As a UNION member, Jeff is a staunched advocate for retaining our qualified and experienced union Teachers. He has a BFA and MA from Montclair State University and a Harvard Certificate in Teaching Higher Education. He served as a Board Member of the City of Orange for 9 years and has earned Certified Board Member and Master Board Member certifications. He is on track to be certified as a Certified Board Leader, the highest level of individual certification and achievement by the New Jersey School Board Association. As a Board member, he was essential in creating The Stem Academy of the Oranges and renovating the Orange High School and Cleveland Elementary School. And proud of the elevated graduation rate of our Graduate students year to year. He teaches at Montclair State University and is an AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS union member. As an Army Reserve veteran, Jeff has earned his membership with The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION.

Samantha Crockett is the current Executive Direction for Braven-Newark. She has been an innovator and leader in education for nearly two decades, proving the possible for New York and New Jersey students. 

Samantha began her career as a 2007 Teach for America Corps member in the Bronx, NY. She became a founding principal and founding career program manager for KIPP in Newark, New Jersey. In 2020, she became an elected School Board Member in Orange, NJ, where she serves as the Curriculum Chair.

Samantha holds a dual master's degree from Bank Street College of Education in Childhood Education and Special Education and a bachelor's degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Binghamton University. 

She is a proud parent of a 1st grader who attends school in the Orange Public School District and looks forward to another three years serving as a School Board Member in Orange, NJ. 

Dr. Turner is the Head Instructor at Stanford Child Development: Behavior and Mental Health. She has garnered a Doctorial of Philosophy - Ph.D. focused in Human Development and Family Studies, General from Montclair State University. She is an experienced Adjunct Professor with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Microsoft Word, Philanthropy, Mentoring, and Fundraising. “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.