Bios Q-Z.

Amanda Stafford has functioned in many capacities during her decades of service to society. She currently serves as a Mental Health & Addiction Specialist, has been a former educational administrator and is a certified Christian Counselor.
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As a Youth mentor during her teenage years and Student Leader in elementary school, she has always been passionate about her calling to help others in whatever capacity she could.
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Amanda received her Undergraduate and Graduate degrees from Jersey City State College in the field of Education. She has also completed Post Graduate course work at William Paterson College and at Yale University with the nationally recognized Comer School Development Program. Amanda has recently embarked on a second career path in the Co-occurring Field (Mental Health & Addiction) and has most recently completed course work at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She considers herself a lifelong learner.
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During her leisure time Amanda enjoys traveling; she has studied in Egypt with the late Dr. Ben Yosef Johanna from Cornell University. She has been a guest speaker in Brazil on Character Development in Schools. She has traveled extensively to Caribbean Islands and has been to Senegal, West Africa. She also enjoys reading, writing (particularly poems & words of wisdom), and socializing with family and close friends.
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Amanda is divorced and has three adult children: Symone, married to Stephen with two children, (Summer & S J); plus Blair and Imani. She resides in Hillside, NJ.

Marcia Thornton is a native of Guyana, South America.  She holds professional degrees in both business management and human resources from the American Inter-Continental University.  In 1997, top hospitality companies such as Starwood and Kimpton Hotels recruited Thornton and played an instrumental role in preparing her with a unique level of expertise in management, communications, and data systems.

Marcia Thornton has a diverse professional portfolio which strongly empowers her career and immediately makes her an asset to any advisory team.  Currently, she is a Human Resources Specialist for the Federal Government.

On a personal level, Marcia Thornton is the loving wife of Marcus Thornton and the mother of three great children – Xavier, Mia, and Marcus.  She is the daughter of Wycliffe Leitch and the late Ursula Johnson.  Her siblings include one sister, one brother, and three step sisters.

​Ms. Naomi Wright is a native of Newark, New Jersey. She was reared in private schools and holds a degree in Early Childhood/ Elementary Education.
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After completing her Bachelor of Art degree from Kean University, Ms. Wright became Director of a Daycare Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. A year later she received a full presidential scholarship and decided to go back to school to obtain her Masters Degree in Urban Education and Business Administration. Her first professional career was in 1977 where she worked as an Administrative Academic Advisor for the Opportunity Scholarship Program at New Jersey City University. She loved this calling to work in higher education. So for the past 37 years, Naomi has held the following positions at the University: Assistant Director, Evening Coordinator, Summer Dormitory Director, Veteran’s Coordinator, Adjunct Professor, Teacher Internship Supervisor, Student Probationary Coordinator, Student Union Advisor, and President of the Black Administrators, Alumni, Faculty, Student, and Staff organization among other roles and titles.

Ms. Wright is devoted to the field of education. To date she has also secured her Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) and qualifies as a Drug and Substance Abuse Administrator. She has secured three Master Degrees. She considers herself to be a lifelong learner. Her greatest passion is working with people at risk. For several years, she worked as a Supervisor Mentor and taught drug and alcohol classes at Integrity House Inc. in Newark, and worked with male inmates at Mountainview Correctional Facility in New Jersey. She is certified with the Essex County Superior Court where she mediates in the tenant/landlord courts and applies her conciliation training skills with troubled juveniles.
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In her spare time, she has enjoyed working as a Field Representative for the Department of Commerce in New York City. You will always find Ms. Wright reading or singing with the Newark Adult Chorus at nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons. Through the effort of shared cooperation, she started a “Feed the Homeless Program” at the Montclair Church of Christ three years ago which to date has fed nearly 500 individuals.
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Ms. Wright is married to her best friend, Brother Ray Wright – Former Minister of the Montclair Church of Christ.