Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. hosted the County’s Eighth Annual African American History Month Celebration on Thursday, February 17th. During the standing room only celebration, the County Executive presented the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award to Marc D. Larkins, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of the NJ Schools Development Authority, and the Coretta Scott King Leadership Award to Rochelle Hendricks, Deputy Commissioner of the NJ Department of Education. Both of honorees have made significant contributions to the community and their dedication truly captures the dignity and determination of the King family.

“African American History Month is a special time of the year when we highlight the many contributions and achievements African Americans have made to our culture, economy and daily lives throughout our history,” DiVincenzo said. “Marc Larkins and Rochelle Hendricks are both leaders and role models who have had a significant impact on influencing government policies and education, and have truly dedicated themselves to improving the quality of life in their communities,” he added.

Marc Larkins was nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority and confirmed by the Board of Directors on February 26, 2010.  As CEO, Mr. Larkins is responsible for the management and implementation of the State’s school construction program throughout New Jersey. Prior to his appointment to the SDA, Mr. Larkins served in various capacities as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey.  He held the positions of Acting First Assistant United States Attorney, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, and Acting Counsel to the United States Attorney.  In each of these capacities, Mr. Larkins was involved in the oversight and management of all operations of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and supervised a number of units within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including serving as Acting Chief of the Terrorism Unit and Chief of the Government Fraud Unit. Mr. Larkins directly prosecuted public corruption cases in the Special Prosecutions Division and narcotics cases in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Larkins began his legal career as a law clerk to the now retired Honorable James H. Coleman, Jr., the first African-American Justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.  Mr. Larkins then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, while Judge Greenaway sat on the District Court.  In 1999, Mr. Larkins was accepted into the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.  He served as a trial attorney in the Criminal Division for a little over three years, specializing in domestic and international narcotics prosecutions.

Mr. Larkins spent his early childhood in Newark and was raised in Irvington where he still resides.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Seton Hall University and his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law.

“I am truly humbled and honored to have my name associated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and I thank the County Executive for this award,” said Larkin. “In my short time in public service I have learned that it takes a great deal of personal sacrifice and we can all learn and appreciate that. I accept this award today as a representative beneficiary of all those who have made sacrifices so that we can have what we have today,” he added.

Rochelle Robinson Hendricks is currently serving as Deputy Commissioner of the NJ Department of Education. She has extensive experience in educational leadership and management at local, state, national and international levels. Her diverse experiences include PreK–12 and higher education, community change and economic development, and church administration and program development. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of District and School Improvement in the New Jersey State Department of Education.  In this role, she directed the Offices of District and School Services, Improvement and Innovation, Leadership Services, and Equity and School Choice. A major focus of the division is to design and implement an integrated, comprehensive state system of support to improve schools and districts in need of improvement, to advance equity and excellence in education and to promote and support interagency and community engagement in school reform, as well as to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. 

Her prior experiences at the Department include time as the Director of the Office of Vocational-Technical, Career and Innovative Programs where she had oversight of vocational-technical, career and innovative programs; served as the department’s liaison for the state’s workforce development system; coordinated efforts to redesign the state system of vocational-technical and career education; implemented the department’s review, revocation, surrender, renewal, application and approval processes and procedures for all charter schools in the state; implemented the department’s design, establishment, and evaluation of the inter-district choice program, teacher recruitment initiative, as well as the administration the funding for Perkins III, Title V of the NCLB, Advanced Placement/Incentive, and Troops to Teachers grants. Ms. Hendricks served as the Region II representative on the National Board for the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education, as well as other national educational entity advisory boards.

As the former manager for the Office of Charter Schools, during a time of limited resources, she restructured the office for efficiency and effectiveness of services. Through a team approach and cross-training, she improved the capacity of the small office to expand its functions and better serve its constituents;  increased the amount of the federal grants awarded to NJ and thus, the funds available to charter schools; enhanced the accountability and training programs; developed new strategic partnerships and introduced recognition initiatives to promote educational excellence and equity in New Jersey’s charter schools; and, encouraged NJ to be active on the national level. In 2001, the US Department of Education named her State Liaison of the Year.  The Best Practices/Star Schools Program was nominated for the National Public Service Excellence Award and selected by the Council of State Governments to be included in the report, Managing for Success: A Profile of State Government for the 21st Century.  The report is the first of its kind to chronicle how state officials are reinventing government and showcases new and exemplary practices.  During her tenure at the NJ Department of Education, she has served as Coordinator of Teacher Recruitment, winning one of 14 Mellon Grants for urban and minority teacher recruitment, executive assistant to the Deputy Commissioner, manager of the Office of Policy and Planning, and director for the Office of Professional Development and Licensure.

A former Princeton University dean, she was involved with admissions, women and minority affairs, equal opportunity and race relations, residential life, career services, counseling services and religious life matters.  She is a founder and former president of ABAFOILSS, an association of minority and financial aid officers in the Ivy League colleges and universities. Featured in the book, Women of Courage, with a forward by the late Rosa Parks, she was also honored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, the Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Links, and the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs.  A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she was president of Epsilon Delta Chapter while an undergraduate, and an active member of several professional associations for women executives and educators. 

“I am extremely honored to be recognized by County Executive DiVincenzo,” said Hendricks. “Many people have opened paths, created opportunities and made sacrifices so that I could be where I am and I stand on their shoulders today. Very few people have the privilege to do what they love every day, but I believe service is the rent we have to pay for being here and that it is my duty to be an advocate for social justice and educational equity so that students can stand on my shoulders,” she added.

The Performing Arts students from Essex County West Caldwell Tech performed the National Anthem, under the direction of Mark Beckett and there was a special musical presentation by an ensemble of County employees; Mark Beckett from West Caldwell Tech, Kathy Brown from the Freeholders Office, Joyce Shears from the Vocational Technical School Board Administrative Office and Brandon McCune from Newark Tech and his wife Christine.

The African American History Month Celebration is the part of a year-long cultural series created by County Executive DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity. Other cultural celebrations highlight Irish, Italian, Jewish, Latino and Portuguese heritage and Women’s history.