate of traditional public school board and charter school candidates who have successfully won school board elections in Newark since 2016.
LaVar’s many achievements have received recognition from The Star-Ledger, USA Today, UPTOWN Social and Leaders magazine, CNN’s Building Up America and Man Up, a documentary on a fatherless nation, to highlight a few. He is also a past contributor to the Huffington Post blog. In 2010, LaVar received the “Martin Luther King Visionary of the Future” award from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. LaVar received his B.A. in communications from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and holds several certifications in various disciplines. |
marta pateiro
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Marta Pateiro is the Head of Organizational Development, Diversity, Inclusion & Culture for Pernod Ricard North America. Marta provides strategic leadership to the development and implementation of innovative strategies and solutions that build organizational capabilities and embeds D&I in the day-to-day fabric of the company. She is a member of the People & Experience Leadership team, which drives, influences and implements the overall strategies to deliver business objectives.
Prior to joining Pernod Ricard, Marta was Vice President and head of diversity, equity and inclusion for the US Businesses at Prudential Financial. In that role, Marta served as a strategic partner to the US Businesses Senior Leadership team. She was responsible in designing and executing on the DEI priorities for the businesses in alignment with the enterprise-wide DEI strategy. Previous positions included senior HR roles across talent management, leadership development, executive coaching and talent acquisition. She has extensive experience in partnering with leaders to develop their workforce, especially top diverse talent, as well as creating inclusive workspaces for employees that enable them to bring their authentic selves to work. |
She graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a double minor in Employee Studies and Labor Relations as well as American Studies. She also completed the Talent Management executive program at the Wharton School of Business and is certified in talent management practices. She is a member of the Global Talent Management Institute.
Marta is passionate about coaching and developing others and is an Executive Board member for the “Leaders of the 21st Century” (LOT21C) non-profit organization. LOT21C is a non-profit whose mission is to develop civic-minded youth leaders in urban communities and prepare them for the world of work and beyond through professional and leadership development. She is also an active mentor at her alma mater’s business school. Marta was the recipient of the Seramount “Working Mother of the Year” award, representing Prudential Financial, in 2021. More personally, Marta enjoys photography, cooking and traveling with her family. She currently resides in Somerset, NJ with her husband and has 3 young children who keep her busy as a soccer, baseball, basketball and football Mom on the sidelines. |
