Inge Spungen, Executive Director of the Paterson Alliance, will step down on May 31, 2024 after almost eight years at the helm. She leaves the Alliance in good hands: Tanya Mann, the
Paterson Alliance office manager, has been serving Paterson and its nonprofit community skillfully for seven years; Shanikwa Lemon, the Paterson Alliance’s Program Manager, will have
completed almost two years in her important role and will provide the face of the Alliance as it moves into a new era. Shanikwa has very capably stewarded the Paterson Alliance Early
Childhood Coalition and will work closely with Paterson Education Fund on the Paterson Reads program. She will continue her work to reduce toxic lead levels in Paterson‘s youth, increase
pre-K registration, and bring books into the hands of Paterson’s children. Shanikwa will also lead the Paterson Alliance Apprentice Program, which provides ten Paterson high school students with paid summer jobs in the nonprofit sector. This program not only provides growth and opportunity to the youth participants, but also offers no-cost interns to nonprofit members of the Alliance. Shanikwa will also continue the partnership with the Paterson Free Public Library to publish the Paterson Community Calendar.

Tanya and Shanikwa will ensure effective continuation of the Paterson Alliance’s monthly meetings and capacity-building programs, bringing its more than 100 members together to collaborate and create Collective Impact. The Paterson Alliance has formed a search committee for an additional administrative officer to
oversee its finances and ensure sustainability. We will be seeking applications from interested candidates beginning January 3.

Mayor Andre Sayegh, the Paterson Alliance’s inaugural Executive Director, says, “As Executive Director, Inge Spungen has taken the Paterson Alliance to the next level. She has significantly
increased the membership and summarily expanded the influence of the organization. I am profoundly grateful for the instrumental role she played in getting a complete and accurate count
in the 2020 Census. She leaves us with an enduring legacy of leadership and love.”

Community leader, New Destiny FSC Executive Director and Paterson Alliance Board President Carolyn McCombs offered these words, “Inge has been an amazing leader in her role as Executive Director elevating the Paterson Alliance to its most impactful outcomes over the past almost eight
years. She will be sorely missed, but we are confident that her legacy will live on as we transition to new leadership. Special thanks and appreciation to Inge Spungen for all she has done.”

Inge plans to continue to live in and support Paterson and its many important causes through the Paterson Alliance community. She notes, “I am grateful to the leadership of our exceptional
Board of Directors and the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Community Foundation of New Jersey for their incredible support! I have enjoyed working with our small and mighty team, but the true strength of the Paterson Alliance can be found in our more than one hundred nonprofit member organizations and their committed staff who work together to make sure the residents of Paterson are heard and served well.”