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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

Innovating from the Ground Up
Man in Newark Community Solutions hoodie and woman wearing black jacket over Center for Justice Innovation T-shirt sit on a ledge in front of outdoor mural
  • Article
  • Innovating from the Ground Up

    Our newly launched Innovation Fund invites our staff working directly with the communities we serve to pitch new ideas for creative ways to meet the needs they see every day.

    May 28, 2025

    Reckoning with Trauma in Court
    Profile of woman opening a door with round windows that read
  • Article
  • Reckoning with Trauma in Court

    What would it look like for courts to respond to trauma with care and compassion?

    May 13, 2025