2027 Board of Directors Slate

OFFICERS (1 YEAR TERM)

Chair - Edward Bethea serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gateway Community Action Partnership. He oversees all financial, managerial and revenue-generating departments and activities within the agency. He is the chief negotiator of all contracts and leases and serves as chief developer on all construction projects. He is responsible for the Operations, Finance and Human Resources Departments as well as, Head Start, Health Services, Economic Development, Social Services, Information Technology, Weatherization, Property Management and Facility Maintenance. He brings years of experience in tax consulting, financial planning, cash flow projection and asset management to Gateway, and maintains approval authority on all agency spending. He is also directly responsible for the interactions between Gateway and financial institutions and governmental entities. Mr. Bethea currently serves as President of the Bridgeton City Municipal Council and joined the Network Board of Directors in 2020. 

Vice Chair - Pilar Hogan Closkey, PE, PP, AICP joined Saint Joseph Carpenter Society in 1998 as the Operations Manager and, in 2004, was named the Executive Director. Ms. Closkey graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and worked for seven years in the field of consulting engineering. She then pursued her Master’s degree in Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and worked for a non-profit tax credit developer.  She is licensed as a Professional Engineer and a Professional Planner in New Jersey and is nationally certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners.  As the Executive Director, Ms. Closkey reports to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the day-to-day activities of SJCS.She returns to the Network Board of Directors in 2023.

Treasurer - Dan Antonellis has served as President of Region Nine Housing Corporation (RNHC) since 2012, developing high-quality affordable housing and providing services to families, seniors and disabled individuals. Prior to becoming RNHC President, he served as a Staff Representative for the Communications Workers of America, Local 1038 and spent nearly 25 years at the New Jersey Department of Labor prior to that. He is a former Vice President and Board President of the ARC Mercer and a founding member of the Board of Orphan Sponsorship International (OSI). Mr. Antonellis joined the Network Board of Directors in 2018.

NEW BOARD MEMBER – ASSOCIATE (3 Year Term)

Bernadette Mueller, EVP, is the Chief Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Officer at Valley Bank, where she leads the Bank’s CSR and CRA programs. With more than 30 years of banking experience, she has held key leadership roles and built high-performing teams across the organization. Bernadette is responsible for advancing Valley’s commitment to meeting the financial and credit needs of its customers, stakeholders, and communities. She oversees philanthropic investments and community development strategies that promote economic opportunity, social impact, and environmental sustainability. A trusted advisor to executive leadership and the Board, she collaborates with business lines, regulators, government officials, trade associations, and nonprofit partners to drive positive corporate citizenship across the Bank’s footprint.

RENEWING TERM FOR 3 YEARS – CORE 

 Cierra Hart is the Director of Housing and Economic Justice for the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence and a national consultant for the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Housing Consortium. Her role sees her providing advocacy, training, technical assistance, public awareness, and support for advocates and survivors. She has been involved in various federal, state, and local housing and economic justice advocacy and policy initiatives to help survivors heal, restore, and renew their lives. Ms. Hart’s work has been instrumental in expanding survivors’ access to housing statewide, as well as in in creating a hotel aggregator program in March of 2020 to house survivors and children fleeing from domestic violence during the global pandemic. She has worked with many communities in the areas of homelessness prevention, emergency and transitional housing, domestic violence program development, community development, eviction prevention, and rental assistance programs. 

Scott Millard is the Chief Executive Officer for Passaic County Habitat for Humanity. His career in the nonprofit sector began in 2008 as President of Connor’s House, an organization he co-founded to aid families of children with severe health needs. During this time, he was also working as a pastor and, eventually, the Director of Global Program Development and Operations with the Bethlehem Evangelical Free Church of Randolph, where he worked with several local nonprofits to address housing, education, and health on a local and international scale. He became CEO of Passaic County’s Habitat for Humanity in 2019, aiming to promote home ownership with new housing developments and help underhoused residents.

Jaymie Santiago has been working for the progress of New Brunswick’s residents since 2004. He began his work with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension and was instrumental in creating a citywide network of Food Hubs consisting of farmers markets and community gardens. In 2009, he served on the initial planning committee that developed the New Brunswick Community Food Alliance. And in 2011, he was the Co-Director of Rutgers Against Hunger, a university-wide initiative offering temporary relief to families faced with hunger across New Jersey. Mr. Santiago joined New Brunswick Tomorrow as Director of Operations in 2012, becoming President in 2016. He managed the Healthier New Brunswick initiative; designed to improve the overall health of city residents.

Anthony Smith took on the role of Executive Director at Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District in 2014, leading the organization as it aims to improve stability, ensure housing, and build community in the Newark neighborhood through increased cultural and artistic opportunities. His current position headlines his 30 years of dedication to place-based economic and community development. He has experience as a Project Manager at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and as a Project Manager for various community and cultural initiatives on the Newark Municipal Council. Mr. Smith also serves in leading positions at the Newark Museum of Art, the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, the New Jersey Nature Conservancy, Newark-based real estate and community investment nonprofit corporation Landbank, and as the Commissioner of Landmarks and Historical Preservation for the City of Newark.