Actions4ACEs
Actions 4 ACEs is a statewide campaign to expand public awareness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
The campaign was created to educate groups that serve as primary responders to children. It will have an initial focus on educators and law enforcement officers to educate these groups about what ACEs are and what steps they can take to address ACEs and lessen their impact.
The Actions 4 ACEs campaign works in support of existing state and local initiatives focused on ACEs. It affords New Jersey another opportunity to champion community voice and address the root causes and negative effects of ACEs. The campaign’s strategy was largely formed with input from a Community Advisory Board comprised of individuals from a variety of sectors providing insights, advice, and connections to their respective communities.
Building Resilience in Children, Families and Communities
Actions 4 ACEs is an initiative guided by the New Jersey ACEs Collaborative, a public-private partnership consisting of the Burke Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation, the Turrell Fund, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Office of Resilience.
Our vision is to make New Jersey a trauma-informed, healing-centered state — a place where children and families can thrive regardless of who they are or where they live. To do this, we aim to increase public awareness of ACEs and encourage behaviors that can mitigate the impact ACEs can have on children, families and communities.
Mobilizing Partners to Raise Awareness
Through a robust network of partners, Actions 4 ACEs will increase recognition of ACEs as a public health issue that can and must be addressed in New Jersey. The campaign’s goals, messaging and materials were developed with guidance from a community advisory board that includes community members with lived experience, educators, law enforcement officials and health care professionals. A partner network of individuals and organizations across the state is finding creative ways to amplify Actions 4 ACEs messages and lead activities to raise awareness among priority audiences.
Amplifying Community Voice:
Meet Our Community Advisory Board
Community engagement has been a core component of New Jersey’s plan to address ACEs. This engagement is an essential component of building trust and creating lasting change, especially in communities that have been left out of the dialogue.
The NJ ACEs Community Advisory Board, comprised of area professionals serving the needs of children and families, played a key role in helping to plan and develop the Actions 4 ACEs campaign. We will continue to elevate their voices and unique perspectives around addressing ACEs throughout the campaign.
Dave Ellis is Executive Director of the Office of Resilience in the NJ Department of Children and Families. He is a nationally recognized trainer on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Dave knows that the answers to address ACEs can be found within the community.
Atiya Weiss is the Executive Director of the Burke Foundation and leads its efforts to invest in the most promising and transformative programs and policies that foster the health, well-being, and resilience of children and families in New Jersey. She is passionate about collaborating with community leaders across sectors to strengthen the systems of care for children and families in New Jersey.
Shakira Abdul-Ali is an organization development consultant, facilitator, trainer and coach. She has supported institutions in generating value through assessments for diversity, equity and inclusion, supplier diversity programming and development, designing and managing culture change and organization learning, and building high-performance teams and work systems.
Zaire Ali, MPH completed his undergraduate in Pennsylvania, has a Master of Education, is completing his Master of Public Health, and is an All-American Pugilist (boxer). Zaire sees the world from a different viewpoint, which drives him to help make the world a better place for all.
Robert Czepiel Jr. Esq. is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Resilient Minds on the Front Lines which conducts national resiliency/wellness, chaplaincy, and peer to peer training nationwide. In June of 2021, Rob retired from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Division Criminal Justice (DCJ) as an Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Director. Rob was a prosecutor at the county and state levels in New Jersey for over 25 years. Mr. Czepiel was employed at DCJ in the Official Corruption Bureau and Prosecutor Supervision and Training Bureau (PS&TB) serving in the position of lead legal instructor, Deputy Chief of Training and Chief of the Bureau. Previously, Rob was employed as an Assistant Prosecutor at the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office for several years. Since 2010, Rob has been an adjunct professor of law at Widener University School of Law and Rowan College at Burlington County. Rob has also taught numerous Continuing Legal Education courses. He is a graduate of Widener Law School and was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1997.
Alisha De Lorenzo, MS, NCC, LPC has served in public education for nearly twenty years as a teacher, counselor and a Social Emotional Learning Coordinator. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Interim Deputy Director of Garden State Equality. Since 2018, she has been supporting the major education associations and schools across NJ to integrate SEL, mental health and wellness, equity and trauma informed practices through a systemic approach.
Mark Dinglasan, MBA is currently the Executive Director of CUMAC, the largest anti-hunger organization in Passaic County and was the Executive Director of CASA of Cook County before coming to CUMAC. Prior to joining CASA, he led national corporate development and fundraising at JTB – A Pipeline Organization, the foundation started by The Honorable Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Dr. Kate Tumelty Felice is a professor of education and psychology and Coordinator of Education Programs, as well as a Master Resiliency Trainer and a subject matter expert in resiliency. She teaches trauma informed mindfulness and creates holistic wellness programs for kids, schools, first responders and veterans.
Chalyce Glover, SBMHT is the School Based Mental Health Therapist (SBMHT) at Al T. Moody Academy in the Paterson Public School District. She has extensive experience working with children of all ages within various public and private sectors.
Mark Higginbottom serves as a Sergeant with the Middle Township Police Department in Cape May County where he has worked for over 20 years. Mark is currently involved in training officers throughout Cape May County with the Resiliency Program and created Middle Township Police Department’s first free “Police Youth Camp.”
Terence Johnson has worked in education since 2003 and was hired as an Assistant Principal at Cumberland regional high school in 2007. Terence earned a full football scholarship to The Citadel, the military college of Charleston, South Carolina and coached football, track and field and baseball while working as a physical education teacher from 1994-2003.
Dr. Shilpa Pai is an associate professor of pediatrics Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and practices pediatrics at Eric B. Chandler Health Center, a federally qualified health center in New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Pai serves as a co-lead of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Rutgers Project ECHO, and is the founder/co-lead of the NJ Pediatric Residency Advocacy Collaborative.
Barbara Agyeman Prempeh, Psy.D., a Psychologist with a passion for helping youth develop resilience in the face of adversity, has worked for over 15 years with children, adolescents and families across multiple settings. Dr. Prempeh is the co-developer and co-facilitator of a curriculum for police officers and community members that focuses on understanding trauma and ACEs.
Angel Santiago is a fifth-grade teacher from Gloucester Township, New Jersey and he has been recognized as New Jersey’s State Teacher of the Year for 2021. For the last 3 years, Angel has worked with 4th and 5th-grade students in his Young People of Character community service club, to cultivate young leaders who reflect all different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds working together for a common goal: improving their community.
Having been born and raised in the Booker T. Washington Projects, Lewis Spears saw first-hand how a lack of education, direction and mentorship negatively impacts one’s quality of life. Determined to change the narrative and break generational and institutional curses, he – as an author and founder of a nonprofit – embarks on a journey to uplift his community by transforming lives.
