2024

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.

2023

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.