Mayor Sheena Collum Presented Visionary Leadership Award

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) presented South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum with the Visionary Leadership Award at the organization's inaugural Community Changemaker Night. The awards event honored exemplary community leaders for their remarkable contributions to make life better in North Jersey at the organization’s first Community Changemaker Night.

Mayor Collum was joined by these 2025 honorees: New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Professor and Biology Department Chair Dr. Marion McClary, and Gina Wilson and Lisa De Dominicis, Fund Advisors for the Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund. The 2025 award recipients broke ground excelling in the Foundation’s focus areas – green and healthy places, creative communities, and belonging and opportunity – as well as overall community leadership.

The celebration took place on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at a cocktail reception held at Forte Ristorante in Hackensack, New Jersey. The NNJCF is a not-for-profit, 501 c (3) organization headquartered in Hackensack that serves North Jersey.

“Throughout the evening, we celebrated the changemakers’ contributions in their communities and highlighted the importance of community and connection. The festivities were not only inspirational, but they also invigorated our commitment to enrich Northern New Jersey’s communities for everyone. We invite individuals, groups, and organizations to join us in our mission and partner with the Foundation to develop impactful change across the region,” said Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

Visionary Leadership Award

South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum received the Visionary Leadership Award for her significant contributions to the betterment of a North Jersey community. As the first woman to hold office as mayor in South Orange, Collum demonstrated a commitment to civic engagement, volunteerism, and the modernization of municipal operations in the village. Under her stewardship, South Orange secured over $500 million in commercial and mixed-use investments, with a strong emphasis on inclusionary affordable housing and groundbreaking community benefits agreements. A bold advocate for equitable growth, she spearheaded the creation of a downtown business incubator and artist hub, fostering economic opportunity while enhancing the cultural fabric of the community. She also led a sweeping overhaul of the town’s outdated master plan, engaging a diverse coalition of volunteers and thousands of residents to reimagine the future of South Orange.

The festivities were emceed by Bergen Record columnist and humorist Bill Ervolino performing in conjunction with a fun, interactive game-show awards ceremony presented by Ryan Huban of Howdy Stranger. Guests networked with other leaders and advocates dedicated to making North Jersey a better place to live, work and be.

Sponsors of this fun event were Champion Sponsor-Anonymous and Catalyst Sponsors-Fairleigh Dickinson University, Nishuane Group, Seton Hall University, and Anonymous. A range of donors contributed items to the night’s silent auction. These supporters included Dublin Pub, Hackensack Performing Arts Center, Iconic Coffee, Jersey City Theater, Just Jersey Goods, Kate & Abby's Bakery, Madame Restaurant, Mayo Performing Arts Center, Medusa the Greek Street Food, and Miti Miti Latin Street Food. Other contributors to the auction were Nimbus Dance Works, South Orange Performing Arts Center, Sprout Farms & Garden, The Barrymore Film Center, and Two River Gourmet Mushrooms. Funds raised from the sponsorships and the silent auction will be used to build alliances, support programs that protect the environment and produce public art.

People and organizations that were unable to attend the festivities can still support the NNJCF. Donations can be made online or by sending a check made out to The Northern NJ Community Foundation (NNJCF), 1 University Plaza Drive, Suite 102, Hackensack, NJ 07601.

What Can We Do Together?

With the motto 'What can we do together, that we can't do alone?", the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation helps communities in North Jersey become better places to live, work, and enjoy by bringing people together to address pressing issues, such as public health, environmental protection, civil society and education. The Foundation works to enhance quality of life in the eight northern counties of New Jersey – Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren and Union. Founded in 1998, the NNJCF has awarded over $1 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to local residents, developed diverse alliances to tackle critical quality of life issues, connected people to valuable resources, and produced catalytic public art and environmental projects to benefit all residents. To get involved in the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's work, call 201-568-5608 or send an e-mail.