Newark Community Advisory Council

Mary Anne Adjepong

Mary was born in Newark and is a graduate of NJIT with a degree in Civil Engineering. She has resided in Newark with family since 1985. After graduation, she worked in the field of engineering and had the opportunity to work on numerous transportation projects in and around the city of Newark. Mary is also proud to have served as the Deputy Director and Acting Director for the city’s engineering department.

In 2013, she obtained her license in real estate and began a new career that allowed her the flexibility to devote more time to raising her children. She enjoys cooking and gardening. Mary is a cancer survivor and fully understands the connection between healthy food choices and good health. Mary has also served on the Newark Community Advisory Council for the past four years and is also a member of the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women. 

Aja Alexander 

Aja Alexander is a Community Outreach Specialist for Reworld Waste, an organization located in Newark that is dedicated to enhancing and connecting communities through corporate and interpersonal relationships. 

Dana Augustin

Dana has been a Newark resident for 8 years. She received a resident leadership certificate from LISC in 2021 and went on to be a founding member of an advocacy group called Fairmount Heights Ambassadors. She received a $2000 grant from LISC and went on to lead community projects centered on the importance of cleanliness and using green spaces as a way to educate, connect neighbors and develop community pride.

In 2021, she was on the planning committee for Newark SAS community meal. Every year, Dana donates to and volunteers with a Fairmount grassroots organization called Essentially Yours From the Heart and MEND. These organizations provide fresh vegetables, clothing and goods to neighborhood residents. 

Sybil B. Bost 

Sybil worked at Essex County College as Adjunct Professor and Associate Director of Scholarships, Internships and Alumni. She has also completed Leadership Newark, worked with Port Authority to identify Newark and Essex County MWSDVOBs, volunteered for the Essex County Fee Arbitration and Ethics Committee, and was a volunteer facilitator for Newark Women Moving Forward, a financial freedom movement for women. She also loved her time working as a NE Regional Marketing Community Liaison for Whole Foods Market.

Laura Cole 

Laura has had many roles in Newark, a city she considers her home. Her roles have always comprised of service and empowerment in social services, a community organizer, advocate, activist, holistic health practitioner, food justice champion, and earth worker. 

Shelon Drakes 

Shelon is a long-time supporter of the Newark area and went to high school at St. Vincent Academy where she participated in multiple afterschool programs offered to Newark residents, like the Allstars Program. She is also an alumna of the Newark Leadership Program. 

Hend El-Buri 

Hend is a steering committee member of the Food and Health Equity Coalition of Essex. She is also a member of the Rutgers-Newark Climate Action Group, the Table to Table Advisory Council, and an organizational member of MEND NJ. 

Ginger Garrett 

Ginger is a native of Newark, New Jersey where she attended public schools.  She is a graduate of Arts High School. Ginger became a part of the gardening community over 12 years ago and is the former Plot It Fresh Coordinator for the Greater Newark Conservancy. Ginger has helped to secure garden space and has used her skills as a Master Gardener of Esseex County to help prospective gardeners grow food.  Ginger has volunteered at Phillips Academy Charter School, GNC, The Culture Spot, Giving One Tenth and Turtle Back Zoo.

She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University where she earned a degree in journalism and mass media with a concentration in television production. Ginger is a healing artist and has certifications in massage, aromatherapy, reiki and pranic healing. She is also a licensed esthetician.   

Karen Hilliard Johnson

Karen is a retired City of Newark employee after 30 years of service. She is a community gardener and now a certified Master Gardener and member of the NCFS advisory board. 

Arti Jotwani 

Arti is a 2019 NJIT grad with deep ties in the city of Newark. Arti has been involved in assisting with Halsey Festival operations since 2015. Arti has also been an active volunteer at a local food bank and has volunteered for the Covid-19 vaccine trial from 2020-2022.

In addition, Arti is currently volunteering as a participant for the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Rutgers Medical school. 

Chukwudi Nwosu 

Chukwudi is a public health nurse promoting wellness in communities by encouraging local economics, recreational sports, spiritual wellness, mental wellness, community beautification and lifelong learning. 

He is a tech enthusiast with over 20 years in Healthcare. Since 2010, he has worked on several community beautification projects throughout the City of Newark.  He has also participates in various community gardening projects in Newark.

Peter Ortiz 

Peter has partnered with other organizers in Newark who are passionate about making plant-based foods accessible to communities in need and creating a sustainable and healthy environment. Over the years, Chilis on Wheels and another group he volunteers with, Vegan Activist Alliance, has worked with Fallon N. Davis, CEO and president of STEAM URBAN, right in Newark. They’ve been honored to support the amazing work Fallon’s organization does in providing plant-based foods to the community, including from their local community garden.

