Marti Robinson is a graduate of Franklin High School, Rutgers University, and Seton Hall University School of Law. His most recent accomplishment was receiving his Masters of Divinity Degree from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS). As a result of his leadership within the NBTS community, in 2008, Marti was selected as the first student-member of the Board of Trustees for the NBTS, and considered it an honor and a privilege to represent the interests of the student body.

Recently, Marti was appointed to the position of Youth Pastor over the newly formed Youth Church. In addition to this role, he is a faithful member of the Steward Board and serves as the church’s Legal Advisor. As part of his Masters of Divinity degree requirements, Marti completed a year of supervised ministry at St. Luke A.M.E. Church, Newark, NJ, where he started the Sons of Allen Young Men’s Ministry, targeting males, ages 10 to 30.

After working at Wolf, Haldenstein, Adler, Freeman & Herz, LLP in New York, NY as a Securities Attorney, Marti chose to align his career and ministry goals, and follow his passion to be an agent of change in New Jersey’s urban areas for at-risk young African-American males. He accepted a position with the nonprofit Family Development Center in Irvington, NJ, as the Essex County Program Coordinator of FELLAS -- Fathers Empowered to Learn, Lead, and Achieve Success. At the organization’s Family Success Center, he facilitates a free, 12-week curriculum, teaching fatherhood skills. He is committed to developing males into responsible fathers and effective community members.

The FELLAS curriculum includes everything from controlling emotions to disciplining children. He also runs “Kick It” sessions covering such topics as job readiness, parenting and coping with stress. His other sessions: one called Taking Care of Business deals with a father’s role as a provider, and another called Family Matters deals with divorce and child custody. People who attend are provided with free legal representation on child issues, post-prison re-entry, difficulties of getting a criminal record expunged, renewing a driver’s license after leaving prison, and getting employment.

Marti believes in giving a voice to those who are marginalized by society and was invited to participate in a think tank sponsored by UMDNJ’s Young Fathers Program. This elite group of community leaders, government officials, educators and clergy will devise an Urban Action Plan for the purposes of identifying, reviving and redirecting under-served and under-funded programs in an effort to expand their scope and increase their impact in Newark, NJ and other metro-urban areas. He has coordinated and hosted several panel discussions for two of the most provocative films of 2008 & 2009, What Black Men Think and Men II Boys, both produced and directed by Janks Morton. The films explore the myths and stereotypes of black men, and call our communities to action by taking a stand against the misconceptions and misinformation that black men are non-existent in their communities and families. As a community advocate, he is believer that strong families build strong communities and serves on the Board of Trustees of the non-profit, In The Hands of A Woman Ministries, Inc. in Newark, NJ.

Marti’s professional career and experience span 20 years of serving and assisting youth and young adult males in particular. He was a member of the Juvenile Justice Clinic for three years while a student at Seton Hall University School of Law. He represented both young men and young women under the age of 18 who were charged with a juvenile offense or crime in Essex County, NJ. He interacted with parents, social service agencies, and school officials to gather information before representing the young men and young women in court at detention hearings, trials, pleas and depositions.

He was the Director of the Mentor Program for three years while a student at Seton Hall University School of Law. He paired law students with urban high schools in Essex County, NJ, law firms, and legal service organizations to provide high school students with access to the legal profession and the host of diverse career opportunities within the legal profession. He personally conducted educational seminars in high school classrooms; hosted high school visits to Seton Hall University School of Law, published the Mentor Newsletter and coordinated, coached and judged the Mentor Moot Court competitions.

He is a prolific reader, enjoys music, watching movies, exercising, meeting dynamic people and spending time with his wife. He is married to the beautiful Chantel Brown Robinson, and the happy couple resides in Laurence Harbor, NJ.