Our Staff

Rick Greenberg
Acting Chief Operating Officer

Rick Greenberg began serving as the Acting Chief Operating Officer at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice in July 2011, taking over the role from Ellen Brown.  He previously worked as the Institute’s Director of Strategic Communications and Equal Justice Fellow, in which capacity he came to be known as one of New Jersey’s foremost authorities on and advocates for systemic criminal justice reform, successfully leading a statewide campaign to change New Jersey’s prisoner reentry laws.  In this role, Rick advised state, municipal, and federal policymakers on a broad range of issues and strategy matters, including workforce development, affordable housing, and youth violence. 

Between his positions as the Institute’s Acting COO and Director of Strategic Communications and Equal Justice Fellow, Rick served as the President of The Fund for New Jersey, the state’s leading philanthropic investor in public policy initiatives, where he directed $2.5 million in annual grant dollars to support advocacy, public education, litigation, and research to defend civil liberties and safeguard civil rights, promote a fair justice system and an informed electorate, ensure that public schools are adequately funded, and protect the natural environment. 

Prior to working at the Institute, Rick served as the Executive Vice President at Marga Incorporated, a mission-driven consulting firm based in New York City, where he advised the grant making and strategic planning of private foundations, federal government agencies, and nonprofit service providers, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Corporation for National and Community Service, and Harlem Children’s Zone.  Rick has served in a variety of volunteer civic and board capacities, including as a Planning Board Member and Affordable Housing Board Member in Maplewood, New Jersey; Board Member at Columbia University Community Impact; Trustee at the Center for Collaborative Change; Trustee at YouthNet, Inc.; and National Policy Advisor on President Obama’s campaign from 2006 to 2008.  Rick earned a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.

Phone: 973.624.9400
Email: rgreenberg@njisj.org

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