Meet Our Team
Barbara George Johnson
Barbara George Johnson is the Vice President of External Affairs and Urban Policy and Executive Director of the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. She is also co-host of Kean’s Urban Impact podcast.
VP Johnson has over 30 years of experience as a public policy professional in New Jersey, with an extensive background in health care, public health and public policy. Early in her career, she spearheaded the development of the Newark Kids Initiative for the Newark Health Department, which focused on health care and social services for children impacted by domestic violence. She also served on the CDC-funded Newark Prevention Marketing Initiative and other task forces on HIV/AIDS. Her health care experience includes serving as a public health advisor for the Maternal Child Health Division of the New York City Department of Health, and later as the director for the Family Life Institute of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey. She was also the legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and a Senior Lobbyist on health care issues for MBI-GluckShaw. VP Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology and technology from Cornell University, a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, and a law degree from Rutgers-Newark Law School.
Email: bgeorgej@exchange.kean.edu
Kean Union: 1000 Morris Avenue • Hynes Hall 505 • Union, NJ 07083-7120
Kean Trenton: 10 West Lafayette Street • 3rd Floor • Trenton, NJ 08608-2002
Keisha Griffin
Keisha Griffin is the Senior Operations Manager for External Affairs and Urban Policy and the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. Keisha is responsible for operations, business services, procurement, grant management and student engagement. She brings over 20 years of professional experience in leadership roles in student services, enrollment management, program assessment and evaluation. Keisha is a strategic project manager who builds and maintains collaborative engagement with students, University partners and external stakeholders to support the work of External Affairs and the Watson Institute. Keisha earned her Doctor of Education with a concentration in higher educational leadership from Saint Peter’s University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Montclair State University and a Master of Arts in public administration from Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University. Keisha is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Email: griffkei@kean.edu
Kean Union: 1000 Morris Avenue • Hynes Hall 505 • Union, NJ 07083-7120
Ana Berdecia
Ana I. Berdecia, M.Ed., and Certified Coach is the Director of the Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. Ana has worked in six critical areas throughout her career: support for women in crisis; early childhood education; higher education; coaching; leadership and culturally responsive practices. She began her career as New Jersey’s first bilingual 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline coordinator and provided crisis counseling to sexual assault survivors. Ana directed a bilingual/multicultural child development center for eight and a half years. Ana spent 17 years in the nonprofit sector and 18 years in higher education, teaching and working on educational public policy. At the Watson Institute, Ana examines the vulnerabilities and resilience of urban children to advance their health, well-being and educational outcomes. She has written extensively on culturally responsive practices and designed The New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Learner Institute and Mentoring Program. Ana earned a Master of Arts in education with a concentration in early childhood and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She has a New Jersey standard teaching certificate in preschool to third grade and a post-graduate certificate in infant mental health.
Email: aberdeci@kean.edu
Kean Trenton: 10 West Lafayette Street • 3rd Floor • Trenton, NJ 08608-2002
Alex Rivera
Alex Rivera is the founding Director of the Center for Economic and Workforce Development, Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship at the Watson Institute. Alex received his bachelor's in political science from The College of New Jersey and his master’s in public administration from Arizona State University, where he was a Marvin Andrews Fellow in Urban Management. He was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, and has a history of public service in his family. Alex is passionate about economic inclusion and supporting entrepreneurship, which guides the work of the Center. He has diverse work experience in economic and workforce development, recreation, youth services, and natural resource management. Previous employers include the City of Phoenix, AZ, the City of Trenton, NJ, and Mercer County, NJ. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Alex sits on the Outdoor Equity Alliance and the Garden State Preservation Trust boards. Outside of his professional and civic life, Alex is passionate about the stewardship of his home landscape and spending time with his family.
