Samantha Castro serves as our communications director, delivering our message through a broad variety of platforms: traditional media, social media, emails, speaking engagements, and television and podcast appearances. Samantha is the host of our Power Up Podcast that is available on Spotify and Apple. She chairs the Perth Amboy Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Board, which she worked hard to establish. Sam is a graduate of Rutgers University.
Samantha@thecitizenservice.org
Ellen Clarkson serves as our chief of operations, keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly. A graduate of the City College of New York and Seton Hall Law School, Ellen was a partner at one of New Jersey’s most highly regarded planning and land use firms, where she represented government entities, non-profits, businesses, and individuals. She has taught courses at law schools and community colleges and clerked for the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Ellen@thecitizenservice.org
Michelle Curry leads our partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs). A former Newark Civic Trustee who serves as the volunteer Executive Director of the Althea Gibson Foundation/Community Tennis Association, Michelle brings an extensive set of relationships with various members of the greater HBCU community to this task, as well as a wealth of experience working with economically disadvantaged and minority populations. She is a graduate of Rutgers University, earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Ashford University, and is presently completing her PhD in Nonprofit Management and Leadership with a thesis on ‘Closing the Civic Empowerment Gap.’
Michelle@thecitizenservice.org
Carole Dortch-Wright leads our faith-based partnerships and is a civic trust facilitator. Having served as the communications director for Cathedral International, a large Baptist Church in Perth Amboy, NJ, Carole brings an in-depth knowledge of the faith community as well as long-established relationships with key faith leaders. Carole has also served in various government posts, working for the governor of New Jersey and at the US Food & Drug Administration. Carole graduated from New Jersey City University and earned a Master’s Degree in Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University.
Carole@thecitizenservice.org
Akeem Miller leads our youth campaign and serves as the facilitator of the Newark Civic Trust. Akeem brings the skills he learned as a teacher both in the United States and China to our youth training and outreach efforts. He served as a coach at Harvard University’s cross-cultural leadership training and as a member of President Obama’s global initiative, Project Pengyou, which works to bring mutual understanding between the United States and China. Akeem is active in Newark’s Blacktop Street Basketball Association. He is a graduate of Wenzhou-Kean University in China, the first Guyanese American to accomplish this.
Akeem@thecitizenservice.org
Cesar Romero manages The Citizen Service’s online Citizen Power training infrastructure, ensuring that residents across the country can easily engage with our training and take practical steps toward improving their communities. As a Perth Amboy Civic Trustee and community advocate, Cesar has worked extensively with immigrant and working-class communities across New Jersey. His bilingual fluency directly shapes The Citizen Service’s Spanish-language training and ensures our materials remain accessible to the communities we serve. Cesar is a graduate of New Jersey City University, where he earned degrees in Philosophy and Finance.
Cesar@thecitizenservice.org
David Sherwin leads our community college partnerships and has been instrumental in getting some of the largest community colleges in the nation to partner with us. Having worked as an operations team manager for a company serving humanitarian and academic organizations, David brings an extensive background in operations management, strategic planning, and team building. He is a graduate of Temple University and earned his Master’s in Public Affairs and Administration from the Metropolitan College of New York.
David@thecitizenservice.org