PhD, Chief of Public & Community Affairs, Off of Govt & Community Relations

Angela Garretson has over 19 years of political, civic, and higher education experience. A former program director for Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Newark campus, she currently works as Chief External Affairs Officer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she reports directly to the university president. Angela has supported her Township of Hillside, NJ community as a school board member, councilwoman at large, and Mayor. A lifelong Hillside resident, Angela now proudly serves Union County as a County Commissioner and community leader.

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Ronice Bruce

William Jediah

Kim Gaddy

Jamelia Lewis-Ridgird

Doug Freeman

Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds

Amaris Mitchell

Darius Sollohub, AIA, Professor and Former Interm Chair at the Hillier College of Architecture & Design at NJIT

Darius Sollohub, AIA is an Associate Professor at NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design, where he has taught since 1995 and served as Director of the New Jersey School of Architecture from 2010–2015. His work spans architecture, infrastructure, housing, and urban planning, with a focus on resiliency and civic design. He is the author of Millennials in Architecture (University of Texas Press, 2019) and has advised federal, state, and municipal agencies, including HUD, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Newark. A registered architect in New York and New Jersey, he received the 2010 NCARB Grand Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education.

Founder / Creative Director, GalleryRetail

Isaiah “Zay” Little is a creative entrepreneur and cultural strategist with 10+ years of experience in community-centered innovation. As Founder and Creative Director of GalleryRetail, he launched Newark First Fridays and has collaborated with the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, Newark Arts, and Newark Celebration 350. While at the GNCVB (2018–2022), he led award-winning projects like Newark’s first destination video, Welcome to Newark. Isaiah also founded Code for Newark, contributed to the Global Shapers Community, and led creative projects for the Newark Board of Education. A Temple University graduate (B.A. in Entrepreneurship), he merges arts, tech, and culture to drive Newark’s creative economy.

FAIA Professor of Architecture & Urban Design, Dean Emeritus University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design

Marilyn Taylor is a Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design (2008–2016). Previously, she spent over three decades at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where she led the firm’s airport, transportation, and urban design practices and became its first woman Chairman. Internationally recognized for major civic and infrastructure projects—including JFK Terminal 4, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, and Moynihan Train Hall—she has also held leadership roles with the AIA New York, Urban Land Institute, and the New York Building Congress. She holds a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley and an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University.

PhD, FASLA Professor of Professional Practice Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy

Barbara Faga is an award-winning urban designer whose major projects include Centennial Olympic Park, the Atlanta BeltLine, Parc Diagonal Mar in Barcelona, and Porta Nuova in Milan. She joined EDAW (now AECOM) in 1980, later serving as Chair of the Board and Executive Vice President for Planning, Design + Development in North America, and was named an AECOM Fellow in 2011. An author and educator, she wrote Designing Public Consensus (Wiley, 2006) and teaches at Rutgers University. She holds a PhD from Georgia Tech and has been recognized by Design Intelligence as one of the top women shaping architecture.

Director of the Division of Planning & Zoning, City of Newark, Professor at the Hillier College of Architecture & Design at NJIT

Pallavi Shinde is a licensed professional planner and certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners with multi-disciplinary education and over 20 years of experience in planning, architecture, transportation, urban design, economic development, landscape architecture, real estate development and sustainability.

Co-Founder and Co-Director of the University of Orange

Molly Rose Kaufman is Executive Director and co-founder of the University of Orange, a people’s free school in Orange, NJ, established in 2008 with local activists and community leaders. Under her leadership, UofO has grown into a hub for grassroots research, popular education, and place-based organizing. An educator and consultant, she has worked on community-based neighborhood planning initiatives and teaches courses focused on spatial justice. She is adjunct faculty at The New School and recently co-edited a special issue of Built Environment on displacement and its remedies.

MD, DLAPA, Hon AIA

Mindy Thompson Fullilove is a social psychiatrist and the Helen and Robert Fullilove of Community Health at the University of Orange. She has conducted research on AIDS and other epidemics of poor communities. with a special interest in the relationship between the collapse of communities and decline in health. She has published over 100 scientific papers and eight books. Among her books are Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It, Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America’s Sorted-Out Cities and Main Street: How a City’s Heart Connects Us All.