Email: alexrive@kean.edu
Kean Trenton: 10 West Lafayette Street • 3rd Floor • Trenton, NJ 08608-2002
Thomas Ikeda
Thomas Ikeda is a Research and Policy Development Fellow with the Center for the Urban Environment at the Watson Institute. He is responsible for liaising and coordinating activities with other staff and organizations. Before joining the Watson Institute, he worked at the Tishman Environment and Design Center, researching energy and climate mitigation policy around the nation. Thomas also worked as a research fellow with the New York Panel on Climate Change, investigating the equity implications of NYC’s climate resiliency investments and strategies post-Hurricane Sandy. He obtained his master’s degree in environmental policy and sustainability management from The New School. Prior to entering the field of research, policy and environmental justice, Thomas was working in Canada as a consulting arborist after earning a bachelor's in urban forestry from the University of British Columbia.
Email: tikeda@kean.edu
Kean Union: 1000 Morris Avenue • Hynes Hall 505 • Union, NJ 07083-7120
Dr. Nicky Sheats, Esq.
Dr. Nicky Sheats, Esq., is the Director of the Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University, and has defined the primary mission of the Center as providing support for the environmental justice (EJ) community. Among the issues he works on are air pollution, climate change, cumulative impacts, developing EJ legal strategies and increasing the working capacity of the EJ community.
Sheats was a founding member of the NJ EJ Alliance, EJ Leadership Forum, EJ and Science Initiative, and an informal NE EJ Attorneys Group. He was appointed to the NJ Clean Air Council, EPA’s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, and the National EJ Advisory Council, and was a co-author of the human health chapter of the 2014 national climate assessment. He is currently serving on the White House EJ Advisory Council. Early in his career, Sheats practiced law as a public interest attorney. He holds a B.A. in economics from Princeton University and earned a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences, a J.D., and an MPP degree from Harvard University.
Email: nsheats@kean.edu
Kean Trenton: 10 West Lafayette Street • 3rd Floor • Trenton, NJ 08608-2002
Juliana Gardiner
Juliana Gardiner is the Membership Engagement Coordinator at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. She manages the new partnership with the National Forum for Black Public Administrators - NJ Chapter and oversees the Watson Institute website and the Urban Mayors Press. Additionally, Juliana supports the work of the Watson Institute in operations, business services, procurement, grant management and student engagement.
Juliana has an extensive background in nonprofit managing operations and administrative executive support. Additionally, she brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in higher education and public administration, making her an invaluable addition to the Watson Institute. Juliana's background includes her role as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of History at Kean University, and she currently teaches transfer students in the Department of General Education. Juliana has demonstrated exceptional skills in project management, research and content creation.
Aside from her professional work, Juliana is a published author who released her first book in September 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in public relations and a Master of Arts in public administration from Kean University.
Email: addoak@kean.edu
Kean Union: 1000 Morris Avenue • Hynes Hall 505 • Union, NJ 07083-7120
Solomon J. Stewart
Solomon Stewart is the Grant Coordinator for the Coalport Neighborhood Revitalization Planning Project at the Watson Institute. Solomon received his Bachelor of Science in community development and a certificate in historic preservation through the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Prior to joining the Watson Institute, Solomon worked as an intern for the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) program at The Reinvestment Fund, which focused on supporting selected New Jersey cities through community investment and technical assistance. During his time there, Solomon assisted with the program’s development through background research, publication/literature review and capacity building. His previous experience also includes working with grassroots organizations such as Fabric Health, which focused on providing health care and social services to urban communities in Philadelphia.
Additionally, Solomon completed his senior capstone project “Connecting Philadelphia to Chinatown’s Franklin Square” in partnership with the Philadelphia Chinatown Planning Commission, which was a strategic plan with recommendations to support connectivity from Philadelphia’s Chinatown to Franklin Square. Although native to Washington D.C., Solomon’s love of interdisciplinary research in urban planning has caused him to venture further up the Northeast, where he continues his work in community philanthropy through the lens of art and culture at the Watson Institute.
Email: sostewar@kean.edu
Kean Union: 1000 Morris Avenue • Hynes Hall 505 • Union, NJ 07083-7120