The next CEO of NORWESCAP, based in Phillipsburg, was selected after a nationwide search.
Terry Newhard will host one last fundraiser for NORWESCAP.
Retiring after 37 years with the northwest New Jersey charity based in Phillipsburg, Newhard's sendoff gala later this month will benefit the organization he has helmed.
"During the last 37 years," Newhard said in a note on the event's Facebook page, "NORWESCAP has served hundreds of thousands of your neighbors by averting emergencies, stabilizing lives and moving others out of poverty through the investment of millions of dollars into the community. The task is far from over, as tens of thousands of your neighbors still struggle daily to meet their basic needs while working at jobs that cannot sustain even a modest lifestyle."
NORWESCAP (the Northwest New Jersey Community Action Partnership Inc.) was created in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" -- a national movement to address poverty. It annually serves 35,000 residents in Warren, Hunterdon, Sussex, Morris, Somerset and Passaic counties. It celebrated 50 years in 2015.
The organization's 300 employees, 1,200 volunteers and $32 million budget serve more than 32,000 low-income people, according to a news release announcing Newhard's retirement and the new CEO.
Mark Valli will begin oversight of NORWESCAP on March 12. The release said Valli was selected after a nationwide search. Officials said Valli ran a charter school in Paterson and worked for the community development corporation there.
Newhard has been with NORWESCAP since he was 28 years old and been in charge for 30 years.
"It's been an amazing journey of learning and a crazy ride driving all the pieces of this complex organization," Newhard said in the news release. "I've watched us grow larger, stronger and more successful.
"Not everyone wants to acknowledge that poverty exists in northwest New Jersey," he continued, "but until the entire community is engaged, it will always be part of the fabric of our region and the nation."
The gala for Newhard's retirement is scheduled for March 22 at the Farmhouse Restaurant at the Grand Colonial in Clinton.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
