31st Annual Salute to Graduates of African Heritage on April 28

Jersey City Deputy Mayor Vivian Brady-Phillips Is Keynote Speaker

New Jersey City University will hold its 31st Annual “Salute to Graduates of African Heritage” on Friday, April 28 at 4:00 p.m., in the Multipurpose Room of the Michael B. Gilligan Student Union at 2039 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City. The event is free and open to the community.

This year, “We Go High: Leaping into Power and Success” is the theme of the event, which is hosted annually by NJCU’s Black Administrators, Alumni, Faculty, Students and Staff Organization (BAAFSSO).

The Salute to Graduates is an opportunity for NJCU students of African heritage to be celebrated for having worked diligently to achieve their Baccalaureate, Master’s, or Doctoral degrees, and to celebrate the experienced with family and NJCU community.

NJCU President Sue Henderson will welcome guests and deliver greetings. The keynote speaker for the celebration will be Jersey City Deputy Mayor Vivian Brady-Phillips.

Ms. Brady-Phillips has served as a Deputy Mayor of Jersey City since 2013. She oversees a wide range of community development initiatives across the city, with a focus on social services, workforce development, education, and community partnerships.  She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation. 

Ms. Brady-Phillips has sought to expand opportunities for Jersey City youth and support youth leadership.  She co-chairs the Jersey City Youth Planning Council and has led the development of Jersey City Summer Works (JCSW), a comprehensive, multi-program summer employment and enrichment initiative in partnership with the local business community, public schools, youth-serving nonprofits, colleges and universities.  JCSW serves about 1000 young people every year. 

In 2016, she helped establish the Jersey City Youth Counsel, a youth court program that helps first-time youth offenders involved in minor offenses get back on track. These young people appear before a judge and jury of their peers – other Jersey City teenagers – who determine fair and appropriate sanctions.  Ms. Brady-Phillips also leads the Jersey City Middle Skills Initiative, a stakeholder collaborative focused on preparing residents for high-demand, middle skills careers.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, she was the Executive Vice President for External and Legal Affairs at the NYC Leadership Academy, a nonprofit that prepares public school leaders and advises school districts nationally.  A lawyer by training, Ms. Brady-Phillips also practiced litigation at several New York City law firms after earning her J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Snow Public Interest Scholar.  She lives in Jersey City with her husband and daughter.

For further information contact Desiree Clayton, chair of the Salute to Graduates Committee, at dclayton@njcu.edu or 201-200-3525.