CCWHOF
Lisa Stewart Garrison, Fairton
A cultural activist and strategic program consultant, she spearheaded the placement of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenwich, NJ on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the only such designation in Cumberland County and the sixth in New Jersey. Bethel AME Church received its official site designation from the Department of the Interior in September 2023. This church still has an active congregation and is the single remaining historic structure from the 19th century black experience in Springtown. Lisa is working on additional Cumberland County Underground Railroad venues to be added to the national list.
Dr. Christine A. Johnston, Pittsgrove
Early in her career, Johnston began her search for a deeper understanding of how we learn. Her B.A. degree in education and M.A. degree in social change, both from the University of Wisconsin system, and her Ed. D. educational administration and supervision from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, each contributed to the development of her 30-year research agenda, which culminated in the development of a patented advanced learning system known as the Let Me Learn Process® (LML) The Let Me Process 1)identifies how our mind works, and 2)teaches individuals to use their minds more effectively within any given learning setting.
Dr. Johnston is a woman of faith who leads a life of service to others through her words and actions. To that end, in 2013 she established the Compass Academy Charter School in Cumberland County dedicating its mission to breaking the cycle of poverty and unrealized potential of students and replacing it with an educational process that helps students achieve a life of purposeful work and dedicated service to the greater community.
Dr. Dina L. Rossi, Sewell
A school superintendent, she created and developed the Cumberland County Technical Education Center, the first full-time technical education school in Cumberland County. She oversaw the planning and building of Cumberland County’s 30,000 square foot state-of-the art building. She spearheaded the development of programs and courses that offered college credit courses while in high school, to acquire cutting edge technical skills, to learn and follow evolving industry standards, and creating community and business partnerships. In 2016, through her vision, the school opened with its freshman class. It allowed the graduating students to continue their academic studies at colleges or universities, to choose to combine jobs with continued academic studies, or to choose to immediately enter the job market.
Mary E. Rossi, Vineland
An educator, she achieved the distinction as Best Principal in the history of Vineland High School, where she served in that t role for 22 years. Born in 1903, she began her teaching career in the Vineland school system in 1924. She became the principal in 1942 and remained in that position until she retired in 1964. She i instilled in her students that “a healthy body, a keen mind, a magnetic personality and a strong character are not the products of chance but the results of faith, courage, discipline and perseverance.” As principal she was a strong supporter of all sports and was inducted into the Vineland All Sports Booster Club Hall of Fame in 1992. After an exhaustive research process, she was named the MVP of Principals by the Vineland High School Historical Committee.
