Through his foundation, the lawyer pays it forward to the youth of New Brunswick

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At a gala earlier this summer, more than $75,000 in scholarships were awarded as part of the New Brunswick Education Foundation’s ongoing efforts to help inspire, equip and empower local youth.

The nonprofit was launched in 2006 by Emmanuel Ford as his own way of giving back. Ford, a lawyer who graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1978, lost both of his parents as a child — becoming an orphan before he was a teenager.

While working through that tragedy, Ford received help and inspiration from organizations in the city, including those led by William Louis Dunbar, a longtime New Brunswick teacher and community leader. “He (Dunbar) inspired countless young people — and he even inspired me,” Ford told reporters at the Awards Gala, held at The Pines Manor in Edison. “I think that’s a big part of why I do what I do.”

When asked how the New Brunswick community helped him in his time of need, he said it went beyond just finances — noting that he was eligible for all available school aid because of his situation. “What was really needed was confidence in myself. They instilled that belief,” he explained. “It was a climate — it was a culture of the surroundings through Mr. Dunbar, through the community events we attended. And we’re trying to create that atmosphere now. When people come to our events – it’s all about positive peer pressure. You can look to your right – you can look to your left and you see high achievers. And that’s what this trial is about.”

He described the NBEF as his calling – saying the work gets him up in the morning.

And the gala provides an annual opportunity to celebrate and provide more support – with scholarships awarded to graduates of New Brunswick High School and New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology and the induction of eight individuals into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

“It’s a night of achievement — of excellence, this is representative of what’s coming out of the city of New Brunswick to the public school district,” Ford said. “We have scholars if you look around the room – 76 young people will receive scholarships tonight. We also honor eight outstanding graduates, because they distinguished themselves in various fields of activity. And of course we will also recognize the work of two young people who are doing great things for the NBEF as well as the wider community.”

This year’s awards brought the organization’s total to more than $950,000 – with support from Johnson & Johnson, NBEF’s largest corporate sponsor over the past decade, along with other New Jersey partners as well as individual donors.

“Which means next year, we’ll hit the million mark,” said Ford, who noted vital grassroots support. “It’s the $25 donations, the $50 donations. It is the community that goes away from our people – a reason to support our young people that we are really proud of. And the return on investment is huge.”

Beyond scholarships

But NBEF’s work goes far beyond just scholarships – with a robust offering of different initiatives, resources, mentoring and more in the community.

Some examples include:

• Innovative Grants Program for Teachers – a partnership with New Brunswick Public Schools – supported by Johnson & Johnson, the PNC Foundation and the MagyarBank Charitable Foundation, which enables teachers to create projects and activities that expose their students to science, technology, arts, literature and societal concerns, such as anti-bullying workshops. Since 2008, almost 100 teachers have participated, implementing more than 190 projects/activities.
• An award-winning Robotics/STEM program – providing students in grades 6-12 with hands-on and inquiry-based learning experiences that include designing, building and programming robotics.
• A network of college and young professionals – a more specialized component providing ongoing support to NBHS and NBHSTHS graduates pursuing higher education or vocational training, featuring special events and workshops, as well as components such as Account Management Program Trainers; The e-mentoring program; Mental Health Platform; Career group leadership program; and the Public Speakers Institute.

“We’re viewed as a scholarship organization — as well as a college prep and career development organization,” Ford said. “But we work in schools.”

Ford used the word opportunity to describe the essence of the organization. “Absolutely – opportunity. We’re certainly looking to make it real for all of our young people,” Ford said. “That’s for sure.”

He emphasized how inspiring these young people are. “To be able to see what they see — when I’m around them, it’s just amazing,” he said.

Ford also noted long-standing relationships with New Brunswick schools, individual supporters/donors, alumni, corporate partners like J&J and other stakeholders – noting the attendance of nearly 350 people at the gala as a reflection of faith and support for the mission NBEF. .

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the board of education,” Ford said. “But the most important thing is also the financial support from Johnson & Johnson. I can’t thank them enough for what they do for our organization.”

“We have really important individual donors who obviously believe in our young people,” he noted. “I started with donors 15 years ago – they are still with me today in terms of donating and entering individually at a certain rate per year.”

Learning life skills

NBEF also offers a strong network with alumni/graduates who have attended top colleges and are working at top organizations in various fields; while also providing the opportunity to develop a range of skills that will assist these individuals as they navigate their careers.

“It’s just constantly feeding them those intangibles — giving them those innovative, cutting-edge skills to prepare them to sell themselves,” Ford said. “You just can’t go to class and make the grades. You have to be able to get in front of that employer and make an impression.

“Not only do they have access to people who work in these different places,” Ford continued. “They are all from the same hometown. So I would say about anything that really helps this engine work is that part of it. It’s the network part. That’s why we built our organization around that.”

A prime example of an NBEF success story can be found in Ashley Lytle’s journey. In 2004, her family moved to New Brunswick – and she attended NBHS and received a $1,000 NBEF scholarship in 2008, the second year the organization began awarding them.

Lytle went on to attend and graduate from Rutgers University – earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 2013 and then completing his Executive MBA in 2020.

Through the Technology Leadership Development Program, Lytle began working at Johnson & Johnson – holding various roles and currently serves as IT Technology Lead Manager, where he supports sales and digital marketing initiatives for the Immunology portfolio.

You have this organization that is so committed to helping students in New Brunswick; offering them scholarships; giving them a network; offering them services that you often don’t even realize you need when you’re a first-generation student.
– Ashley LytleNBEF Hall of Distinguished Alumni inductee

“While I was in college, I would get calls from Emmanuel to come back and support different initiatives that they had,” Lytle told NJBIZ. “Being a woman of color in STEM myself, I would often talk to students about navigating college, the differences between college and high school. A lot of us are first generation – so I’m just sharing my learnings and advice.”

Lytle said that as the network continued to expand, she tried to stay connected. After volunteering for several years, she was selected by Ford to join the NBEF board of directors in 2016.

“It’s been quite a while now that I’ve been there, and I’m just advocating and providing guidance on how we can continue to shape the organization and grow,” she said. “And then to top it all off – last year, I was inducted. So, at the same ceremony where I received my scholarship in 2008 – in 2023, I was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni for New Brunswick High School for all that I have accomplished in support of NBEF – but also for my success at J&J.”

A tight-knit community

Lytle noted how tight-knit the organization and commitment of the community is — and how it connects multiple generations and cultures in New Brunswick, which she described as being so big and so small at the same time. “It’s unique,” Lytle said. “You have this organization that is so committed to helping students in New Brunswick; offering them scholarships; giving them a network; offering them services that you often don’t even realize you need when you’re a first-generation student.”

She emphasized that Ford and his passion for NBEF drives the organization — joking that she doesn’t always know how he manages to do everything he does, but that he “just makes it happen.”

“He is a very good, very genuine person to work with,” she emphasized. “And when you meet people like that who are just good people at heart, you do everything you can to support them. He is a pleasure to work with – a pleasure to support his cause. And it’s a simple idea to come back and help if you can.”

Ford went back to where he started – when asked what he wanted people to know about the gala and the NBEF itself.

“Again, I would definitely say — it’s an achievement and excellence on the part of the city and the school district. And that’s what it’s all about – all the layers,” he explained. “From young people to seasoned professionals. That’s what it’s about. It’s just a really positive image for New Brunswick – and we’re very proud of that.”

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