I’ve dedicated my career to improving the quality of life and educational outcomes for communities through strategic partnerships, innovative programs, and effective leadership. As the Senior Program Director of Neighborhood Partnerships at the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University – Newark, I conceptualize strategies to stabilize community programs and enhance the capacity of community groups, social service agencies, and educational institutions.

Serving as Principal Investigator for many of the Cornwall Centers Youth programs, I oversee projects that address youth needs and identify structural barriers to program access and service delivery. Additionally, I work closely with community partners to develop and coordinate interventions to support K-12 and postsecondary attainment for the whole family. To date, I’ve leveraged over $2.4 million to support out-of-school time programs. like the Promise Youth University, 21st Century Community Learning Center, and the New Ark Freedom School

I’m currently pursuing a PhD in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center. My
research interests focus on the intersection of race, ethnicity, and space in post-industrial cities,
particularly examining the political ideologies and consciousness of African American Youth in Newark, NJ. I was selected as a 2025-26 Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) Doctoral Fellow for my historical project, In Many Ways We all Grew Up, that examines the role of youth in the 1967 Newark Rebellion. I was also selected as a 2025-26 White-Riley-Peterson Afterschool Public Policy Fellow. As a White-Riley-Peterson fellow, I’ve been working closely with the New Jersey School-Age Child Care Coalition (NJSACC) to conduct a childcare funding landscape project to understand and improve the funding structure of New Jersey childcare programs.

Marquise holds a Master of Arts in Child Advocacy and Policy from Montclair State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Roanoke College.