Today, Mayor Andre Sayegh welcomed Ishiya A. Hayes to the City of Paterson as the Director of Policy and Planning in the Mayor’s Office. As the Director of Policy and Planning, Hayes will support initiatives addressing economic and community impacts caused by the pandemic, bail reform, prioritizing equity and minority participation in municipal procurement, small business support, climate change and flood mitigation, and more. The Director of Policy and Planning position directly results from Paterson’s partnership with Passaic County Community College (PCCC), the Passaic County Community College Foundation, and The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation.

Regarding the appointment, Mayor Sayegh said, “We are grateful for Ishiya’s presence in the Mayor’s Office, as we look forward to the application of both her innovative ideas and practical experience. We’ve successfully utilized data-driven approaches in addressing our most pressing matters, such as public safety, economic development, and the pandemic. While we are proud of our strong track record, with Ishiya’s help, we look forward to even greater services for the residents of Paterson.”

“Passaic County Community College is excited to expand our partnership with the City of Paterson and the Taub Foundation to bring a Director of Policy and Planning to the City,” said President Steven Rose. “Ishiya A. Hayes is an outstanding candidate for this position, and I know she will serve Paterson with distinction.”

Steven Taub, president of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, said, “the foundation is pleased to work with PCCC to provide support for this position at a time when the city has important policy decisions to make regarding the use of substantial federal funding.”

“I am excited to serve the City of Paterson and to work with Mayor Sayegh to execute his vision for the future of the city and its residents,” said Ms. Hayes. “I realize the importance of partnerships with institutions of higher education to provide assistance to communities and I am grateful to the Administration, Passaic County Community College, and The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation for entrusting me with this opportunity.”

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Bio below:

Ishiya A. Hayes was the Associate Director/Senior Policy Analyst of the Urban Mayors Policy Center at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. In this role, she coordinated all of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association activities, which included planning meetings and conferences as well as providing technical assistance, analyzing issues, and creating policy recommendations for strategies to improve the quality of life in urban centers.

Additionally, she served as the editor of the Urban Mayors Press, a publication created to share information and resources with the NJUMA and its statewide and federal partners.

Prior, Hayes was the Fellow for The Center for Health Policy Development at the Watson Institute. She leveraged partnerships among local organizations to advance policies that improved the health of New Jersey residents, addressing maternal and infant health, the opioid epidemic, and increased health insurance coverage. Initially, she joined the Watson Institute as an Associate Fellow to work on economic development initiatives through the nation’s first urban-focused Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

Additionally, she has co-authored and provided research for The Cost of Poverty: The Perpetuating Cycle of Concentrated Poverty in New Jersey Cities for the Anti-Poverty Network of NJ, a report funded by the Fund for New Jersey, and the 2019 New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Program Assessment study for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Ishiya earned a Master of Public Service Leadership with an area of study in public health/public policy from Thomas Edison State University, a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University, where she double-majored in English and Africana studies and minored in sociology and an Associate of Arts in liberal arts from Mercer County Community College. She is a current member of the NJ State League of Municipalities Legislative Committee and continues to expand her knowledge, especially concerning municipal and state policy.