Our Partners

Angela Ortiz, Ph.D., Director Of ESG Strategy, PSEG 

Angela has been working for Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) since 2008, she is currently the Director of ESG & Sustainability and leads the development and implementation of the Sustainability, ESG, and Climate Strategies at a corporate level. 

 Angela has broad technical knowledge of ESG climate change, Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Policy and Energy. 

 Angela is a certified project manager and holds international certifications on CSR and Sustainability.  Besides her experience in the private sector, she has done work for different NGO’s, academic institutions, and multilateral organizations in the US and Latin America. 

 She received a Master’s degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and has a Master’s degree in Capital Markets and International Business and a Bachelor’s in Finance from the Externado University in Bogota, Colombia.  She serves as a board member at NJ Audubon has a daughter and lives in Staten Island NY. 

Ashwani Vasishth, Professor of Sustainability, Ramapo College 

Ashwani Vasishth is Professor of Sustainability, where he directs the BA in Sustainability Program. He has extensive experience with a variety of Study Abroad Programs and directs the Center for Sustainability at Ramapo College of New Jersey as well. His pedagogy is focused on taking a systems approach to depicting complex problems, and on Education for Sustainability (EfS) from within an interdisciplinary framework.

Sustainability is much more than just “environmental.” It’s about how we make choices across time, and how we count “costs” (as distinct from the monetary price we pay in the marketplace). We have become acculturated to making choices on the basis of one, single bottom line—monetary cost. The Triple-Bottom-Line is one simplistic way to consider this preferred frame, and whenlinked to an evolutionary ecosystem approach, leads us to adaptive management (thus managing, as opposed to “solving,” problems).

Dominique Lueckenhoff, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, EHS & Sustainability, Hugo Neu Corporation 

Dominique Lueckenhoff is the Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Environment, Health, Safety (EHS) & Sustainability at Hugo Neu Corporation, where she leads environmental improvement activities, along with initiatives in corporate sustainability, climate resilience, workforce development and green business growth. She directs the development of green technologies and renewable energy opportunities at Kearny Point, an eco-friendly industrial campus and national model for sustainable redevelopment and community regeneration.

With over 30 years of experience and accomplishments in public policy, environmental health, and sustainability, Dominique is a recognized thought leader and innovator. During her distinguished career at the U.S. EPA, she created the Community-Based Public Private Partnerships (CBP3) initiative, which fosters green infrastructure solutions, job creation, and economic equity in underserved and environmental justice communities. She continues this work as Chair of the National Municipal Stormwater Association’s (NMSA) CBP3 Center of Excellence, collaborating with communities across the country to implement sustainable stormwater management and infrastructure projects.

Dominique has led groundbreaking research on biochar-biotechnology to address legacy pollutants such as lead and PCBs and emerging contaminants like PFAS. She actively supports the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Environmental Engineering Sustainability Management Program and serves on the board of its Schaefer School of Engineering and Science. Her leadership extends to roles with EarthEcho International, the American Sustainable Business Network’s Clean Water Campaign, and Rutgers University’s MACH Stakeholder Advisory Panel on climate risk management.

As president of Ecochar Environmental Solutions, she spearheads scalable decarbonization technologies for soil and water remediation. Dominique is also a member of Chief, a national network for women executives. With degrees in Microbiology, Biophysics, and Chemistry, she blends a robust scientific foundation with entrepreneurial vision to advance innovative, environmental and climate-smart solutions.

Jalen Cabrera, Bloomberg Philanthropies  

Jalen is a recent graduate of Rutgers University New Brunswick, receiving a degree in Environmental Planning and Green Technologies. He currently works in two positions - as an Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Protection, as well as an Urban Planning Fellow for Bloomberg Philanthropies.  

As an Environmental Justice Coordinator, Jalen works to create environmental equity in communities across NJ. As an Urban Planning Fellow, he works directly with the City of Newark’s Office of Sustainability to help develop a more sustainable city by assisting the progress of sustainable projects that are in place. 

He would like to focus on supporting further development of green infrastructures. As an environmental planner, his wish is to have a career that impacts the development of communities for the better of the environment and health of the public.  

Besides work, Jalen likes to take care of plants as well as visiting botanical gardens and arboretums to appreciate their beauty. He also loves running, playing basketball, and chess.  

Nicole Hewitt-Cabral, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Newark  

Nicole is the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Newark. She has over 20 years of experience in the US and abroad, designing and implementing innovative and impactful community-led strategies that build community, advance sustainability, and elevate the voices and power of the historically excluded.

Nicole is also the founder and CEO of Community Action Strategies LLC, a black woman-owned community-building consulting firm and has held positions with Public Agenda, the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York University, the Peace Corps and the White House.

Nicole holds an MPA degree in International Public and Nonprofit Policy and Management from New York University, and a BA degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Hood College.