- Anniversary Gala
- |
- Forces of education
- |
- Celebrating 15 years
iLearn Schools Anniversary Gala
“Forces of Education”
Celebrating 15 years of providing high-quality education regardless of zip code
Join us on May 26, 2022, as we celebrate 15 years of our schools and our impact on our students’ lives!
What started as one K-5 school in Garfield, NJ with 250 students has now grown into a network of 14 schools in northern New Jersey and New York!
Today, iLearn Schools impacts approximately 5,000 students every year, providing them access to high-quality educational and experiential opportunities to help them succeed in college, career, and life.
We hope to see you on this special milestone year as we gather to celebrate our impact and the people who helped support it!
- The ticket cost of $150 includes a reception with hors d’oeuvres, open bar, silent auction, plated dinner with wine and beer, program, and more.
- Reserved tables are available
- Cocktail Attire
All proceeds from this event will go directly to iLearn Schools’ scholarship.
Purchase Tickets
To purchase a ticket or reserve a table, please click the link below.
Sponsor This Event
Become a sponsor by purchasing an ad or donating to help our scholars achieve their dreams.
Show your support for the 15th year anniversary with an ad for our digital and print gala journal.
Gala Emcee: Alicia Quarles
Journalist, Humanitarian, Fashionista
There is a reason “Cosmopolitan” named Alicia Quarles as one of their 50 people who
are, “the most forward-thinking, disruptive in all the right ways, rocking our minds and
hearts, moving the world in the right direction people we know.” Quarles was featured in
their 50th anniversary issue alongside Hillary Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jessica
Alba, Ava DuVernay, theSkimm founders and Taylor Swift (just to name a few from the
list.)
Quarles runs her own multimedia company and is currently a contributor for Good Morning America 3 as well as the Senior News correspondent for DailyMail TV. Quarles previously worked as a correspondent for E News (NBC). She joined E from The Associated Press where she was the Global Entertainment and Lifestyles Editor, overseeing a staff of more than 60 people. While at The AP, she was integral in covering President Obama’s Inaugurations, helped break news of Whitney Houston’s death, covered the death of Michael Jackson and its aftermath, and the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor.
Her wide-ranging talents have led her to: anchoring live from several Academy Awards, covering many White House Correspondents’ Dinners, field reporting from several Super Bowls and overseeing breaking news coverage on events such as Hurricane Sandy and the death of Whitney Houston. Additionally, she served as a Special Correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider,” plus has anchored on Headline News and hosted several specials on VH1 and Fuse.
Quarles isn’t just an on-air personality. Her writing has been featured in some of the largest online sites, newspapers and magazines in the world including The Washington Post, Google, Yahoo News, USA Today, Time, Ebony, Essence and People. Quarles graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California. After graduation, she accepted a position with The AP as a reporter and producer in Los Angeles. While there, she covered high-profile events such as the Golden Globes Grammys, Academy Awards, Billboard Awards and the death of President Reagan. She garners respect, admiration and genuine affection from her peers, top publicists, managers and other key players in the industry. Quarles won her reputation with her sterling work, her gregarious nature and her determination to be the best, and to put out the best work.
Quarles runs her own multimedia company and is currently a contributor for Good Morning America 3 as well as the Senior News correspondent for DailyMail TV. Quarles previously worked as a correspondent for E News (NBC). She joined E from The Associated Press where she was the Global Entertainment and Lifestyles Editor, overseeing a staff of more than 60 people. While at The AP, she was integral in covering President Obama’s Inaugurations, helped break news of Whitney Houston’s death, covered the death of Michael Jackson and its aftermath, and the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor.
Her wide-ranging talents have led her to: anchoring live from several Academy Awards, covering many White House Correspondents’ Dinners, field reporting from several Super Bowls and overseeing breaking news coverage on events such as Hurricane Sandy and the death of Whitney Houston. Additionally, she served as a Special Correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider,” plus has anchored on Headline News and hosted several specials on VH1 and Fuse.
