Board of Trustees

UYEN KHUONG

Uyen Khuong, pronounced “Winn”, immigrated to the US in 1980 from Vietnam. Uyen is the Founder and the Executive Director of Action Together New Jersey (ATNJ), a 501(c)4 non-profit civic organization. Most recently, Uyen was honored for the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards in the Founder/Innovator category.  For her organizing work, she was a recipient of the We Are EMILY Award from EMILY’s List, and was also awarded the Evangelina Menendez Trailblazer Award from Senator Robert Menendez, the Breaking Barriers Award from CAIR-NJ, and the Community Service Award from the American Muslim Council. Uyen currently serves on the Steering Committee of Rising Stars at the Eagleton Institute, and Governor Murphy’s Diversity and Inclusivity Council.  She was a speaker at the 2018 and 2019 Women’s March, 2018 March for Our Lives.  Media Appearances and Articles include the NY Times, New Jersey Globe, InsiderNJ, NJ.com, Philadelphia Inquirer, WNYC Radio, and PBS Newshour.

AHMED AL-SHEHAB

Ahmed Al-Shehab co-founded the NJ chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2003. He was later elected to the CAIR National Board of Directors and continues to serve on both Boards. Mr. Al-Shehab also co-founded Fusion Community Center of North Jersey in 2018 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was recently appointed to serve on the Recreational/Cultural Arts Center Committee by the Mayor & Council of the Borough of Paramus. Mr. Al-Shehab is an entrepreneur, running a Management Consulting firm that specializes in critical project management/crisis management.

SAMANTHA BOBILA

Samantha Bobila is a fundraising and communications executive for a sexual and reproductive health care organization. In her role, she inspires others to make philanthropic investments so that access to health care is possible for marginalized people and communities. Bobila chairs an advisory group for an NJ General Assembly Member and actively participates in state and local politics. She has canvassed, phone banked, and volunteered with campaigns at every level. Most important to her is that people of color are equitably represented by their legislators, not just in appearance but in policies made. In addition to serving on the board of Action Together New Jersey, she serves on the board of the Trenton Circus Squad, a circus arts non-profit. Bobila maintains membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy, and Professional Filipino American Youth. She has a Master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s in History, minor in Political Science, from Saint Joseph’s University. In her spare time, she enjoys going on hikes with her husband and their dogs.

SCOTT SALMON

Scott Salmon is Counsel at Jardim, Meisner & Susser, P.C. and specializes in employment law, election law, and governmental representation. Scott advises and represents municipal, legislative, and congressional political campaigns on various election-related issues, including ballot-access, canvassing, advertisements and recounts. Scott advises organizations such as 501(c)(4) entities and public action committees on campaign finance rules and regulations. He also currently serves as Labor Counsel to the Town of Dover. Scott is a former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. He received his Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History from Franklin & Marshall College and his Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee University School of Law. Scott has competed in three marathons and a sprint triathlon and spends his free time woodworking, watching the New York Jets lose, and watching movies with his wife, Remy.

CINDY MATUTE-BROWN

Cindy Matute-Brown is the new Associate Director for NJEA’s Human and Civil Rights, Equity & Governance Division. She is excited to join this new division to help continue NJEA’s mission of social justice, equity and inclusion for all of its members and to help ensure the continued pursuit for a just and equitable education for all New Jersey public school students. Matute-Brown has organized around labor and social justice issues, founding a teacher’s union, an affiliate of NJEA at a charter school where she worked for almost 20 years. She is a Steering Committee member of a grassroots organization founded after the 2016 elections dedicated to progressive action from local to federal governance. Matute-Brown is currently in her first term, 3^rd year as an elected official serving the West Orange Township as Council President. As a public servant her fiduciary responsibilities include a municipal budget of over $96 million dollars, labor and service contracts and has effectively promoted governing with transparency and through a social, equity and inclusion lens.