Michelina Thorton

Michelina Thornton is a life-long learner with over 25 years of experience in the field of education   Currently, she is the Director of Federal Programs and Grants for the Newark Board of Education.  She is responsible for seeking grants, managing federal programs, parent engagement and collaborative partnerships for the district. This role allows her to continue her passion for seeing students succeed by bringing new grant funded programs and initiatives to schools, connecting partners with identified needs, and increasing parent engagement.  She brings her varied experiences as an engaged parent in her children’s education to her current role and truly believes parent engagement is a crucial key to student success.