Donita Devance is an Associate Director for the Office of University-Community Partnerships/Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement at Rutgers University- Newark. Over the past 45+ years, her work has focused on reducing inequities faced by disadvantaged, misinterpreted, overlooked, and underserved communities. Through professional roles and volunteerism, she advocates for social justice and collaborates to design solutions that honor unique community needs and desires.
Donita earned a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and has worked for the university in some capacity for more than 35 years. As a grant writer, planner, and evaluator, she connects Rutgers University’s human capital and facilities to the needs of community change agents at the local, state, regional, and national levels. These partnerships catalyze solution-building, collaborative research, community-connected planning, effective evaluation, and incubating of innovative programs.
Harnessing a passion for research, grant writing, community engagement, empowerment planning, and the arts, Donita’s body of work addresses some of the most pressing contemporary health and social policy issues. These topics include preventing homelessness, supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDS, advancing health equity, promoting well-being among aging populations, voter education, career development, community leadership training, supporting reentry for incarcerated women, educational improvement for low-performing schools, and enhancing digital literacy among older adults. She has written or coauthored scores of publications and presentations resulting from this work. She is an active volunteer and has contributed to more than 40 community advisory boards, commissions, and task forces. She currently serves on the boards of the Sweetwater Blossom Foundation (Jamaica) and the (University of) Iowa Black Alumni Association. She volunteers with the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance and is president of the Torchlight Foundation of New Jersey, dedicated to supporting educational initiatives.
A former theater director, traveling company, and independent artist, she now collaborates with Dare to Fly Productions alongside fellow RAAA Hall of Fame honoree Marcia Brown, Esq. as an assistant director and actor. Productions include For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enough, A Raisin in the Sun, and a virtual production of Lynn Nottage’s Ruined that was commissioned for the 20th Anniversary of UN SCR 1325 and the 10th Anniversary of UN Women for the Commission on the Status of Women.
Donita is a proud Life and Ruby member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., active with Delta Kappa Sigma alumnae chapter, where she has held leadership positions at the local level, served as a member of the Centennial History and Archives Committee, and presently serves as the international United Nation’s Liaison. In this role, she engages in interagency collaborations, presents at UN events, and coordinates parallel events on topics related to the empowerment and uplift of women and girls. She is a former liaison and social action chair for the National Panhellenic Council of Central New Jersey and continues her efforts in voter education and engagement.
Though she has received many honors and awards, Donita believes her most outstanding achievement is in raising three socially conscious and engaged adult sons, Sandile, Khari, and Yimani, two of whom are currently pursuing advanced degrees at Rutgers University.