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Colleen Smith

Project Director of New Jersey Programs

Colleen joined Newark Community Solutions, the Center’s community justice initiative in New Jersey, as the Clinical Coordinator in 2014. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Director of New Jersey Programs at the Center for Justice Innovation, she now oversees Newark Community Solutions and supports the Center’s work throughout the state of New Jersey. Colleen possesses over a decade of experience working with people involved in the legal system in both community and custodial settings. In addition to her work at the Center, Colleen works in higher education and is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Clinical Scholars program, a national leadership program that helps interdisciplinary teams of clinicians build a culture of health in their communities.

Colleen holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University.

Colleen's Updates

Widespread but Often Overlooked, Municipal Courts Demand Our Attention
three people work together arranging papers on a beige courtroom table
  • Article
  • Widespread but Often Overlooked, Municipal Courts Demand Our Attention

    Municipal courts too often create cycles of harm that can get people entangled in the justice system, but they also have the potential to deliver justice in ways that respond to communities’ needs.

    Mar 4, 2025

    Black History Is Now: Reflecting on a Life of Service
    Gina Bijou, case manager with our Brooklyn Supervised Release Program.
  • Article
  • Black History Is Now: Reflecting on a Life of Service

    This Black History Month, Case Manager Gina Bijou reflects on what it means to pay it forward in her work with participants in our Brooklyn Supervised Release Program.

    Feb 25, 2025