Ryan Haygood to Depart Organization; Henal Patel Named Interim President &; CEO

NEWARK – The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice today announced that after eleven years of transformative leadership, President & CEO Ryan Haygood will depart the organization on July 31 to become President & CEO of the nationally esteemed Southern Poverty Law Center.

Henal Patel, who has served as the Institute's Law & Policy Director, has been named Interim President & CEO of the Institute. Laura Sullivan, who has served as Director of the Economic Justice Program, is now Interim Law & Policy Director.

Under Haygood’s extraordinary leadership, the Institute has become a national model for how states can build community power — and a relentless force for dismantling New Jersey's racial inequities.

"It has been the honor of my career to lead this incredible organization for the last eleven years," said Haygood. "Whether moving New Jersey forward in democracy, criminal justice reform or economic justice, the talent, dedication and outsized impact of this fierce and mighty team have never ceased to amaze me. The team has always been the Institute’s strength, and I know the organization will continue to be New Jersey's premier racial justice organization – on the cutting edge of transformative policy work, truth-telling and willing to take courageous stands."

Driven by a dynamic team, a stellar Board of Trustees and an integrated strategy that weaves together community engagement, research, public education, narrative change, advocacy and litigation, the Institute has turned people power into durable, lasting change — and has led some of the most significant democracy-expanding victories in New Jersey's modern history.

Leadership has been Ryan's superpower, and now the whole country will have the benefit of it," said Paulette Brown, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Trustees. "Ryan has that rare combination of skill, knowledge, emotional intelligence and — perhaps most notably — vision. He has led the Institute with integrity, excellence and an unwavering commitment to the communities we serve. While I and the rest of the Board will miss Ryan terribly, we know the Institute will continue to produce stellar work and shine under Henal Patel's interim leadership and into the future."

The Institute exists to empower Black, Brown and other people of color by building reparative systems that create wealth, transform justice and harness democratic power from the ground up.

That mission — more urgent now than ever — has defined every fight Haygood has led, and every win the Institute has claimed on behalf of New Jerseyans across the state, especially Black people and other residents of color.

"New Jersey has the opportunity to be a national beacon of racial justice at a moment when our country desperately needs it," said Haygood. "I'm proud that over the past decade, the Institute has achieved powerful win after powerful win, readying the organization for today’s challenges and positioning itself to help shape what comes next. That record of success will continue.”

Henal Patel, the new Interim President & CEO, is a highly respected racial justice advocate in New Jersey. She has most recently served as Law & Policy Director and before that as Director of the Institute's Democracy & Justice Program.

Patel's appointment is a continuity of mission, strategy and culture. In her interim leadership role, she will shepherd the Institute's work with confidence and care while the Board of Trustees conducts its search for permanent leadership.

"No one knows New Jersey's unique policy and politics landscape like Henal," said Haygood. "With her sharp mind and relentless energy, she has ably led some of the Institute's most consequential work. She will step into this interim role with steadiness, skill and savvy."

"Ryan has built something rare — an organization where the mission isn't just stated, it's lived, every single day, by every single person on our team," said Patel. "We are building a multi-racial democracy in New Jersey, where even the most marginalized people can have a voice, feel safe and afford to live.  The communities we serve are counting on us to stay focused, stay fierce and keep winning. Even as we will miss Ryan dearly, that is exactly what we will do. New Jersey needs the Institute at full strength right now, and I am committed to making sure that is what it gets."

For Haygood, the work has always been profoundly personal.

"Leading the Institute and being part of the New Jersey advocacy community has been so much more than a job. It's been a gift. It's been a joy. It's been a ministry that feeds my soul. And it's been a home," added Haygood. "When I move on to do the work of racial justice at SPLC, what I have gained over the last 11 years will guide and fortify me — and it will give me great pride to watch the Institute as it continues to lead New Jersey onward."

Until his departure from the Institute, Haygood will serve as Special Advisor to the Board and to the Interim CEO.

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The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is a Newark-based racial justice organization that empowers Black, Brown and other people of color by building reparative systems that create wealth, transform justice and harness democratic power from the ground up.