Environmental Law (Contamination and Regulatory Compliance, Litigation), Redevelopment Law and Transactional Matters

Joanne Vos is an environmental attorney whose practice focuses on contamination and remediation, regulatory compliance, redevelopment, and environmental litigation. She regularly advises clients on complex real estate and redevelopment transactions, including environmental due diligence and state and federal compliance matters. Joanne has successfully litigated environmental cases for both public and private entities and serves as Special Environmental Counsel to multiple New Jersey municipalities, including Newark, Millstone, Freehold, and Millburn. She also represents several cities in redevelopment transactions involving environmental issues.

Attorney specializing in environmental law, redevelopment, and local government

Joseph J. Maraziti, Jr. represents public and private sector clients in environmental, redevelopment, and land use matters of local and national significance. With decades of experience, he has led major redevelopment, condemnation, and infrastructure projects throughout New Jersey and has litigated in both state and federal courts. A recognized leader in planning and redevelopment, he served as Chairman of the New Jersey State Planning Commission, guiding adoption of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan. He has received numerous professional honors, including recognition as a New Jersey Super Lawyer and AV Preeminent Attorney.

Executive Director of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)

David Behrend is Executive Director of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the nation’s seventh-largest metropolitan planning organization, serving a 13-county region of 7 million people. With more than 22 years at NJTPA, he oversees all agency programs and has led major initiatives including organizational reform, federal certification reviews, pandemic-era operations, and award-winning public engagement efforts. Active in national planning leadership, he serves on committees of NARC and AMPO. A former journalist, he holds degrees from Cornell University and Columbia University and is a 2012 Lead New Jersey Fellow.

Senior Director of Planning at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)

Jeffrey Perlman is a senior transportation planner and strategist with 16 years of experience at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). As Senior Director of Planning, he leads regional initiatives in long-range planning, safety, environmental, and freight projects. Previously, he worked as a planning consultant for New Jersey municipalities, conducting master plans, redevelopment studies, and affordable housing plans. A licensed planner and AICP-certified, Jeffrey holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers and a Master’s in Molecular Biology from UMDNJ, blending technical expertise with strategic regional planning.

Richard Barone is a transportation planner and research strategist with 15+ years of experience across aviation, transit, highways, and seaports. As L&B’s New York City office leader, Ground Transportation service line lead, and chair of the L&B Lab, he has managed projects at JFK, ORD, DFW, SFO, and SYR. Previously, as Vice President for Transportation at the Regional Plan Association, he led research and helped shape the Fourth Regional Plan for the New York City metropolitan area, blending multi-modal expertise with public engagement and strategic planning.

President at Ahasic Aviation Advisors

Mark Ahasic is an industry-experienced aviation planner and consultant to airlines, airports, terminal operators, infrastructure funds, and government agencies in the U.S. and around the world. With 15+ years of experience, aviation specialties include: Aviation planning, Operational planning and performance improvement, airport Operational Readiness, Activation & Transition (ORAT), management consulting & strategic planning, public Private Partnerships (PPP) for airports and terminals, project management, public speaking, training, and media inquiries.

Director of Planning and Development Services at Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP

Christopher A. Watson, M.Sc., Ph.D.[c], is a planning and development strategist with nearly two decades of experience in Newark, New Jersey. As Director of Planning and Development Services at Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP, he leads projects from conception to occupancy, advocating for client and community interests. Previously, as Newark’s City Planning Officer, he advanced the award-winning Newark360 master plan. A national planning expert, Chris holds degrees from the University of Guyana and Hunter College, and is a Ph.D. candidate at NJIT/Rutgers. He has taught urban studies, served on local boards, and earned APA New Jersey’s Stuart Merk Distinguished Service Award for inclusive city planning.

Principal Blackberry Studios / University Lecturer- Undergrad Program Coordinator NJIT Hillier College of Architecture & Design

Mark Bess has worked continuously as an architect, specification consultant, and academic professor for over 30 years. His passion rests in serving as a mentor to his students, working with clients to help them realize their goals and understanding the ways design impacts community, especially those that are typically marginalized.