Our Chapters
New Jersey
After-School All-Stars (ASAS) New Jersey is dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students. The ASAS team is set on empowering the next generation of leaders. “At ASAS NJ, we pour a lot of love into our students,” says ASAS New Jersey Executive Director, Nicole Harris. “Our staff understand what our students need to learn, grow, and develop the skills to be strong, successful leaders. After all, all ASAS NJ staff grew up in local urban communities in and surrounding Newark. We see ourselves in our students and are deeply committed to keeping them safe and healthy, so they can succeed in life.” To ensure our students are successful, we have collaborated with our local partners to offer increased academic support for all grade levels. We built two brand-new Makerspaces for our 13th Avenue and Camden Street schools, entirely equipped with 3-D tech centers, hydroponic gardening stations, science labs, and photography and sound production studios. We are committed to see our students succeed in school and life.
-
485Students
-
4Schools
-
76%QUALIFY FOR FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM
Demographic
- Black/African American 75%
- Hispanic/Latinx21%
- White 2%
- Other 2%
Expenses
- 84% Program
- 16% Administration
Leadership
Nicole Harris
Executive Director
Tim Hepplewhite
Board Chair
Nicole Harris
Executive Director
Spotlight
Nicole Harris
Executive Director
Nicole Harris is the Executive Director for After-School All-Stars New Jersey. With over twenty years of experience in the fundraising field, Nicole Harris provides great support in developing, expanding, and funding quality after-school programs that serve students throughout New Jersey. Nicole previously served as the Community Engagement Manager at Uncommon Schools–North Star Academy (NSA) where she led the advocacy and fundraising efforts to grow the network from 7 to 14 schools. During her time at NSA, she was the lead external relations team manager responsible for funding media, advocacy, and outreach initiatives. She founded Community Academy – a school for adults offering free GED training and testing support in addition to college and job readiness support. Ninety percent of graduates from Community Academy have gone on to enroll in college and have secured sustainable employment. Nicole is also the co-founder of the Hands Off Our Future Collective – a mix of parents, teachers, and ed-reform organizations that shape state-level advocacy strategies and legislation.
Prior to her position at NSA, Nicole served as the Annual Gifts Officer at Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation, where she developed annual giving programs, implemented donor cultivation systems, and maintained relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation supporters in order to maintain an $18 million annual budget. Her work in cultivating and growing donors allowed the hospital to continue medical and rehabilitative treatment for children at no cost to their parents.
Nicole’s love for fundraising is deeply rooted in her commitment to the educational, emotional, and physical development of children, specifically in underserved areas. As a native New Yorker, and once an “inner city kid,” Nicole has a personal connection to the effects of generational inequality, and a personal commitment to developing the supports to help end the cycle of inequality and ensure children in underserved areas are afforded the resources that will help them reach their fullest potential.
Nicole is a wife, mother, sister and friend. She and her husband have opened their home to raise several children and help put them on a path to success. She and her husband, along with their three children reside in Roselle New Jersey.
