Dorson Community Foundation
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Maximizing Potential

Highly-motivated high school students from Essex County, NJ have dreams of college and career success.

We invest in their futures.

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Opening the Door to a Brighter Tomorrow

Dorson Community Foundation enriches and develops the next generation of leaders and agents of change from under-served communities by emphasizing self-discovery and civic engagement to empower students on their path to and through post-secondary education and onto career success.

Our Mission

Providing inner-city youth with creative outlets, college readiness skills, and career development enrichment.

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Our Programs

Through our hallmark, tuition-free, four-year Dorson Scholars Program, we support highly motivated high school students with intimate, high-impact college and career readiness enrichment.

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Get Involved

We offer a variety of hands on opportunities for you to make an impact on our students.

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Our Impact

This year, Dorson took great strides toward ensuring its sustenance and increasing its impact in Essex County, NJ and surrounding communities.

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Students in New Jersey served by Dorson Community Foundation

2000

students served since 1992.

Students in New Jersey who received a scholarship to Cornell Summer College program

33

students awarded scholarships to Cornell University Summer College since 2016.

State of New Jersey
Post-secondary degree diploma

98%

of Dorson graduates have continued on to earn a postsecondary degree.

University building with columns

Top 10

colleges attended by Dorson graduates include Georgetown, Princeton, NJIT, NYU.

In Their Own Words

Since 1992, Dorson Community Foundation has touched the lives of countless inner-city youth in Essex and surrounding counties.

"Mrs. Sonia Scott was one of the many rocks and foundation in making all things possible in my life. She was one of many individuals who opened up my aperture in believing that achieving anything in life is possible so long as it’s followed by hard work and dedication."

Joseph Powell Headshot

Joseph Powell

Bradman University, 2015

"I have had many memorable moments within those programs that Dorson Community Foundation has paired me with and it has positively impacted my outlook on success and the world outside of my hometown.

Faith Christian Headshot

Faith Christian

College of New Jersey, 2023

"Dorson Community Foundation provided me with a lot of college readiness skills through all their different workshops. I was able to start polishing a professional resume before I even had any actual job experience. I remember a talk we had about time-management which honestly made me start to change my mindset in preparation for college."

Vanessa Aryee headshot

Vanessa Aryee

New York University, 2022

"DCF played a major part in assisting my academic and overall preparedness for college. I learned a lot of soft skills, and I sharpened my math skills using DCF.​ Sonia Scott is my second mother. She has assisted my development the most since I've been apart of DCF."

Kamari Snow headshot

Kamari Snow

New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2022

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IN DEFENSE OF BLACK LIVES

“For newcomers entering this fight for racial justice, we ask that you join Dorson in the decades of hard work we’ve extended in the name of empowering students from the inner-city.”


-Natasha Scott, Executive Director

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Dorson Community Foundation

280 South Harrison Street, Suite 300

East Orange, New Jersey 07018


info@dorsoncommunity.org

P (973) 280-9565

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Sonia Scott

Founder & Vice President

Sonia Y. Scott is a teacher, author and well-known personality in the health and wellness industry. A native of Jamaica, Mrs. Scott is a first-generation college graduate having received her Bachelors from Herbert H. Lehman College.


Mrs. Scott founded Dorson Home Care, Inc., a licensed and accredited home health care agency headquartered in West Orange, NJ. She is also the founder of Dorson Vocational Training Institute.


Mrs. Scott founded Dorson Community Foundation with a mission dedicated to providing inner-city youth in Essex with a meaningful alternative lifestyle to one involving drugs and gangs.


She is a member of several organizations including the Caribbean Medical Mission, the Association for Female Executives, New Jersey Association of Business Owners (NJABO), and the Essex County Coalition for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (ECCPVA). She is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). Mrs. Scott is a person who pushes boundaries by skillfully weaving her compelling life story into helping others build a life story.

Natasha Scott

President

Natasha Scott is a 2016 graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University with a Master of Arts degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education. She is a 2011 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. 


Natasha is an alum of Dorson Community Foundation, having participated in several programs as a child and adolescent. Wanting to impart her hands‐on “how‐to‐get‐into‐college” knowledge to others, Natasha has worked for years with Dorson Community Foundation students providing college prep mentorship to students tackling the college admissions process. Natasha's work at Dorson Community Foundation is what influenced her to write and publish The College Admissions Bible in 2013. The guidebook has been purchased by Paterson Public School District, East Orange School District, and Orange High School. Natasha has since built her career in the college access/college success space.


Prior to being named Executive Director, Natasha served as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Development at Columbia University's Center for Career Education.


​Natasha is also a former Program Associate for the Northeast Region of A Better Chance, a national nonprofit organization recruiting and placing high-achieving children of color into independent day and boarding schools around the country.

Leslie Daley

Board Member

Leslie G. Daley, CPA is the founding principal of LESLIE G DALEY, LLC an accounting and tax firm located in Maplewood, New Jersey. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Rutgers University, New Jersey in 1986. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants.


