June 4, 2024
NEWARK – The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is pleased to announce that Tanuja Dehne has joined our Board of Trustees, effective May 8, 2024.
“We are so fortunate to have Tanuja join us on the Board of Trustees,” said Paulette Brown, Chair of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Board of Trustees. “A visionary leader with a keen sense of purpose, Tanuja joins a dedicated team of highly respected leaders committed to advancing solutions to the greatest social and racial justice challenges of our time.”
Tanuja most recently served as President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, which has generously supported and partnered with the Institute since 2019.
Under Tanuja’s leadership, Dodge transformed its grantmaking portfolio to focus on racial and social justice. She led the organization through numerous national and statewide crises, from a global pandemic to natural disasters like Hurricane Ida, executed critical relief efforts, and spearheaded the relocation of the Foundation’s headquarters to Newark. During Tanuja’s tenure, Dodge dispersed approximately $60 million in funding, primarily to organizations directly addressing the root causes and repair of structural racism across New Jersey.
“Tanuja’s leadership at Dodge exhibited that she has her finger on the pulse of the kind of bold and transformative advocacy that is necessary to allow New Jersey to live up to its potential as a leader in democracy and racial justice across the country,” said Ryan P. Haygood, President & CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “For the last five years, the Institute has been a beneficiary of Tanuja’s vision and Dodge’s generous support of our work. Now, we are even further blessed by her service on our own Board of Trustees. I am confident Tanuja will help make the Institute even stronger.”
“While at Dodge, I was consistently impressed by the impact that the Institute and its partners are able to make to change narratives and policy when it comes to achieving racial justice,” said Tanuja Dehne. “I am thrilled to be able to work with the Institute even more closely now as a member of its Board of Trustees. I know the organization’s footprint will only continue to grow.”
Before leading Dodge, Tanuja built a distinguished career as a corporate attorney, energy executive and public company director. Her current roles include serving on the boards of Granite Point Mortgage Trust, Lafayette College, New York Public Radio, Drexel University’s Gupta Governance Institute, Philanthropy New York and AAPIP (Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy). These diverse experiences bring a wealth of knowledge and perspective to her new role on the Board of Trustees.
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