COLLEGE TO HOST "UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY" EVENT
September 18, 2002, Bloomfield, NJ -- Members of the community are invited to attend “Unity in the Community: Bringing Bloomfield Together,” a special program sponsored by the Bloomfield Commission on Civil & Human Rights. Keynote speakers John F. Noonan, President of Bloomfield College; and Frank Vespa-Papaleo, the Director of the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights, will address the topics “What can we do as a community to achieve unity in Bloomfield?”
“Unity in the Community” will be held on Thursday, September 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Bloomfield College’s Robert V. Van Fossan Theatre, on the corner of Franklin and Fremont Streets. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Keynote speaker John F. Noonan has served as President of Bloomfield College since 1987. Under his leadership, the 134-year old liberal arts college has attained national prominence for the implementation of its mission: to prepare students to attain academic, personal and professional excellence in a multicultural and global society. Many of its faculty, staff, and students have been invited to speak on the subject of diversity by colleges and universities around the country. The Association of American Colleges and Universities has identified the College as one of the leading institutions in this important area.
A former Fulbright Lecturer and visiting Professor of Higher Education at Teachers College Columbia University, Dr. Noonan serves on the Board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, the New Jersey Region of The National Conference for Community and Justice, and on the Board of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey. In 2002, he was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the READY Foundation.
Frank Vespa-Papaleo, Esq. was named by Governor McGreevey as the new state Director of the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. The Division of Civil Rights - part of the Department of Law and Public Safety - is the agency responsible for investigating discrimination complaints and eradicating illegal discrimination in New Jersey. Vespa is based in Trenton and oversees operations at five offices throughout New Jersey, in Paterson, Newark, Trenton, Camden and Atlantic City.
Vespa brings extensive legal experience and a strong record of civic responsibility to his role as Director of the Division of Civil Rights. He serves as a Senior Associate at Gaccione, Pomaco & Beck, P.C. in Belleville, where he practices employment and labor law, education law and general litigation. He has served as counsel to the Nutley, Belleville, Bloomfield, and Caldwell boards of education, and has been involved in numerous civic activities including chairing the Belleville-Nutley Columbus Day Parade. He is a co-founder and chairman of the John H. Walker Memorial Foundation and performs pro-bono legal work for the Italian Teachers Association of New Jersey and the Nutley Adult School. Born in Venezuela, Vespa became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1988.
The “Unity in the Community” program will also salute the organizations, churches, individuals and civic groups that participated in last year’s “United We Stand March,” sponsored by the Bloomfield Commission on Civil & Human Rights. Each group that participated in the march will receive The John A. Bukowski, Jr. Civil & Human Rights Award.
