We are delighted to welcome Jeanette Mitchell to the Creative New Jersey Team! Jeanette is a Newark resident, with over a decade of experience working as a community organizer in the city on issues including environmental justice with organizations such as Clean Water Action.
“I am so pleased to welcome Jeanette as our new Program Associate. Jeanette’s experience in community organizing and media relations coupled with her program management skills are a winning combination for us,” says Creative New Jersey’s Director, Elizabeth Murphy.
“We look forward to introducing Jeanette to our statewide Creative New Jersey network, and I am confident Jeanette will prove to be a valuable resource and team member working in service to our communities around New Jersey,” added Murphy.

Jeanette Mitchell started her career in the nonprofit sector as an intern for the South Ward Super Neighborhood, a project developed by Senator Cory Booker when he became the Mayor of Newark. Ms. Mitchell continued her community organizing work through her senior year in college and upon graduation, she became a consultant with Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund (CWA/CWF). In this role, Ms. Mitchell was responsible for community organizing, educating residents about climate resilience and developing working relationships with city stakeholders.
As a big believer in social justice, Ms. Mitchell became a qualified organizer who grew within the CWA/CWF organization. Since then Ms. Mitchell has worked with several community groups, two city government administrations and has been a part of countless canvassing and community centered projects. During her time as a consultant in the environmental field she has also consulted for several media firms, where she has worked closely within various departments, fine tuning her skills in media relations and expanding on her natural creative talents.
Ms. Mitchell holds a bachelor of arts degree in International Relations from the City College of New York.

Kacy O’Brien is Creative New Jersey’s Director of Programming and is a Victoria Emerging Leaders Program (VELP) 2018 Fellow and Lead New Jersey 2015 Fellow.
Creative New Jersey is dedicated to fostering creativity, collaboration, and inclusion by empowering cross-sector partnerships in commerce, education, philanthropy, government, and culture in order to ensure dynamic communities and a thriving economy.