L’Oréal Paris Selects Rutgers–Camden Professor as One of 10 Women of Worth

For Immediate Release

CAMDEN --  Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, the Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Urban Studies at Rutgers University—Camden, has been selected as a 2008 Women Of Worth honoree by L’Oréal Paris.

A resident of Voorhees, Bonilla-Santiago is one of only 10 recipients of this honor, chosen from among nearly 3,000 nominees.

The Rutgers—Camden professor was selected in recognition of her outstanding commitment to community achievement as exemplified by her work with LEAP (Leadership, Education and Partnership) Academy University Charter School in Camden.  She will be recognized for her outstanding volunteer achievements during the CNN Inspire Summit in New York City where she will receive $5,000 on her behalf for LEAP plus a matching $5,000 monetary donation in her name to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the philanthropy of record for L’Oréal Paris.

During Nov. 10 to 22, a public vote will take place to nominate one national Women of Worth honoree to receive $25,000 for her cherished non-profit organization.  More information about the vote is online. Visitors are invited to log on to the site to vote for the woman who has made the greatest impact on her community.

“This year’s honorees truly represent the L’Oréal Paris philosophy and community spirit,” says Karen Fondu, president of L’Oréal Paris.  “We are so excited to see who the public chooses as the national Women of Worth honoree this year; a very tough decision to make amongst a group of outstanding honorees.”

Bonilla-Santiago is the founder of the LEAP (Leadership, Education And Partnership) Academy University Charter School in Camden.  Founded in 1997 as one of New Jersey’s very first charter schools, the LEAP Academy program enrolls more than 900 students in grades pre-K through 12.  The program consistently earns national recognition for its curriculum and its educational model that actively engages families in the school and the education of its children.  Every graduate of the LEAP Academy University High School has been accepted into college or professional school.

Her initiatives seek to address pressing societal needs.  In response to a growing demand for qualified public school leadership across New Jersey, Bonilla-Santiago developed an Education Policy and Leadership curriculum within the Rutgers-Camden master of public policy program, which prepares teachers to become effective principals and superintendents.  She also launched the Parents Academy for School Reform, which helps Camden parents become more effective advocates for their children’s education, and the Teacher Development and Performance Institute, which shares best practices in education among urban teachers.

Bonilla-Santiago secured $3 million in external support to help create the Rutgers Early Learning Research Academy, which will apply Rutgers scholarly research toward the societal and educational issues challenging successful childhood learning, while also serving the children and families of Camden.

Through the Rutgers—Camden Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership, founded by Bonilla-Santiago in 1992, Rutgers provides specialized leadership training designed to empower individuals across a wide variety of backgrounds.  Among these initiatives are the Latino Fellows Public Policy Leadership Institute, which encourages Latino college students to pursue public policy positions in the State of New Jersey, and the South Jersey Regional Leadership Institute.

She has presented her research and innovations at numerous national and international conferences and events.  In 1995, Bonilla-Santiago served as a U.S. delegate to Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing-Huairou, China.

The author of the books “Hispanic Women Leaders Breaking Ground and Barriers: Developing Effective Leadership” (Marin Publications, 1992) and “Organizing Puerto Rican Migrant Farmworkers:  The Experience of Puerto Ricans in New Jersey” (Peter Lang Publishing, 1988), Bonilla-Santiago teaches in the master of public policy program at the Camden Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007 National Mujer Award from the National Hispana Leadership Institute; the American Association for Higher Education’s Outstanding Latina Faculty in Higher Education Award; the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Medal from the Camden County Board of Freeholders; the Good Neighbor Award from the American Red Cross (Camden County chapter); and a New Jersey Department of Community Affairs award for contributions to the development of Latino/Latina leaders in the State of New Jersey.

Bonilla-Santiago received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1976.  She then earned her master of social work degree from Rutgers in 1978, and attended the City University of New York, where she was awarded her master’s degree in philosophy and her doctoral degree in social work, both in 1986.

“I’m delighted to be honored as a L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth and be in the company of such amazing women,” remarks Bonilla-Santiago.

The other nine honorees represent current trends in grassroots activism.

•           Gracie Cavnar, Houston, TX, founded the Recipe for Success Foundation to combat childhood obesity.

•           Nancy Chang, Seattle, WA, directs Skate Like a Girl, an organization that provides weekly skateboarding lessons to underprivileged girls, all-girl skate jams, week-long summer skate camps and other events, and offers instructional clinics to female groups.

•           Lina Czubas, Falls Church, VA, volunteered for the Red Cross for nearly 50 years and volunteers five days each week at the Walter Reed Medical Center to assist soldiers who have returned from Iraq with amputations and other serious injuries.

•           Emily Douglas, Powell, OH, started the organization Grandma’s Gifts to provide goods and services (food, clothes, toys and books) to families and schools in Appalachia and educate youth and adults on how to make a difference.

•           Andrea Ivory, Miami, FL, a breast cancer survivor who founded The Florida Breast Health Initiative, bringing mammography resources to those in need directly to their neighborhoods.

•           Cindy Kerr, Wayne, PA, serves as the unpaid CEO for ConKerr Cancer – A Case For Smiles—an organization serving 48 hospitals that delivers pillowcases to brighten hospital rooms for children with life-changing illnesses. 

•           Areva Martin, Los Angeles, CA, directs and leads Special Needs Network, a voice and advocacy organization for South Central Los Angeles’ special needs community. 

•           Wendy Sanborn, Wanship, UT, founded and coordinates the Walk In Beauty Program which provides new shoes to children living on the Navajo Reservation. 

•           Jenine Shwekey, Long Branch, NJ, founded the Special Children's Center as a senior in high school, an organization that provides free respite programs for special needs children ages 3-18 and their families.

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