During the pandemic, he also volunteered as Mercy For Animals’ head organizer for Newark for their Plants to the People initiative. In that role, he connected 10 New Jersey vegan restaurants and food vendors with Tobias Fox’s Newark Science and Sustainability (SAS) and Newark-based Bridges Outreach. Of the 10 restaurants and vendors, nine were owned by people of color and two were based in Newark. Over nearly three months, they prepared hot meals for young people attending SAS’s five-week outdoor day camp at Rabbit Hole Farm as well as SAS’s week-long city garden tour and fall block party, and for unhoused residents served by Bridges Outreach all over Newark.  

Trevor Ramkissoon  

Many of Trevor’s work and volunteering experiences stem from working with low-income communities, immigrants, refugees, and/or faith communities. He grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Newark, NJ, and he knows these experiences are invaluable. He worked with “NJ School Breakfast Program” and “Let’s Move! Newark.” His second significant experience in advocacy and/or community organizing was working with the City of Newark, New Jersey, and implementing the Let’s Move campaign. “Let’s Move” is First Lady Michelle Obama’s comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.

Since 2018, he has been a grant reviewer for the Newark Eligible Metropolitan Area (NEMA). As a Peer Reviewer, he participates in the strategic planning and implementation of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, which provides medical and support services for people living with HIV in Essex County. 

Sabrina Ross

Sabrina Ross is a dynamic individual and professional with a background in service delivery, neighborhood planning, project management, and collaboration. Ross is passionate about informing and empowering residents through neighborhood planning, envisioning community economic development strategies, and building strong communities.

Before joining Keep America Beautiful in May 2024, Sabrina was with GreenLight Fund and was instrumental in developing targeted strategies to address community needs. Previously, as Community Engagement Manager at Unified Vailsburg Services Organization, she successfully led civic engagement and beautification projects with a large team of volunteers. In her role at the City of Newark Department of Health & Community Wellness, Sabrina exemplified dedication and compassion, coordinating support and resources for victims of violent crimes. Ross’s extensive involvement in advisory and volunteer roles further highlights her commitment to urban development and sustainability initiatives.

Sabrina holds a BA in Social Behavior Science and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. If you don’t know Ms. Ross, you will because she may be knocking on your door to invite you to attend a block club meeting, join the fun at Healthy Havens Gardens, or engage you in initiatives to clean and beautify the community.

Marissa Staffen

Marissa Staffen is a County 4-H Agent at the Department of 4-H Youth Development at Rutgers University-Newark. She runs a comprehensive youth development program in Essex County, New Jersey. Her program focus areas are environmental sustainability including climate change and urban gardening. Her research focuses on youth learning in these topics. 

Claudia Urdanivia 

Claudia Urdanivia is a community development and food systems practitioner who has supported community gardens and urban farms in Northern New Jersey and the Bronx for a decade. In her new role as Urban Agriculture agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hudson and Essex Counties, Claudia will be providing education, technical assistance, and programming support for communities in urban areas.

Previously the 4-H Senior Program Coordinator in Hudson County, Claudia implemented a wide array of programming for youth and families focused on food systems and urban agriculture with a focus on food security. Focusing on urban agriculture and community horticulture, Claudia seeks to build stronger relationships with Newark urban growers and new and experienced gardeners alike to provide resources and support. 

Yaquana Williams  

Yaquana Williams is a dedicated advocate for food justice, sustainability, and community empowerment. Born and raised in Newark and Irvington, NJ, she has been immersed in urban agriculture and environmental justice work from an early age. At 14, she began working with the Greater Newark Conservancy, where she cultivated her passion for sustainable food systems and community-driven change. Yaquana is a graduate of Pitzer College, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies, focusing on the intersections of Black liberation, land sovereignty, and food justice.

After college, she served as a FoodCorps service member with the Greater Newark Conservancy and Newark Public Schools, where she supported school garden initiatives, nutrition education, and youth leadership development. Currently, Yaquana is the Sustainable Food Systems Program Manager for the City of Newark’s Office of Sustainability, where she leads initiatives that expand urban farming, combat food insecurity, and promote sustainable food policies. She is also pursuing her Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University, deepening her expertise in equitable and resilient food systems.In addition to her work in sustainability, Yaquana has been a committed educator and mentor. She served for five years as a Site Leader, Faculty, and Dean with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, empowering young women and gender-expansive youth in Newark through social justice education and leadership development.

Yaquana has cultivated and tended gardens and farms across Newark, strengthening her connection to land stewardship and food sovereignty. Beyond her work in food systems, she serves as a community and spiritual herbalist, leading herbal workshops throughout Newark through her practice, Aquayas Abyss. Rooted in African diasporic healing traditions, she blends plant medicine with spiritual healing, creating spaces for people to reconnect with ancestral wisdom and holistic self-care.