American Express Stock – Carlos Lejnieks Set to Bring Expertise, Nationally Recognized Leadership Skills to NJCU Board of Trustees

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Carlos Lejnieks, the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties, has been announced as the newest member of the New Jersey City University Board of Trustees. Lejnieks, a statement from the university announced, will serve on the Finance & Audit Committee and Mission Committee.

Saying they are happy he joined the board, NJCU’s President Sue Henderson said that “His proven leadership in guiding a vital local non-profit organization in Big Brothers Big Sisters has prepared him for this key policy and management role at our institution,” adding that they look forward to his “insights and guidance towards advancing their strategic plans.

The inaugural recipient of the NJCU Presidential Medallion, Lejnieks is no stranger to the university where he gave the 2014 commencement address, or to board service. 

Presently, he also serves on the Brown University Alumni Association Board, the Board of Regents for Saint Peter’s University and is a Trustee for Jersey City Medical Center/RWJ Barnabas Health) and St. Benedict’s Prep. He has served as a Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance Real Estate Commission since 2018.

He is immediate-past Chairman of the NJ Charter Schools Association and is also co-founder and Vice Chair of Democracy Prep Public Schools — a high performing network of schools serving over 5,000 youth based in Harlem, N.Y. In 2006, he received Democracy Prep’s “Change the World” award for helping create the school.

Prior to joining BBBS 13 years ago, Lejnieks was an administrator at North Star Academy in Newark. Previously, he held positions as Vice President at CN Communications International and at Goldman Sachs.

With a B.A. degree in International Relations and Commerce from Brown University, where he was also a Division I collegiate varsity wrestler, and a M.Sc. degree from the London School of Economics, Lejnieks also boasts an impressive academic resume. In 2011, he was given an Honorary Doctorate from Saint Peter’s University, where he delivered its commencement address. In December 2016, he delivered the graduate degree commencement speech for the London School of Economics.

An Aspen Fellow, Lejnieks was selected as one of 12 people in the world to participate in Aspen’s “Emerging Leaders” cohort in 2012 and, in 2011, he graduated from the American Express Leadership Academy. In 2014, he received the NJ Community Leadership Award from ASPIRA and, in 2013, he was honored with the “Education Leadership Award” from the National Organization of African American Administrators, the national “40 under 40” award by the New Leaders Council, and the All Stars Project (Newark) “Community Spirit Award”. In 2016, he was recognized in the New York Yankees “Civic Leader Spotlight.”

In 2011, Lejnieks was a featured speaker at the Newark Peace Summit headlined by the Dalai Lama. He has guest lectured at Brown University, Columbia Law School, NYU, Rutgers University and Seton Hall Law School on such themes as education, corporate social responsibility, diversity, social entrepreneurialism. He has emceed many events including Autism NJ’s 50th Anniversary Gala and the American Express Leadership Academy Inaugural Alumni Summit. He was an Executive in Residence at Saint Peter’s University and served on the News Corporation Diversity Council from 2009-14.

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