Nakeefa Cilicia Bernard is a Senior Program Director at the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University Newark. Prior to working at Rutgers-Newark, she served as a Program Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where she provided hands on technical assistance and support to government, nonprofits and resident leaders working to improve the quality of life for residents in Newark, New Jersey. Before working for LISC she served as a fundraiser at New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) in Paterson, NJ. During her time at NJCDC and LISC, Nakeefa raised over $4.5M to support nonprofit community development efforts in Newark and Paterson.
A three-time graduate of Rutgers University, Nakeefa holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behaviors from Cook College, a Master of Public Policy from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy with a concentration in community development, and a PhD in Urban Systems. Nakeefa’s research interests include community development, civic participation, and nonprofit organizations. She enjoys using the tools of academia to support and strengthen civic engagement efforts tied to community development practice in Black, Brown, and working-class urban communities. The title of her dissertation is The Meaning of Engagement: Community Development Nonprofits’ Methods and Motivations for Engaging Residents in Newark, NJ.
Nakeefa is the Center’s lead on projects related to community engagement, place-based philanthropy, including developing community leadership. As a Senior Program Director at Cornwall, she is primarily responsible for the Thriving Neighborhood Initiative, the national Freedom School Project, communications and media, and the Center’s brown bag community discussions.
Born in Trinidad and raised in the United States, Nakeefa is a proud resident of Newark, New Jersey.