See who the Center for Community Research and Engagement (CCRE) team is and how to contact us.

CCRE Team

Roseanne Mirabella, Ph.D.
Executive Director, CCRE
mirabero@shu.edu

Roseanne Mirabella, Ph.D., is the founder and Executive Director of CCRE, overseeing all operations at the Center since its conception in 1995. Dr. Mirabella is Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science at Seton Hall University.
 

Saul Petersen
Director
973-275-5882
peterssa@shu.edu

In his home country of Ireland, Saul Petersen worked for a decade as a High Performance Tennis Instructor, bringing a high school team to three consecutive national titles, and overseeing the physical and psychological development of 16 top Irish juniors at an elite tennis academy.
Since arriving in the United States, his energies have turned toward the academic and moral development of urban youth, bringing him to Jamaica Plain in Boston, then to Harlem, and more recently to Newark, New Jersey. Working for a Harvard-led middle school intervention program called Responsive Advocacy for Life and Learning in Youth, Saul built ties between the school and local community organizations with the goal of creating a web of support for its youth at risk of slipping through the fractious support structure.

Graduate school brought Saul to New York, working in the field Educational Psychology, with a focus on developing the “cognitive armor” of young and inexperienced learners. His research places an emphasis on teaching students to support themselves by making informed, reflective choices. His work continued in a CUNY-directed intervention program in Harlem called CUNY Middle Grades Initiative, where Saul acted as advisor to the 7th grade, supporting the socio-emotional growth of its most at-risk student population.
Saul now directs his focus on supporting existing partner programs within neighboring communities. In Newark, and through his role as Director at Seton Hall University’s Center for Community Research and Engagement, Saul is currently building such partnerships with several local after-school tutoring and mentoring programs. His ultimate goal is 8:1, that is eight Newark children to one consistent, empathetic mentor.

Saul believes this is the minimum foundation required for youth who, too often, slip through the cracks because no-one was able to lend a caring hand. Support for community non-profit partnerships is established through CCRE’s Seton Hall Experiential Learning and Leadership through Service (SHELLS) program, which Saul oversees with the Project Coordinator, Tawayna Bailey. This innovative program provides local nonprofit organizations with assistance in project development, while also providing Seton Hall students with some vital experiential education opportunities. We have over 100 nonprofit partners built up over the past number of years, and worked with more than 500 public school students this past year. Programs are in the pipeline to double this number over the coming two years.


Tawayna Bailey
Project Coordinator
973-761-9683
baileyta@shu.edu

Tawayna Bailey joined the Center for Community Research and Engagement in January 2008 as the part-time Project Coordinator. In this position, Tawayna is responsible for working with CCRE staff, Seton Hall faculty, students, and non-profit partner sites to ensure the successful implementation of the program. Tawayna brings an impressive background in management and leadership skills in the non-profit sector with over 10 years experience to the program. In addition to the CCRE program, Tawayna assists with overseeing the Seton Hall Experiential Learning and Leadership through Service (SHELLS) program, Community Renaissance Program, and Community Based Research Program.