He has specialized and extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of accounting and taxation for Individuals, Corporations and Partnerships specifically in the health care and home care industries. Leslie also provides financial planning services for Individuals and accounting and financial services for non-profit organizations.

Kellion Knibb

Secretary

Born and raised in Jamaica to a single mom, Kellion learned the value of education at an early age. Consequently, Kellion used her athletic talents in track and field as a discus thrower to pave the way to higher education.


She moved to the US in 2012 to pursue a college education and an athletic career at the Florida State University. While at FSU, Kellion became one of the best discus throwers in the ACC. She claimed 5 ACC titles, 2 regional titles and became a 3-time all-American. Kellion competed at the 2017 World Championship, the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.


Kellion has a BA in English and MA in Communication & Digital Media Studies and is now a Marketing professional with experience in content writing, social media, email marketing and website management. She helps small companies build their online and social media presence.​


Kellion hopes to share her experience and expertise in online marketing communications with Dorson Community Foundation as a Board Member for years to come.

Liz Goldberg

Board Member

Liz has had a 20 year career operating her own business as an art consultant working with architects and designers to provide large and small scale and art installations to restaurants, hotels and resorts worldwide.  In 2009, she and her family moved to Melbourne, Australia when her husband went to work for Melbourne based travel company, Lonely Planet.


Consequently, Liz has traveled extensively globally learning about different cultures and viewpoints from around the world.  Today, Liz consults with start ups to help with the business launch.  Liz and her husband Matt are involved with many educational organizations including Cornell University, The University of Melbourne and the Lumina Foundation and are passionate about thinking about how to level the playing field to create opportunities for kids from at-risk populations.​

Liz currently lives in New Jersey with her husband Matt and three kids Aidan, Jesse and Olivia.

Michelle Butler

Board Member

Michelle A. Butler is a Project Manager for one of the top Engineering Consulting firms- Burns & McDonnell. Michelle started her career with the electric utility industry 13 years ago. She has worked with several major electric utilities including Florida Power and Light (“FPL”), Eversource Energy, and most recently Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) in New Jersey.


Michelle was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and raised in Miami, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Science (“BS”) degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Florida in 2005 and an MBA from the University of Central Florida in 2011. As a Project Manager with Burns & McDonnell, Michelle has led and/or assisted in managing substation, transmission, or distribution projects.


She brings 13 years of experience managing large scale transmission/distribution projects valued at more than $450 million, maintaining costs within 10 percent of the planned budget. Michelle specializes in system resiliency, conducting financial and resource-based cost-benefit analysis, and leading utility capital projects. She is experienced in working with public agencies and the community to keep projects on track.


Michelle worked at Eversource Energy for three years as the Manager of Connecticut’s System Resiliency group. Within this role, she coordinated Eversource's $300 million, multi-year effort to develop and implement storm resiliency plans to minimize the effects of major storms on the Distribution system, ultimately improving customer reliability.

Laurel Bernstein

Board Member

Laurel Bernstein is the Founder and President of Laurel Bernstein & Associates, a New Jersey based consulting and training firm focused on enhancing the performance and leadership skills for small business owners.

​Laurel has a track record as a highly effective facilitator and trainer, working with business owners to develop key initiatives that leverage talent and help businesses grow.  In this capacity for both retention and attraction strategies, she serves as an executive coach.


Ms. Bernstein advises companies, helping owners evaluate business models, plan vibrant strategic initiatives and design team development.  She has an impressive track record of improving organizational effectiveness and individual achievements. She helps business owners evolve the way they lead to keep up with the needs of the changing environment and economics.


Ms. Bernstein holds a B.A. in Science Education from Montclair State University and a Certificate in Professional Coaching from Baruch CUNY Zicklin Business School iCoach New York.

Contact

info.dcfoundation@gmail.com

Roksanna Craig

Board Member

Iris Wells

Board Member

Iris Wells is an education advocate who holds a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Education, and one year of Masters Level in Instructional Design and Technology with a concentration on Training & Performance Improvement.​

Iris Wells brings twenty plus years of educational diversity having worked with preschool through college levels in both the private and public sectors - contributing to traditional and non-traditional environments. Ms. Wells has worked directly with the New York City Board of Education within the Students in Temporary Housing Unit in District Two.

​Iris has been served in other roles such as Director, Counselor, Facilitator, Trainer, Consultant, Advisor and Manager that have led her in the public school system, charter school system, and non-profit agencies, where she worked with general education, first time offenders, high risk and gang-involved youth.​

She is the Author of It Got Me Through – Daily, I Give Thanks! And, encompassing all that she believes and represents, she is the founder of the QnIrie Foundation which brings everything together through philanthropy, events, volunteerism, fundraisers and more.​

Claiming endless possibilities and knowing that through God, All things are possible; Ms. Wells says “there's no telling what's coming next! It's about decreasing me, increasing God and being used to make a difference in the lives of others."