It’s Finally Here!

New Jersey Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, in partnership with the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, is proud to host its statewide conference, The Power of Community: Sparking Innovation, on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

This in-person conference will bring together participants from across our region to learn, network and share best practices in community resilience and volunteerism. We’ll see you there!

Conference Program

Meet Our Presenters

Breakout Descriptions

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Day(s)

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Hour(s)

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Minute(s)

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Second(s)

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Morning

Keynote

Marcus T. Coleman Jr.

Director of DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Marcus Coleman serves as the Director for the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (DHS Partnerships Center). As the Director of the DHS Partnerships Center, Marcus leads a team focused on building partnerships alongside others at FEMA and DHS to advance equity in emergency management and strengthen climate resilience, improving the safety and security of the places where people worship, fellowship and serve, and provides technical assistance to emergency managers, first responders and national security professionals on engaging faith-based and community organizations across DHS.

Marcus is an alum of Howard University, American University, Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative and the Obama for America Campaign. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Marcus has served at the intersection of building public private partnerships with faith-based and non-profit organizations for more than 15 years.

Alexander J. Diaz

Head of AI for Social Good, Google.org

Alexander J. Diaz leads the AI for Social Good team at Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm. Through this role, Alex manages Google’s philanthropic efforts to empower nonprofits to develop and deploy high-impact AI applications that address critical global challenges and ensure the benefits of AI reach marginalized populations. He also manages Google’s efforts in response to global crises, such as natural disasters and public health emergencies, providing innovative nonprofits on the frontlines with funding and volunteers to help communities better prepare, respond, and recover from crises.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Alex received a Master’s of Public Policy and a Master’s of Financial Economics at the University of Oxford. Alex graduated from Harvard College Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors in psychology. Alex has been named to Forbes’ List of 30 Under 30 for Law & Policy. The son of Dominican and Cuban immigrants, Alex was raised in Union City, NJ.

Lunchtime

Fireside Chat

Meet Our Sponsors

Meet Our Exhibitors

Know Before You Go…

SERVICE PROJECT REMINDER:

Conference participants are asked to bring contributions of new socks and/or feminine hygiene products. The collected items will be donated to two non-profits, Rise and United Way of Hunterdon County, to serve communities throughout New Jersey.

Registration / Check-In:

Exhibitors: 7:00 – 7:30 am
Speakers: 7:30 – 9:00 am
Attendees: 7:45 – 9:00 am

Directions & Parking:

Hyatt Regency New Brunswick: 2 Albany St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

There is a parking garage adjacent to the hotel with a limited number of parking spaces, including accessible parking spaces. Overflow parking can be found across the street at the Church Street Parking Deck (90 Church Street).