Education Ambassador: CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties Carlos Lejnieks

Carlos Lejnieks is CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties (Newark, NJ) and is immediate-past Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NJ. Carlos took over an atrophied BBBS agency in 2008 and, within four years, went from serving approximately 100 youth to serving well over 1,100 annually. Each child is paired with a specially trained and supervised one-to-one volunteer adult mentor. Under his leadership, BBBS has received numerous awards from local and national entities including a formal recognition by President Obama. In 2016, he rang the Closing Bell at the Nasdaq in celebration of National Mentoring Month, and, in 2018, he rang the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of his 10th anniversary.
Prior to joining BBBS, Carlos was an administrator at North Star Academy, a Blue Ribbon, inner-city school in Newark, NJ. Prior to that, Carlos held positions as Vice President of CN Communications International (a marketing and public relations firm) and Goldman Sachs.
Active with his alma mater, Carlos is President-elect of the Brown University Alumni Association Board of Governors, representing 90,000 alumni around the globe. He also serves as Chairman of its Diversity & Inclusion Committee and was previously its inaugural Chairman of the First-Generation Committee of the board. Carlos serves on the New Jersey City University Foundation Board, the Board of Regents for Saint Peter’s University and is a Trustee for Jersey City Medical Center.
Carlos has a B.A. degree in International Relations and Commerce from Brown University and an M.Sc. degree from the London School of Economics. In 2011, he was given an Honorary Doctorate from Saint Peter’s University, where he delivered its commencement address. In 2014, he was given the inaugural Presidential Medallion from New Jersey City University, where he also delivered its commencement address. In 2016, he delivered the graduate degree commencement address for the London School of Economics.
Jan. 29, 2021 - Carlos talks about National Mentoring Month.
Sept. 24 - Carlos talks about why mentoring matters - especially during the pandemic.
Sept. 23 - Carlos discusses the importance of school attendance for remote learning, and keeping students engaged.
Sept. 23 - Carlos talks about Thankful Thursday!
Sept. 23 - Carlos talks about the importance of having kids express themselves in a journal.
Sept. 4 - Carlos talks about anxiety that children and teens are experiencing, and the importance of checking in with them.