Allison K. James-Frison

Allison is a product of the Newark Board of Education and a proud valedictorian parent of a future graduate of the Newark Board of Education.

She brings a professional perspective to the board through her calling as a social worker. Her years of experience and training in building and restoring families and neighborhoods has proven invaluable. She is a champion for youth with a proven track record of helping individuals reach their highest potential. As Founder of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. (GLLL), she has helped empower over 1,200 young women in the City of Newark.

Her journey reflects the true persevering spirit of lifelong Newarkers. She was not a child born of means, privilege, or access. She was raised in Newark subsidized housing, an environment that presented a unique set of life challenges. She lost both of her parents and has survived domestic, violence, sexual abuse, and homelessness. And while she survived an incident of gun violence, she would later lose her fiancée tragically to that same fate.