Lenin Cruz

Lenin Cruz was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in June 2008. A longtime resident of Newark, Cruz graduated from Barringer High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from NJIT. A senior designer with the firm Keller & Kirkpatrick, Cruz has helped with the site design of St. Phillips Academy, among many other projects in the area. Cruz is a passionate soccer coach for Just One Soccer League in Newark and the Belleville Soccer Association. He is married with two children.

Rashard Casey

Rashard B. Casey joined the Board of Commissioners in December 2008. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where he received a degree Bachelor of Science in recreation and park management. He was also quarterback on the college's football team, the Nittany Lions.

Since 2003, Casey has worked as an aide and community liaison to President of the New Jersey Senate Richard J. Codey, (27th Legislative District). Casey is also the Director of Youth Development and Recreation at the North Ward Center in Newark. His duties there include planning, developing and promoting youth programs designed to meet the needs of the community and supervising and training recreation leaders. Casey's stated goal as a Commissioner is to help create quality programs for children living in public housing in Newark.

Casey is also a member of the National Parks and Recreation Association, a group that works to advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

Originally of Hoboken, Mr. Casey currently resides in Newark's West Ward with his wife and three children.

Gloria Cartwright

Gloria Cartwright has served on the Board of Commissioners since 1990. Cartwright, who serves as the Board's Treasurer, has dedicated her life to fighting injustice. Her personal mission is to serve, help, and free others as she actively participates in the Newark community, where she lives. A graduate of LaSalle University, Cartwright earned a bachelor's degree in political science. She worked in the telecommunications industry for 25 years. Cartwright was an active participant during the civil rights movement. She took part in the March on Washington, raised funds toward the establishment of the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change and advocated to seat Fannie Lou Hamer, an outspoken advocate for civil rights for African Americans and the Freedom Democratic Party.

Nancy Perez

Nancy Perez joined the Board of Commissioners in 2006. A resident of Newark, she has resided in public housing for more than 25 years while raising her children. Perez is active in civic and religious activities.

Angella Palmer

Angella Palmer has been a member of the Board of Commissioners since August 2007. An employee of Verizon and a resident of Newark, Palmer worked her way up to the position of assistant engineer in the network engineering/capacity management operations. Palmer is also an American Bar Association board certified paralegal. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in justice studies from Montclair State University.

Keith Kinard

Keith Kinard has served as Executive Director of the Newark Housing Authority since June 2006. Prior to joining NHA, (the eleventh largest public housing authority in the nation and the largest in New Jersey), Mr. Kinard was the executive director of the Pittsburgh Housing Authority, the second largest housing authority in Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Maine and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. Kinard and his family reside in New Jersey.