2025 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 – CORE (3 Year Term)

Khaatim Sherrer El is the Executive Director of Clinton Hill Community Action (CHCA), a nonprofit community development corporation working to revitalize Newark’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. He brings more than twenty years of experience leading place-based initiatives, managing strategic partnerships, and building organizational capacity. Since its founding in 2019, he has grown the organization to 23 full-time staff members with an annual budget of $4.5M -- 95% of the organization's staff lives in the neighborhood, representing $2.5M of economic development being reinvested into the community. CHCA's priorities include Housing & Environmental Justice, Food Security & Economic Justice, Arts & Creative Placemaking, Community Building, and Citizen Journalism & Advocacy. To-date, CHCA has assisted nearly 700 residents with securing emergency rental assistance to prevent evictions, cleaned up and added decorative murals on 62 abandoned properties, secured $700,000 in housing subsidy to build 10 new units of affordable housing, and collaborated with 8 local food pantries to serve 1,000 neighborhood residents in need each month.

Sarah Steward is the Chief Executive Officer at HomeFront, a non-profit agency dedicated to ending family homelessness and breaking the cycle of poverty for families in Central New Jersey.  At HomeFront, Ms. Steward offers forward-looking strategic leadership to HomeFront, ensuring the organization continues to adapt and innovate to best meet the current and future needs of the community and achieve HomeFront’s ambitious mission.  In her capacity as CEO, Ms. Steward directs all aspects of the organization including operations of over 35 programs, management over 120 staff, financial oversight, resource development and external relations.  Ms. Steward also currently serves as a Councilwoman in the Township of Ewing.  

RENEWING TERM FOR 3 YEARS – CORE

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. 

Mark Valli is the CEO for Norwescap, a well-established community action agency, providing a wide variety of programs and services to over 30,000 low-income individuals and families in the 5 Northwest counties of the State. Previously, Mr. Valli served as CEO for the Community Charter School of Paterson (CCSP). Prior to his service with CCSP, Mr. Valli was the founding President & CEO of New Jersey After 3 (NJA3) which was the nation’s first statewide public/private partnership created to expand evidence-based afterschool opportunities. NJA3 served over 75,000 students in over 120 schools across the State. Previously Mr. Valli served as Vice President of New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) where he was responsible for corporate and foundation outreach, fundraising, program development, and external relations. Before joining NJCDC, Mark served six years as one of two founding staff people with the New Jersey Commission on National & Community Service and served for 2 years in the Governor’s Office under Governor Jim Florio. Mark spent 2 years working for a management consulting firm that specialized in facilities and energy management. Mr. Valli has served as Board Chair of the New Jersey Center for Nonprofit Corporations and Vice-Chair of Leadership New Jersey Graduate Organization.

RENEWING TERM FOR 3 YEARS – ASSOCIATE 

Barbara George Johnson, vice president of external affairs and urban policy and research at Kean University, has been nominated by President Joe Biden as a member of the board of trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. With more than 30 years of experience as a public policy professional, Johnson has shaped economic, health and social policy in the Garden State. At the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, she oversees the work and mission of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, a unique organization of 32 urban mayors engaged in collective policymaking. The Institute focuses on urban environmental policy, public health policy, early childhood policy, and instruction in leadership development and civic engagement. Johnson has an extensive background in health care, public health and public policy. Early in her career, she spearheaded the development of the Newark Kids Initiative for the Newark Health Department, which focused on healthcare and social services for children impacted by domestic violence. She also served on the CDC-funded Newark Prevention Marketing Initiative and other task forces on HIV/AIDS.  

Wanda Saez is the Senior Vice President, Social Impact and Sustainability – Public Affairs for Wells Fargo. She is a Community Relations Professional specializing in CRA, Philanthropy and Community Development.  Wanda joined Wells Fargo in 2000 as Vice President – Government and Community Relations.  In May of 2017 she was promoted to Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Community Relations. In the 24 years that Wanda has been with Wells Fargo she has worked closed with the non-profit community throughout New Jersey.