Dr. Nyeema C. Watson is the Associate Chancellor for Civic Engagement at Rutgers University-Camden where she oversees efforts to connect the resources of the university with the needs and opportunities of communities in Camden and throughout the State of New Jersey. The office builds partnerships in the areas of K-12 education, health, nutrition, economic vitality, financial independence, and environmental improvement that achieve community goals while advancing the teaching and research mission of the university. The work of the university and the office of civic engagement has been nationally recognized as a leader in the field of civic engagement by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching through it’s the Community Engagement Classification, the Washington Center and New York Life Foundation, and the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Two major programs under her direction include Rutgers Future Scholars, a pre-college program aimed at increasing the number of students from the Camden city schools who attend and graduate from college by providing students who are admitted to Rutgers University a tuition scholarship, and the Rutgers North Camden Schools Partnership. The partnership is a collaboration between Rutgers-Camden, the Camden City Public Schools, Camden Community Charter School Holy Name serving over 400 students in grades K – 8 and their families, in four schools in the North Camden neighborhood using a university- assisted community schools approach. Working in collaboration with the school leadership, staff, families and community organizations, the goal of the partnership is to increase student achievement by providing an integrated system of partnerships that promote academic success, support positive social and emotional development and engage families and community members in an effort to strengthen the North Camden neighborhood.
Nyeema began her career as a counselor at the University of Pennsylvania and then shifted her focus to education policy at the New Jersey Department of Education. At the Department of Education, Nyeema was responsible for managing state and federal grants, research and policy analysis. She was the program officer for the New Jersey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, at the time a $12.75 million dollar program that provided grants to support expanded academic enrichment opportunities during out-of-school time hours for children attending low-performing schools.
In 2012, Nyeema was one of fifteen fellows selected nationwide for the inaugural White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship. This opportunity allowed her to study afterschool and expanded learning policy and work in partnership with the New Jersey Statewide Afterschool Network, funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation, to develop a state-level policy plan focused on increasing the quality of school based out-of-school time programs in New Jersey.
Dr. Watson serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations. Most prominently being a Board of Trustee member for the Center for Family Services, a nonprofit human service agency dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in southern New Jersey. Additionally she served on the Camden City Public Schools Board of Education from 2006 – 2009, a position that she was appointed to by Acting Governor Richard Codey and then re-appointed to by Governor Jon Corzine. While on the board Nyeema was elected as Vice-President and also served as the chair the curriculum committee.
Nyeema received her Bachelor of Arts in Afro-American Studies and Psychology from Rutgers University–Camden, Masters in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education and Doctorate of Philosophy from Rutgers University-Camden in Childhood Studies where her research focused on images and representation of African-American children.