The New Jersey Work Environment Council holds its major fundraiser, an awards dinner, each year. 2016 is our 30th anniversary year and we were grateful to be joined by more than 125 labor, environmental, community leaders and public officials, representing many thousands of New Jersey workers and residents.
The event was held on Friday, November 18, 2016
at The College of New Jersey,
2000 Pennington Road, Ewing,
in the Education Building, Room 212.
Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and a buffet dinner, with ample time provided to network and mingle with friends. WEC relies on the generosity of our members to help fund our mission: working for safe, secure jobs and a healthy, sustainable environment.
Thank you to everyone that joined us!
2016 HONOREES
Colandus “Kelly” Francis is President of the Camden County Branch of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is currently serving in several volunteer capacities as vice president of the Camden City Taxpayers Association, vice chairman of Parkside Business and Community in Partnership, member of the Camden City Early Childhood Advisory Council, member of Superior Count Sensitivity and Cultural Awareness (SCAN) committee, member of the Environmental Justice Advisory Council to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, member of the Board of Directors of the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC), and chairman of the board of directors of the Fair Share Housing Center.
Jeanne Otersen is Chief of Staff for the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE). HPAE represents 13,000 nurses and health care professionals in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. Jeanne has been with HPAE for 22 years and previously served as Strategic Plan Coordinator and Public Policy Director for the health care union. Jeanne has coordinated major conferences and membership mobilization, community outreach, coalition-building and legislative campaigns and supervised the policy and research staff.
Jim Young is Principal and Secretary, The Labor Institute (LI), a 30-year-old labor education organization, based in NYC. Jim has more than 20 years of experience working with unions and labor coalitions and has been with The Labor Institute since 2005. In 2006, Jim and the LI’s Les Leopold helped the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club found the BlueGreen Alliance, a national partnership uniting national unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in a clean energy economy.
Rising Star Award
WEC is very pleased to honor two remarkable leaders with our new Rising Star Award, which is intended to recognize outstanding new leaders from labor, environmental and community organizations. Our inaugural recipients:
Nicole Scott-Harris, an organizer with the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, has been able to do a tremendous amount of advocacy on EJ issues with the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance in Newark, working to organize a critical mayoral forum that put EJ issues front and center, and working with the city to advance the landmark Environmental Justice & Cumulative Impacts Ordinance.
Reynalda Cruz started as a member of New Labor and has since joined the staff as an organizer. She helps organize and motivate members to take action against abusive employers that steal wages and for improved workplace health and safety conditions. She is also involved in leadership development of members and coordinates New Labor’s “Consejo” or Worker Council meetings.
2016 SPONSORS
