Samuel S. Okparaeke of North Brunswick, director of Small Business Development in Essex County, has been named to the Middlesex County College Board of Trustees.
The appointment, made by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, runs through October of 2022.
“It’s an honor to be a part of a great institution,” Okparaeke said in a statement issued by the college. “I look forward to participating in its growth and continued success.”
While Okparaeke has been the Small Business director for just over a year, he has experience with the Essex County Department of Economic Development. He started as an employment specialist in 2000, became a program analyst, a Workforce Investment Board planner, one-stop manager, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board and then director of the Division of Training and Employment, according to the statement..
He has also worked for the Volunteers of America Community Correction Service.
Okparaeke is a member of the Garden State Employment and Training Association, and he is a board member of the Eastwick College Board of Trustees and the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission. He holds a bachelor’s degree from New Jersey City State University and a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University.
“I’m very pleased Mr. Okparaeke is a member of our Board,” College President Mark McCormick said in the statement. “He has a record of achievement in workforce development, youth services, and training and development. His expertise will be very valuable.”
