Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships,
Center for Community Engagement
Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A. Cole Hall 348E
Email: murdockb@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-6831
Bryan Murdock has more than thirty years of experience in program administration and management. He’s the founding director of the Center for Community Engagement at Montclair State University where he’s responsible for the administration of numerous community-engaged programs, projects and initiatives that engage approximately 1,000 students; collaborate with faculty from the University’s five colleges and school; and partner with 200 community- and faith-based organizations, school districts, governmental agencies, and civic organizations. Since 2010, Mr. Murdock has partnered with the Orange Public Schools to support its Community Schools Strategy, having served as the Project Director of the University Assisted Full Service Community Schools project since 2014.
Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement
Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A Cole Hall 348D
Email: woolstonk@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-4268
Krystal Woolston is the Assistant Director of the Center for Community Engagement at Montclair State University where she directs the Bonner Leader program, co-coordinates the Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellows program and the Orange Community Schools Initiative. She also oversees the EECO AmeriCorps program and the community-engaged learning program. She is passionate about getting students involved in volunteering, civic engagement and community leadership. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Family Science and Human Development. Her research focuses on the impact of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse and institutional betrayal on survivor’s spirituality and post-traumatic growth. She hopes to make an impact on how faith institutions respond to abuse.
Director of the Community Action Nexus, Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A Cole Hall 349A
Email: nataled@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-5387
As Director of the Community Action Nexus, Ms. Natale cultivates mutually beneficial partnerships with local nonprofit and civic leaders, government officials, and other community stakeholders to create collaborative initiatives that intentionally apply Montclair State University’s institutional resources to improve community well-being and confront complex challenges. Before joining the Community Engagement team, Ms. Natale spent 14 years in the Office of Sponsored Research at Montclair State, most recently serving as the Pre-Award Services Manager where she played an integral role in developing institutional strategies for identifying and applying for external funding in support of MSU faculty and staff. Before coming to MSU, Dana worked in research coordination and development positions for a number of non-profit organizations and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Director of NextGen Service Corps, Center for Community Engagement,
Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A. Cole Hall 348C
Email: pichardoj@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-7882
Jessica Pichardo is the Project Coordinator at the Center of Community Engagement at Montclair State University. Ms. Pichardo is actively involved with the Orange Community School project and further serves as the Program Manager for the Education, Environment and Community Outreach (EECO) AmeriCorps program. Ms. Pichardo has a BA in History from Montclair State University and an MA in Higher Education from Caldwell University. Ms. Pichardo further has work experience stemming from not for profit organizations, Community Schools and the Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
AmeriCorps Program Director, Center for Community Engagement
Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A. Cole Hall 348B
Email: chicad@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-7895
Daniela Chica is the Program Director for the New Jersey Covid Service Corps at the Center for Community Engagement. Daniela graduated from Rutgers University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy and a minor in Asian Studies. She graduated from Montclair State University with a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with a Forensic concentration and from St. Elizabeth University with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Daniela hopes to continue working with the community to strengthen partnerships and to promote programs that consider all aspects of public health.
Community-Engaged Learning Coordinator, Center for Community Engagement Office of the President
Office Location: Susan A Cole Hall 348
Email: guzmanm@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-3973
Mikaela Guzman is a recent graduate of Montclair State University, with a degree in Vocal Performance. In her undergraduate career, Mikaela served as a Bonner Leader where she discovered her passion for empowering marginalized students through service. Mikaela has completed over 2,900 hours of community service. Her experiences in Bonner inspired her to co-found Musicians for Social Justice- A Group dedicated to sharing minority stories through performing arts. She is serving her second term in the New Jersey Covid Service Corps AmeriCorps Program as the Center for Community Engagement Community-Engaged Learning Coordinator. Mikaela has successfully coordinated 7 large days of service, 30 service learning courses, and actively maintains over 100 community partnership for the center.
Education Director, Montclair Community Farms
Email: mitchellma@montclair.edu
Maia Mitchell is the Education Director at Montclair Community Farms (MCF), a coalition model non-profit organization in the heart of Montclair working to educate and engage the community around sustainable farming, food access, and healthy living. Maia oversees all of MCF’s educational programming including on-site and off-site programs for community members of all ages. At MSU, she works to support all of the Center for Community Engagement’s programs by utilizing MCF as a community hub, and further strengthen the connections between MSU’s faculty and students and the Montclair community at large. Maia has a BA in Early Childhood Education and Psychology from The College of New Jersey, and is currently working towards her Masters in Educational Leadership and Instruction from TCNJ as well. Prior to working at MCF, Maia spent seven years as an Elementary School classroom teacher, with a focus on outdoor education, developmentally appropriate pedagogy, interdisciplinary learning, inquiry-based instruction, anti-bias anti-racist education, and more.
Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning Scholar, Center for Community Engagement
Email: dinourl@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-5395
Lauren Dinour, DrPH, RD, CLC, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ. Her research focuses on health-promoting policies, programs, and practices that improve childhood nutrition and food security, particularly in the areas of school food and breastfeeding. More recently, she has engaged in several studies regarding the development, implementation, and outcomes of service-learning pedagogy in dietetics coursework. A Registered Dietitian and public health professional, Dr. Dinour holds a DrPH and MPH with a focus on Public Health Nutrition. Prior to joining the Nutrition faculty at Montclair State University, Dr. Dinour worked as a practitioner and researcher in community-based and public health settings in the areas of childhood nutrition and food policy.
Graduate Student Assistant, Center for Community Engagement
Email: durickos@montclair.edu
Phone: 973-655-3973
Sara Duricko is the Graduate Assistant at the Center for Community Engagement. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters Degree in Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health here at Montclair State. Sara also received her Bachelors in Psychology from MSU and minored in Criminal Justice and Environmental Justice. In her undergraduate career she served as a Bonner Leader and R.I.S.E mentor. Sara wishes to pursue a career in which she can continue to serve communities and work within the mental health sector.
Graduate Student Assistant, Center for Community Engagement
Email:durickos@montclair.edu
Shreya Upendra is the Graduate Assistant for the NextGen Service Corps Program at the Center for Community Engagement. She is a Liberal Arts (Honors) undergraduate from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts in India, with a Major in Psychology, and a Double Minor in Media Studies and Sociology. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Montclair State University with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. Her scholarly interests are varied, and center around the etiology of criminal behavior, wrongful conviction, adolescent and adult legal competencies and decision making, forensic mental health assessment, risk assessment, and treatment for justice-involved populations.