Our Team
Our staff and fellows come from a wide range of backgrounds in government, community activism, teaching in k12 and postsecondary, the nonprofit sector and more. What do we all have in common? A deep-seated belief that all New Jersey students deserve access to excellent schools, regardless of where they live.
About Paula White
Executive Director
Paula L. White lives in the northern New Jersey town of Bloomfield, less than an hour outside of New York City. She was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Jamaica and Canada by her first-generation immigrant parents before moving to the United States as a young adult. While growing up, Paula was hardly a model student – she loved history and mathematics and was a voracious reader, but she stubbornly believed that she didn’t need schooling to validate her intelligence. A part of her still believes this, but after realizing that formal education expands knowledge, builds self-discipline and is a gatekeeper for hopes and dreams, she committed to scholastic excellence and went on to earn degrees from Spelman College and Columbia University.
About Dominica Chavez
Advocacy Manager
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, NM, Dominica Chavez takes immense pride in her New Mexican roots. She graduated from Santa Rosa High School before pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. She then earned her master’s degree in education and human development from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
