Senator Angela McKnight

Angela V. McKnight took the oath on January 9, 2024, to become New Jersey State Senator for the 31st Legislative District. Prior, she was elected as the first Black Assemblywoman for the 31st Legislative District where she served four terms. Senator McKnight currently serves on several Senate Committees, including Education, Health, Human Services, Senior Citizens, and Law & Public Safety. She is a member of the Joint Committee on Public Schools, the Disability Caucus and the Home Care Caucus.

As an activist and social advocate, McKnight serves as Chair of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation and is a member of several other boards in New Jersey. She has received numerous honors for her advocacy in the community and accomplishments. Senator McKnight is also an entrepreneur and self-published author. She is known as the “Carepreneur”, through her role as the Founder & CEO of the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization AngelaCARES, Inc.

Angela resides in her hometown of Jersey City. She is married to her high school sweetheart with whom she has two children and an amazing grandson.

Jonathan L. Allen

Jonathan L. Allen, JD, MTS, is an influential force at the intersection of social impact, education equity, and spiritual leadership. He is Co-founder and Director of Development at Leadership Brainery, a Boston-based company closing wealth gaps by ensuring underrepresented communities have equitable access to master's and doctoral degrees and workforce leadership.

In addition to his role in development, Jonathan's background as an ordained minister and his theological training uniquely positions him as a spiritual leader. His commitment to holistic empowerment is reflected in his approach to social entrepreneurship and community upliftment.

Jonathan’s experience building social impact ventures earned him the inaugural appointment as Innovator-in-Residence at Boston University. Jonathan is also known for his commitment to public service, evidenced by his 2019 run for Boston City Council, and his work with Partners In Health to stop the spread of COVID-19 throughout Massachusetts—helping develop protocols and train teams for equitable data collection.

Jonathan has been featured on CNN, BET, Boston Globe, and The ShadeRoom, and was recently named “40 Under 40” by The Boston Business Journal and one of Boston’s “Most Influential Men of Color” by Get Konnected. Jonathan graduated from Grambling State University, Southern Methodist University, and Boston University School of Law.

Tylik McMillan

Internationally recognized young civil rights activist and movement strategist Tylik McMillan wishes to inspire other young people to get involved and make civic engagement the new norm, not the exception. Tylik works to educate lawmakers and stakeholders from the White House to corporate c-suites on the challenges and opportunities facing communities, by advocating for more resources and policies that help invest and advance economic and social equality.

Tylik helped organize the 2020 Commitment March on Washington and 2021 March On for Voting Rights which drew over hundreds of thousands to Washington DC and called for racial justice, police reform, voting rights protections, census participation and more. Recognized by Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House as a prominent young voice to help lead our nation forward, Tylik has also been recognized as a United States Black Chamber of Commerce 50 Under 40, Bloomberg 50 One to Watch, National Urban League Young Professional National Trailblazer, and been featured by Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, and BET among other global, national, and local outlets.

A native of Lawrenceville, Virginia, Tylik is a proud HBCU graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Linda Carter M.S. '00

Linda Carter has spent her entire career fighting for underprivileged and middle-class communities. She has served locally for nearly two decades, as a member of the Plainfield City Council and as a member of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders – earning a reputation as a bold progressive, and pragmatic trailblazer willing to take on a wide array of challenges that affect her communities.

Carter was appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly on May 24, 2018, representing the 22nd Legislative District (comprised of Union, Middlesex & Somerset Counties). Her appointment filled the vacancy left by the late Assemblyman Gerald B. Green, and she was subsequently elected in a special election on November 6, 2018.

She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee, the Vice-Chair of the Higher Education Committee and is a member of the Law & Public Safety Committee. As a member of the Plainfield City Council, Assemblywoman Carter was a liaison to the Housing Authority, Board of Education, Cable Advisory Board, Chair of the Public Safety Committee and Neighborhood and City Services Committee. She served as Chair of the Committee and was quickly elevated to lead the Governing Body as Plainfield City Council President. Most recently Assemblywoman Carter was elected to serve as Secretary of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus.

