South Orange resident Anthony Greene — a man with deep South Orange and Maplewood roots — is the new face of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race.

Greene was elected the 2012 Chairman of the organization at its annual meeting in December. Greene is uniquely qualified to represent the two towns: Before moving to South Orange 13 years ago, he was a resident of Maplewood for 13 years.

Greene served on the South Orange Maplewood Board of Education from 1994 to 1997.

Greene is President of the Insurance Brokers Association of New York, Director of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and Senior Vice President of Herbert L. Jamison & Co. LLC in West Orange NJ where he has worked for 23 years. His wife Cheryl taught at Marshall School in South Orange and his two children Anthony and Adair attended the South Orange-Maplewood School District from kindergarten through 12th grade before graduating as student athletes from Columbia High School.

The Coalition also welcomed five new trustees to its board in January. After meeting with interested community members who demonstrated a passion for the integration culture of South Orange and Maplewood towns, the Coalition's nominating committee asked Maria Gilmour, Shelley Slafkes, Omari Frazier, Leila Gonzalez Sullivan, and Lois Larkey to serve on the Board of Trustees. The board also welcomes Fred Profeta—who has been an ex officio member in his capacity as the Maplewood Township Committee’s liaison—to the board as a full trustee.

Leila Gonzalez Sullivan, a retired university professor and community volunteer, has been working on the Coalition's Neighborhoods & Civic Engagement Committee for the last year. Sullivan is interested in serving "as a liaison to the incoming Latino/a residents so that they, too, experience our welcoming environment and become contributing members of our towns.

Shelley Slafkes, a long-time South Orange resident and lawyer who served for nine years on the Board of Education, has supported the mission of the Coalition since its inception. She has been active on integration issues and looks forward to focusing that work through the Coalition on Race.

Lois Larkey is also a long-time resident of South Orange. She is an experienced teacher and professional fundraiser. Larkey served on the Community Relations Committee in the '80's and eventually served as chair. The forums sponsored by that committee focused on gender and race bias issues. "For me, being involved with the Coalition would be coming full circle."

Maria Gilmour is new to the South Orange/Maplewood community. She and her husband say they chose South Orange because they were looking for a place committed to integration. "It is our hope and expectation that our children grow up in a racially integrated community. My dream is that my children will never think there are any fundamental differences between themselves and children of other races."

Omari Frazier is a banker and a new father living with his family in Maplewood. After meeting with members of the Coalition's Finance Committee about fundraising efforts, he became interested in the Coalition's mission. He has a strong commitment to community volunteering and looks forward to building relationships throughout our towns.

Fred Profeta is a founding member and a former chair of the Coalition on Race who has worked on integration issues beginning with the Racial Balance Task Force. Profeta served three terms on the Maplewood Township Committee and was Mayor of Maplewood. He retired from the Township Committee at the end of 2011 and plans to focus on his main interests, one of which is and has always been maintaining the stability of Maplewood and South Orange towns and improving them through the pro-integrative efforts of the Coalition.