South Orange Mayor to Receive Northern NJ Community Foundation's Award

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) announces Sheena Collum, the mayor of South Orange and a New Jersey Lt. Governor candidate, will receive the first Visionary Leadership Award at the organization’s inaugural Community Changemaker Night.

This special event will honor exemplary community leaders, who have made significant contributions to the betterment of life in North Jersey. The celebration takes place on Thursday, June 5, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at a cocktail reception at Forte Ristorante, located at 160 Prospect Avenue in Hackensack, New Jersey. The NNJCF is a 501( c ) (3) not-for-profit headquartered in Hackensack, serving North Jersey.

Mayor Sheena Collum to Receive Visionary Leadership Award

Sheena Collum, mayor of South Orange, New Jersey, will receive the Visionary Leadership Award for significant contributions made to the betterment of a North Jersey community. As the first woman to hold office as mayor in South Orange, her leadership 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. Collum also led a sweeping overhaul of the town’s outdated master plan, engaging a diverse coalition of volunteers and thousands of residents to reimagine the future of South Orange.

Demonstrating her ability to turn challenges into opportunities, she successfully negotiated the sale of an underutilized and costly Town Hall, transforming it into a thriving restaurant and banquet venue. Additionally, she realigned capital spending to prioritize projects that directly benefit residents, including a renovated recreation center featuring a café and art gallery and the upcoming state-of-the-art 21st-century library, set to break ground this year. Collum, the Executive Director of the American Planning Association – New Jersey Chapter, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in public policy, both from Seton Hall University.

Community Leaders to be Honored

The NNJCF will honor five local heroes, who have made their communities better places to live, work and be. These 2025 award recipients, who exemplify excellence in the Foundation’s focus areas – green and healthy places, creative communities, and belonging and opportunity – as well as overall community leadership, will also be honored with Mayor Sheena Collum:

• New Jersey Assemblyman (District 36) Clinton Calabrese – Creative Communities Award for helping communities through the arts, supporting artists, or enhancing cultural ecosystems.
• Fairleigh Dickinson University Professor and Biology Department Chair Dr. Marion McClary – Green and Healthy Places Leadership Award for protecting the environment or advancing public health.
• Fund Advisors for the Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund, Gina Wilson and Lisa De Dominicis – Belonging and Opportunity Award for supporting inclusive communities or economic opportunity.

Program

The festivities will be emceed by humorist and Bergen Record columnist Bill Ervolino performing, in conjunction with a fun, interactive game-show awards ceremony presented by Ryan Huban of Howdy Stranger. Attendees will also have an opportunity to network with more than 100 leaders and advocates dedicated to making North Jersey a better place to live, work and be, while enjoying artisanal bites and a selection of wines and beers in a vibrant atmosphere.

“The proceeds from this celebration will help the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation enhance North Jersey communities. By working together, we can build community partnerships that achieve more impact than any organization can do alone,” said Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director of the Foundation.

Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities

The cost for each ticket is $130 per person. Special ticket rates are available for parties of three, five, and ten. Tickets can be purchased online.

Sponsorship levels, ranging from $125 to $5,000, provide opportunities for individuals and businesses to participate. Digital ads for the event’s digital journal may also be purchased, ranging from $125 to $500, can be purchased that will be featured in a digital journal shown the night of the celebration and also on the Community Changemaker Night’s website. Funds raised from the sponsorships will be used to build alliances, support programs that protect the environment and produce public art. To date, sponsors for the event include Fairleigh Dickinson University and Nishuane Group.

A silent auction will also offer a range of products to bid upon. Some of the items available to bid upon include tickets to a performance at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, tickets to a performance at the South Orange Performing Arts Center in South Orange, tickets to a performance at the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, and a personalized one-hour consultation on landscape design by Teaneck-based Sprout Farms and Gardens.

For people unable to attend, donations can be made online or by sending a check made out to The Northern NJ Community Foundation (NNJCF), 1 University Plaza Drive, Suite 128, 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.