Staff

Judith Thompson-Morris joined Greater Newark LISC in 1995. She is responsible for underwriting and monitoring loans and grants for our local partners and borrowers. An urban planner by training, she has worked previously for the City of Jersey City as a Senior Planner in the Planning Department and Project Manager with the City’s Affordable Housing Division. A member of the American Planning Association, Thompson-Morris holds a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University.

Elijah Dixon is our inaugural Senior Program Officer for Economic Development, where he is shaping our Economic Development and Income & Wealth Building initiatives. Elijah, who identifies as both a practitioner and beneficiary of community development finance, has made significant strides as a social entrepreneur. 

In 2015, he founded the Orchid House in Trenton, a cafe and cultural hub with a mission to change the way people eat, live, and treat each other. He also spearheads the Broad Street Coalition, a collaborative of Black and Brown developers, entrepreneurs, and faith based leaders who are working together to revitalize a predominantly Black-owned section of Downtown Trenton. With a background as a Development Specialist at New Jersey Community Capital, he has been instrumental in raising capital and leveraging crucial partnerships, mobilizing over $30 million for community-focused projects.

With over 40 years of experience, Lenny has established himself as one of our State and region’s foremost experts in affordable housing & community development, finance and construction. Starting as an architect in the City of Syracuse’s Division of Buildings, Lenny’s diverse experience includes serving as a real estate development executive with our State’s leading nonprofit community development corporations to as a high-in-demand trainer and coach for affordable housing professionals, including serving as one of our inaugural coaches for LISC’s Housing Development Training Institute. His accomplishments and impact as a housing & community development executive, advocate and mentor are too long to list here. Lenny brings a wide and vast set of skills, knowledge and experience coupled with community-driven values to help LISC move our ecosystem-building agenda forward. In this SPO for Lending role, Lenny will work closely with Judith and myself to frame, form and drive our overall lending strategies.

Amaris Mitchell is a dynamic leader at LISC Newark, specializing in resident-power building, growing a thriving community ecosystem, and managing our local office’s communications. 

In her role as a Community Engagement PO, Amaris has played a pivotal role in allocating funding dollars toward grassroots projects, leaders and anchor institutions in Newark, empowering local initiatives and resident-led models to be maintained and sustained. In her commitment to community-driven change, Amaris has brokered relationships between resident leaders across the city, facilitating their involvement in our Local Advisory Committee (LAC) and ensuring their voices are heard and valued. She is dedicated to strengthening resident leadership through training programs like the Newark Resident Leadership Academy (NRLA), empowering over 35 new leaders annually and organizing an annual resident leadership conference, Growing Leaders Building Communities (GLBC) attended by over 120 leaders.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Amaris enjoys immersing herself in Newark-based Jersey culture, celebrating House music, Branch Brook Park roller skating, cycling, and enjoying quality TV/Film.

Sabrina is our Program Assistant. Sabrina holds over 15 years of administrative experience working in public, private and nonprofit settings. She's worked for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, one of the State’s leading pro-bono legal providers addressing a comprehensive range of legal and “justice” needs for the most economically vulnerable communities. Sabrina earned her undergraduate degree in Paralegal Studies from Kaplan University. In her role as Program Assistant, Sabrina serves as the primary administrator and navigator for virtually all of the Greater Newark’s office’s day-to-day functions. 

A native of Trinidad & Tobago, Sabrina is a proud “funny Grandma who sings and writes stories for fun.”