Currently, Assemblywoman Carter is employed by the Passaic Board of Education as a High School Business Education Teacher. Prior to her career in education, she worked at AT&T in Access Management and as Portfolio Asset Manager for AT&T Credit Communication. As the only educator to serve in the New Jersey General Assembly, Linda Carter is proud to stand with the New Jersey Education Association to advance and protect the rights, benefits and interest of educators and to promote a quality system of public education.

Assemblywoman Carter earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and holds a Master of Science degree in Management, Information Management from Stevens Institute of Technology. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Assemblywoman Carter stands at the forefront of effective advocacy and social change.

Tahesha Way, Esq.

New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State, Tahesha Way, Esq, serves as New Jersey’s top election official, overseeing the State Division of Elections to ensure New Jersey’s elections are secure and provide New Jerseyans with broad and fair access to voting. Sworn into office in February 2018, Secretary Way oversees a very diverse portfolio as Secretary of State including the Division of Volunteerism, which helps mobilize volunteers throughout the state and match community needs in partnership with volunteer centers, disaster response organizations, business volunteers, schools, colleges, faith-based organizations and community organizations. Secretary Way also oversees various state offices in support of New Jersey’s arts, culture, history, and business communities.

Aisha Lawrey '99

STEM advocate and Stevens alumna, Aisha Lawrey '99, has 25 years of experience working in industry, government, nonprofits, and education. Her focus is on increasing the number of women and minorities in engineering. Aisha currently works for AWS (Amazon Web Services), as the Training & Certification Global Lead for Education Programs, AMER (North, Central, and South America). Her role represents all Education Programs spanning K-12, higher education, and professional skilling, reskilling, and upskilling learners. The goal is to show multiple pathways to learners that lead to professionals joining the cloud workforce.

Assemblywoman Angela McKnight

Angela V. McKnight, elected as the first African American Assemblywoman for the 31st District of the New Jersey State Legislature in 2015 is now serving her fourth term. She is a Democratic lawmaker representing towns in Hudson County, New Jersey to include Bayonne and Jersey City. As a member of the General Assembly, McKnight is the chairwoman of the Aging and Senior Services Committee, Vice Chair of Women and Children Committee and a member of the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee. In addition, McKnight is a Deputy Majority Leader in the Assembly.

She is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of AngelaCARES, an advocacy and support organization for senior citizens, senior caregivers, and youth, based in Jersey City. She is also an entrepreneur running a few businesses and a self-published author. She is an advocate for senior care, social justice, and cultural fairness in Black communities as well as women’s health amongst a plethora of important matters affecting New Jerseyans. As a mentor and educator, McKnight serves as an adjunct faculty member at New Jersey City University (NJCU), and as an instructor at the Rising Tide Capital Community Business Academy. She holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and has 30 years of experience in the customer service and technology arena.

As an activist and social advocate, McKnight serves as a Board Member on several boards to include the Jersey City Community Charter School, the United Way of Hudson County, Alliance Community Healthcare, I Love Greenville, & the NJCU Health Sciences Undergraduate & Keyes Red Door Realty & Associates Advisory Boards. She is the chair of New Jersey Black Legislative Caucus Foundation and the President of the Hudson County Black Caucus. She has received several honors for her advocacy and accomplishments to include, but not limited to the US Senator Robert Menendez 2019 Community Outreach Award, and the 2022 Community Impact Award from Trinity Faith Church of the Living God. Angela resides in her hometown Jersey City, NJ.

Frank DiCola '14 M.S. '15

Frank DiCola is an alumnus of the Stevens Visual Arts & Technology program ('14) and holds a Master's degree in Software Engineering from the School of Systems & Enterprises at Stevens ('15). After graduation, he founded his own independent software studio and published the mobile puzzle game Where Shadows Slumber as well as the live service Hoboken Charity Quest, a gamified interactive local volunteer network. He is an active member of the Hoboken community, serving on the Senior Leadership Team of the Hoboken Food Pantry, various fundraising teams such as the Hoboken Shelter's Winter Auction committee, and the Saint Ann Catholic Church Respect Life Ministry. Currently, he maintains the Hoboken Charity Quest app and is preparing to expand the service to more cities in Hudson County.