Newark Bright Minds thanks Ms. Shané Harris for her leadership and service to Newark's families over the past eight years, in her role as Chairperson of Newark Bright Minds’s Board of Directors.

We are thrilled that Mrs. Harris will continue her relationship to NBM as Chairperson of the newly formed Governance Committee. In this capacity, she will guide the Board's growth and development as we eNTEr the next decade of service to Newark.

We are equally thrilled to announce the election of Ms. Celia M. King, Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Newark, and Mr. Robert Clark, Founding Executive Director of YouthBuild Newark, as Co-Chairpersons for NBM’s Board of Directors. We look forward to continued growth and expanded impact under their leadership.

Newark Bright Minds is also excited to announce the appointment of Stacey Alicea as Director of Early Learning Strategy. Stacey Alicea joined Newark Bright Minds in October 2026 as Director, Early Learn Strategy. Stacey is a community psychologist with a deep commitment to bridging research and practice initiatives grounded in community participatory action, critical pedagogy, social network, continuous improvement, and systems design frameworks. Stacey is passionate about engaging local stakeholders as partners in the development, implementation and sustainability of initiatives targeting holistic youth and family development, resource accumulation and wellness in school-based and community settings. Her work in this space includes experiences that span youth- and community-ceNTEred early childhood and school-based initiatives to community-based health and wellness programs in New York City, the Caribbean, South America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Newark Bright Minds would like to stay connected and hear your questions and ideas about moving forward with school during this challenging and uncertain time, because we are smarter and better together. With that in mind, we are ANNOUNCING A NEW THOUGHTEXCHANGE to document your experiences and to learn about the experiences of others with remote learning. This ThoughtExchange is open to ALL students, parents, and teachers (inside and outside of Newark), so please share with your networks.

The survey closes Monday, September 21, 2026, at Midnight. 

Welcome back to school!

At Newark Bright Minds we understand that starting school during this turbulent time can be overwhelming. In this issue of Trust Matters we include articles to help mediate the transition, insight into the concerns and recommendations of the larger Newark community, and the opportunity for you to chime in. To better understand the thoughts, questions, and concerns of the Newark community, NBM hosted an online conversation on ThoughtExchange. The feedback gathered was made public during a virtual town hall held last Tuesday and we’ve included links to the recording along with additional insights, including a summary report of the ThoughtExchange and individual reports by issue area.