Kean Public Administration Graduate Changes Lives Through Public Service
Kean University alumna Julienne Cherry ’08 MPA, has dedicated her career to improving the lives of others, a commitment she says was strengthened through her education at Kean and now guides her work as CEO of the United Way of Greater Union County.
Cherry’s passion for service began as a teenager when her parents took her to Haiti, their home country, where she witnessed communities without running water, bathrooms or electricity.
“It was then that I saw the difference between needs and wants and realized how I could be impactful,” Cherry said. “I left my entire suitcase for people there to use.”
At Kean, Cherry earned her master’s degree in public administration while working full-time, graduating with Dean’s List honors and induction into the Pi Alpha Alpha public administration honor society. She credits the program with building the knowledge and confidence that continue to shape her career.
Today, Cherry puts that education into practice at the United Way, where she has created a one-stop shop that helps people meet basic needs, providing everything from rent money to feminine hygiene products and baby food. The organization also helps unemployed people find jobs. In addition to overseeing staff and programs, Cherry leads fundraising efforts.
“I know unequivocally that I'm doing the right thing,” she said, “and I just feel so great every day.”
Cherry also connects people with resources by volunteering as City Council president in Plainfield, where she lives. New Jersey Assemblywoman Linda S. Carter, a friend and neighbor, praised Cherry’s commitment to “equity, public service and the common good.”
“Julienne leads with integrity, compassion and a deep sense of purpose,” Carter said, “bringing people together to address challenges, inspire collaboration and create meaningful opportunities.”
Cherry’s connection to Kean has continued well beyond graduation. A decade after earning her degree, she returned to collaborate with Associate Professor Norma Bowe, Ph.D., RN, to address student food insecurity by founding the Cougar Pantry.
At the time, Cherry was director of agency relations at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a role that inspired her to help launch the pantry. It also connected her with then-Kean President Dawood Farahi, Ph.D., one of her favorite professors.
“He came for a tour, and I told him I had just gotten engaged,” she recalled. “He said, ‘You have to get married on campus.’”
Cherry and her husband, Jamar, became one of the first couples to marry in the president’s courtyard. Today, they have a 14-year-old son, Jamar Jr., whom Cherry proudly describes as “an amazing community servant.”
Cherry’s path to public service began before she arrived at Kean. She earned a bachelor's degree in administration of justice and political science from Rutgers University in 1998 and, after graduation, worked her way up to second in command at a halfway house for adult male inmates operated by Community Education Centers.
Looking back on her education, Cherry encourages students interested in public service to make the most of what they learn in the classroom.
“When people claimed I couldn’t do something because I didn’t have the knowledge,” she said, “I told them, ‘My degree says that I can.’”
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