Baye Adofo-Wilson, ESQ. is a real estate developer, lawyer and consultant with an expertise in arts and cultural districts, sustainability, affordable and mixed-income housing development. He has a real estate development and consulting firm, BAW Development LLC, where he focuses on developing transformative, residential and mixed-use projects in urban communities. He is Of Counsel to Post Polak, PA focusing New Jersey Redevelopment Law and Opportunity Zones.

Baye Adofo-Wilson was Deputy Mayor/Director of Economic and Housing Development (EHD) for Newark, NJ. As the Director of EHD, Mr. Adofo-Wilson managed the departments of housing, property management, real estate, economic development, planning, zoning and the office of sustainability. Mr. Adofo-Wilson was an 2014-2015 Urban Design Critic at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a member of the 2013-2014 Loeb Fellows class at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Before Harvard, Mr. Adofo-Wilson co-founded of the Lincoln Park/Coast Cultural District, a non-profit organization redeveloping the Lincoln Park neighborhood in the City of Newark. He led a comprehensive effort to transform a low-income Newark neighborhood into a sustainable cultural district that included affordable housing and mixed-use developments, urban agriculture, music festivals, historic restoration and workforce development projects. Mr. Baye Adofo-Wilson is on the Boards of Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Foundation and the Black Voters Matter Fund. He is also a US Army Veteran, has a BA from Rutgers-Newark, a MRP from Cornell University and he is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ramid “Middy” Brown serves as the Program Coordinator for Newark Street Academy where he cultivates partnerships with all City of Newark identified Community Based Organizations for re-engagement center outreach and retention. He also serves as CEO of All Terrain Painting.

Professor Andrew Rothman is responsible for the development and management of the Rutgers Law Associates Fellowship Program on both campuses, coordinating its educational component, supervising all of the legal work performed, and serving as its Managing Attorney. He also teaches various upper-level courses including New Jersey Practice, Non-Profit Corporations, and Professional Responsibility, and has taught Advanced Contracts, Appellate Advocacy and Evidence, and for several years taught in the Community Law Clinic.

David Muhammad serves as the Manager/Affirmative Action Officer for the City of Newark–Mayor’s Office of Affirmative Action, Coordinating, managing and administering the City’s Affirmative Action Program for workforce and Minority/Women Business Enterprise participation. Dave has also served as a Senior Aide to Mayor Baraka, a Legislative Aide to the Newark City Council and a Community Relations Specialist for the City of Newark.

Aqeela Sherrills is the former Executive Director of Newark Community Street Team. Aqeela is a spirit-centered activist, working to promote healing in marginalized communities and community ownership of public safety. He is the National Training Director for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and a certified trauma trainer through CDC, ASJ, PCITI, Rockwood, Center for Transformative Change. He is a national expert in community violence and intervention strategies who provides overall leadership and oversight to the projects with which he is involved. Aqeela played a key role in Los Angeles’s gang truce process beginning in 1989 and culminating in the 1992-1993 peace treaties. He is widely respected in the community and has the strong support of leaders in law enforcement, school personnel, probation, social services, mental health providers, stakeholders, local government leaders, and other community-based organizations.

Dr. Monique Swift is a psychologist, a NJ Licensed Professional Counselor, and a NY Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She has over 20 years of clinical experience in the field of mental health and operates a private practice. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Swift also offers keynote talks, curriculum design, personal development workshops, and professional training. Dr. Swift is actively involved in racial social justice efforts and initiatives. Her extensive volunteer work typically benefits the Black community specifically, and oppressed and under-served populations, in general. Her volunteer activity often involves grassroots and civic organizing, personal and community empowerment building, and addressing issues of racial inequality, and racial trauma. Dr. Swift serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for Volunteers of America, the Newark Community Collaborative Board, Torchlight Educational Academy, and the Union County Juvenile Conference Committee under the Family Division of the Superior Court. Since 2014, she has also served as an executive board member of the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists, where she currently serves as Chapter President.