Leadership
Barbara Martinez Chief Executive Officer
Barbara was born in Newark, grew up in the North Ward, and attended Elliott Street School, Ridge Street School, and Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.
Barbara joined NJCF from Uncommon Schools, where for the past eleven years she was its media chief and worked on developing the organization’s advocacy capabilities. Uncommon runs North Star Academy Charter School, the largest charter network in New Jersey, serving over 6,300 K-12 students across 14 Newark campuses. She also serves on the board of directors of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association.
Prior to Uncommon, Barbara was an award-winning investigative reporter at the The Wall Street Journal, where her beats included commercial real estate, healthcare and public education. She is a co-founder and former president of the board of the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School, a Spanish immersion K-8 school that her children attended.
Barbara is also the founder of the Dow Jones News Fund’s Business Reporting Program and served on the board of the DJNF, a non-profit organization that promotes careers in journalism among college students, particularly students of color in order to diversify newsrooms. Through DJNF, Barbara helped start student newspapers at her old high school as well as at St. Benedict’s Academy, and would often arrange for her WSJ colleagues to routinely come to Newark to work with the young student journalists.
Barbara is the mother of three daughters and graduated from New York University.
Kennisha Miles Chief Operating Officer
Kennisha’s entrance into the education sector was via a competitive fellowship through Education Pioneers, in which she brought her diverse project and relationship management skills to the City of Newark to advocate for change. At the Newark Charter School Fund, she led policy and programmatic initiatives that required strong collaboration within the public and private sector.
She has also served as liaison for key partners in the City of Newark’s Education Office, Newark S.T.E.A.M. Coalition and Newark Public Schools. Prior to that, she worked in the private sector, where her work included managing projects to improve Customer-facing products and services in the financial industry.
A graduate of Temple University, Kennisha also dedicates time to serving her community by working with organizations such as Butterfly Dreamz, the Nigerian Healthcare Foundation, New York Cares, and the Central Brooklyn Food Coop.
Colleen Schulz-EskowChief Policy Officer
Colleen comes to NJCF after 20 years of service at the New Jersey Department of Education, holding a multitude of roles during her tenure, including Deputy Chief of Staff where she was responsible for managing the Department’s legislative affairs and policy development division.
Most recently she led the Department’s COVID-related response efforts. Colleen is proud of her work at the Department and hopes to leverage her experience to directly enhance opportunities for New Jersey’s students and families.
Colleen received her Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Rutgers University, as well as, her Master’s degree from Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Public Policy. She is also a proud alumni of the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Colleen enjoys spending time with her family and is active in many local charitable organizations in her hometown of Hamilton Township.
Maria Andrade Chief of School Support
Maria holds a Master of Public Administration from Saint Peter’s University and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University. She is also a proud mother of two college students, a role that continues to inspire her commitment to educational opportunity and equity.
She began her career at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) with NJ GEAR UP and NJ College Bound, where she progressed from student participant to mentor and ultimately Site Director, supporting thousands of first-generation students on their journey to higher education. Her commitment to student success led to her role as a Regional Ambassador for New Jersey GEAR UP, as well as her selection to represent the state on the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) Student Experience Advisory Committee.
Maria further strengthened her leadership through competitive national internships on Capitol Hill with The Washington Center and the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), where she engaged in education policy and public leadership at the national level.
Her work has earned her notable recognition, including the Center for American Women and Politics Hazel Frank Gluck Award. She also holds the New Jersey School Boards Association Master Board Member Certification, reflecting her advanced expertise in governance and strategic leadership.