Board of Trustees

Dr. Reinaldo Santiago was born and raised in Arroyo, Puerto Rico. He immigrated to the USA when he was 21 years old to begin his studies at Kean University. He is the Program Development Assistant at the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development in the Department of State.

Dr. Santiago is a dedicated bilingual professional with extensive experience in developing and promoting services to address the community's needs. Dr. Santiago has over 20 years of experience in development and grant management, strategic planning and facilitation, budget management, and organization management.

Dr. Santiago graduated from Kean University in August 1994 with a BA in Special Education and Bilingual Education. In addition, Dr. Santiago received his Master of Arts in Administrative Science with certification in Public Administration from Farleigh Dickinson University in June 2008 and a master’s in business administration in Management from Northcentral University in June 2011. In May 2022, Dr. Santiago earned his Ed. D.in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. His dissertation topic is "College Advising Experiences of Latino Employees of a Nonprofit Organization: A Qualitative Descriptive Study."

Prior to his current position, Dr. Santiago worked at the Jersey City Employment and Training Program as Director of One-Stop Operations and Training Manager. He planned, coordinated, and organized programs and services delivery of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services. Dr. Santiago has worked for ASPIRA, Inc. of New Jersey as Director of Programs, Mental Health Research Association as Service Coordinator, and Assistant Borough Director, as Caseworker for Administration of Children Services (ACS).

Dr. Santiago is currently a board member for the following organizations: Program for Parents, Metropolitan Family Health Network, Friend of Newark Public Library, Boys to Leaders Foundation, and Mentorship Chair for Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity, Inc. Reinaldo is a fellow alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Ladder to Leadership Program.