Meet Our Board

Lisa Ferguson

Lisa Ferguson joined the JRH Foundation Board of Directors in January 2023. She has been an employee of Johnson & Johnson since 1997 and she currently holds the role of Senior Director, Mergers; Acquisitions. Lisa earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and her MBA from the University of California, Irvine. Since 2019, Lisa has been a volunteer with CASA where she advocates on behalf of children who are in the custody of the state due to abuse or neglect. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Women Aware, a Middlesex county organization providing services to survivors of domestic violence. When she’s not working or volunteering, Lisa enjoys travel and outdoor activities with her husband and their three children.

Tomika Sommers

Detective Tomika L. Sommers is an 18-year veteran of the Trenton Police Department who joined the academy in 2005. She is also a retired veteran of the U.S. Army/Air Force, where her career started in 1995. She holds an Associates degree in Transportation from the Community College of the Air Force, an Associates degree in Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement) from MCCC, a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and an Executive master’s degree in business administration from the Jack Welch Management Institute. Detective Sommers has served positions in Patrol, as a School Resource Officer, as a detective in the Special Victims Unit, and currently as a detective in the Community Affairs Unit. She played the lead role of Erin Brockovich, who is an American Activist in a James R. Halsey Production. Det. Sommers was a foster child, who returned to the City of Trenton after leaving the system and has been here ever since. Fun Fact: Det. Sommers loves traveling and has visited 23 countries.

Nivedita Candade

Nivedita (Niv) Candade is the founder and principal of Manda Solutions LLC. Manda provides M&A integration and divestiture services for middle market clients. Prior to starting Manda, Niv worked at one of the "Big 4" consulting firms, successfully delivering large business transformations across M&A integration, divestitures, supply chain/procurement and R&D for F500 clients. Niv is passionate about giving back to the community and volunteers her time on programs that benefit the small business, entrepreneur and non-profit community. As a mom of two teens, she is passionate about youth education, enrichment and personal development.

Jabre Miner

Jabre attended Trenton High School where he developed an interest in the visual and performing arts. He took theatre classes there and was introduced to Joseph Halsey, Founder and CEO of the James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts, by one of his high school instructors in 2017.

“Outside of my small group of family members, Joseph and Ms. Kim at JRH are two people in my life who have never made me feel like a failure. They encouraged me to stay in school and to take college courses when I graduated. They were always willing to listen to me and, with their support, I felt like I couldn’t fail. Today I see them as my family as I work alongside them to mentor younger students in the program. I am enrolled in college theatre classes and still remain focused on my dream of becoming an actor. If it wasn’t for JRH I don’t know where I would be today."