Meet our

2023 R.E.D. Gala

Emcee

DARRIN SHARIF

Darrin Sharif was born in Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. He attended elementary school in Newark, and middle and high school in West Orange, New Jersey.  After high school Darrin attended Rutgers University where he majored in Business Management (concentration in finance), graduating Magna Cum Laude. After college, Darrin held a number of positions in the public and private sector.  He developed a detailed knowledge of computers and technology after holding positions at the Summit Medical Group as a Computer Network Specialist, and as a Microsoft Office User Specialist for New Horizons, a corporate computer software training firm catering to fortune 500 companies.

His knowledge of nonprofit management and program design came from serving as the Director of Operations for the Urban League of Essex County from 2004 - 2010.  Darrin was introduced to local government serving as the Chief of Staff to United States Senator Cory A. Booker who from 1998 – 2002 served on the Newark Municipal Council representing the Central Ward.  Darrin would later represent the Central Ward from 2010 – 2014.  During Darrin’s time in office, the Central Ward led the State of New Jersey in commercial and multi-family development. Also, while in office, Darrin worked with many cross-sector institutional leaders and community based organizations to make important “Human Development” investments in the most challenging, but deserving neighborhoods in the Central Ward.

Darrin currently is the Chief Administrative Officer at the Urban League of Essex County, and the Director of Newark kids Code, an exciting initiative designed to create the next generation of software engineers and introduce at-risk and technologically underrepresented youth to coding, App development, and web design, and other forms of digital technology.