Jegna Council

Jegna is an Ethiopian term for a person of exceptional courage, strength, wisdom, and integrity, who acts as a protector and leader for their people, culture, and land, often through selfless service and high-quality work. It’s a title of distinction, signifying someone tested in struggle who fearlessly defends their community and embodies cultural guardianship.

Established in 2021, the Jegna Council is a community-rooted advisory group that helps shape the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s grantmaking, partnerships, and investments to advance health equity and community power across New Jersey. Each Council member brings lived experience, community wisdom, and trusted relationships related to one or more of the Foundation’s focus areas in New Jersey: maternal and infant health, housing, public health infrastructure, and community power-building.  

A group photo of Jegna Council members in front of a brick building.

How the Council Works

The people closest to community challenges are often closest to the solutions. As an advisory body to the RWJF New Jersey department, the Jegna Council brings community voices, experiences and perspectives into RWJF's work across the state, serving as:

Thought Partners

who provide ideas, reflection, and guidance on the New Jersey department’s implementation of strategic priorities

Equity Stewards

who ensure that equity and justice remain central to RWJF’s work in the state

Community-Based Advisors

who elevate the needs and aspirations of communities historically excluded from decision making processes

Jegna Council Members

As of October 2026

Related Content

Members of the Jegna Council have developed pieces to highlight areas of their work that intersect with the Foundation’s priorities in New Jersey. Each of the articles reflect members’ thoughts on different areas that contribute to health inequities and ways that we can create a more equitable healthcare workforce, expand housing options, expand community research, and improve maternal health outcomes.

Two women fill out an application for SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) at a Covering Kids & Families enrollment event. Covering Kids & Families.
Brief

Championing the Community

An article by members of the Jegna Council focused on the importance of community engagement in equitable and actionable research.
New Jersey
Fort Lauderdale, FL - August 22, 2019 - Chadrick Lindsay (31), an apprentice in the City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority's Step Up program, prepares lumber to build cabinetry in the workshop. The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale has operated a state certified Step-Up Apprenticeship Program (Step-Up) since 1994. The objective of the program is to provide apprentices with the opportunity to create a portfolio of education, training, and employment skills to increase their potential for permanent employment and economic self-sufficiency. During the two-year state certified program, apprentices are trained in construction skills with a specialty in housing rehabilitation and building maintenance for occupations in the public and private sectors. All apprentices are required to obtain their GED while in the program and certified instructors teach morning and evening classes at the Housing Authority to help prepare the apprentices for the exam.
Brief

Flourishing

An article by members of the Jegna Council focused on the importance of hiring and retention practices that not only promote diversity but also establish an environment in which everyone feels included, supported, and valued.
New Jersey
A row of homes stretches along a street.
Brief

Newark for Newark

An article by member of the Jegna Council focused on the quest for quality, affordable housing in Newark, New Jersey.
New Jersey
A mother and grandmother sitting with an infant boy drinking milk from a bottle.
Brief

The Power of Data

An article by member of the Jegna Council focused on disparities in pregnancy-related deaths between White and Black women in New Jersey linked to longstanding health inequities, unconscious biases, and other elements of structural racism.
New Jersey
A doctor examining a patient.
Brief

Standardized Tests

An article by members of the Jegna Council focused on healthcare workforce inequities which have their roots in underfunded public schools, underinvested neighborhoods, lack of economic opportunity, and the structural racism that underpins these and so many other social determinants of health.
New Jersey

Resources

Achieving Health Equity for N.J.

We all deserve to live our healthiest life possible, no matter who we are or how much money we have. This can be a reality in New Jersey.

Find out how
Report

A Policy Agenda for New Jersey

A Healthier, More Equitable New Jersey

In our own backyard, there is a lot to be proud of when it comes to health—but there also are wide, persistent gaps across the state. We at RWJF remain committed to improving health and advancing health equity for all in New Jersey and beyond. 

SEE OUR WORK