Quarles isn’t just an on-air personality. Her writing has been featured in some of the largest online sites, newspapers and magazines in the world including The Washington Post, Google, Yahoo News, USA Today, Time, Ebony, Essence and People. Quarles graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California. After graduation, she accepted a position with The AP as a reporter and producer in Los Angeles. While there, she covered high-profile events such as the Golden Globes Grammys, Academy Awards, Billboard Awards and the death of President Reagan. She garners respect, admiration and genuine affection from her peers, top publicists, managers and other key players in the industry. Quarles won her reputation with her sterling work, her gregarious nature and her determination to be the best, and to put out the best work.
Changemaker Honorees
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital located at 230 East Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus, NJ. The Medical Center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in NJ and the fourth largest, publicly-owned hospital in the nation.
Bergen New Bridge, a not-for-profit safety net facility, provides high-quality comprehensive services, including acute and ambulatory care from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and community physicians, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and long-term care to the greater Bergen County community. The Medical Center, including its Long-Term Care Division, is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and is in network with all major New Jersey commercial insurance plans covering 99.91% of NJ residents.
The Medical Center is a full-service hospital with a 24/7 emergency department, surgical suites, physical rehabilitation, pharmacy, laboratory, radiologic services (including digital mammography), and more than 26 medical specialties available through its Ambulatory Care Center. It is a leading provider of COVID 19 testing, vaccinations and therapeutics.
Bergen New Bridge is a Veterans Community Care Provider proudly serving the healthcare needs of veterans and is a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) for 2020. Learn more at newbridgehealth.org
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals
Sunovion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the innovative application of science and medicine to help people with serious medical conditions.
Sunovion’s vision is to lead the way to a healthier world. Our spirit of innovation is driven by the conviction that scientific excellence paired with meaningful advocacy and relevant education can improve lives.
With patients at the center of everything we do, Sunovion has charted new paths to life-transforming treatments that reflect ongoing investments in research and development and an unwavering commitment to support people with neurological, psychiatric and respiratory conditions.
Harry Lee, President and CEO, New Jersey Public Charter School Association
Harry Lee is the President and CEO of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association, a membership organization that supports public charter schools in NJ. He has more than 15 years experience in NJ’s education landscape in his current role and as a former charter school authorizer, charter management organization executive, and independent consultant. Harry previously worked as the Chief Strategy Officer at iLearn Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization based in New Jersey. Harry spent more than a decade working at the New Jersey Department of Education, working primarily in the Charter Schools Office serving as the School Performance and Accountability Manager and then Director. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.P.A. from Rutgers University-Newark.
Yomika S. Bennett, Executive Director, New York Charter Schools Association
Yomika S. Bennett is the Executive Director of the New York Charter Schools Association (NYCSA), a nonprofit membership organization that serves as a unified voice for the over 350+ public charter schools, and the 170,000 students that attend them. She has been named in City and State’s Education 100 repeatedly, the first time after only months in her role at NYCSA. Prior to joining NYCSA, Ms. Bennett spent nearly two decades in government and government relations. She has served as Senior Legislative Budget Analyst for the powerful NYS Assembly Committee on Ways and Means, and as Director of State and Local Relations for New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). At NYSDOT, she served as the liaison for NYSDOT and the NYS Legislature, local elected officials and other external stakeholders. She was appointed Assistant Secretary of Transportation in the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. There, Ms. Bennett was responsible for overseeing and coordinating budget, policy and Governor initiatives for a portfolio of agencies and authorities. She also served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Prior to joining NYCSA, Ms. Bennett was a Senior Policy Advisor at Capitol Hill Management Services, Inc. Ms. Bennett began her career in public service as the Director of Institutional Research at SUNY Schenectady County Community College. Ms. Bennett has extensive volunteer experience including membership in the Black Child Development Institute, board member and officer of the Capital Area Urban League, past board president of the Underground Railroad History Project (now Underground Railroad Education Center) in Albany, NY and many volunteer roles in youth sports programs.
