The National Congress of Black Women, Trenton-Mercer Chapter, is set to honor five men for their service to the community at its 25th annual Spring Luncheon on April 27 at 2 p.m. at the Trenton Country Club.
The NCBW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the educational, political, economic and cultural development of African American women and their families.
The theme for the luncheon is Working Together — Moving Forward.
This year’s honorees are Allen J. Cannon, the deputy mayor of Hopewell Township, Pasquale A. Colavita, Jr., the former chair of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Stacy D. Heading, the coordinator of the Evening Lifeskills Program of the Isles Youth Institute and Family Center, Lance P. Lopez Sr., the senior corrections officer at the New Jersey Department of Corrections and president of PBA Local #105 and Leslie Summiel, Jr., the community liaison for Children’s Futures.
Cannon is currently serving his second term as deputy mayor of Hopewell Township. In 2012, he became the first African American male ever elected to office in Hopewell Township.
He serves as liaison to the department of public works, the youth advisory board and the police and fire departments and oversees parks and recreation operations.
Canon is a graduate of Camden High School and is president of its alumni association. He also holds several degrees including a BS in organization leadership from Thomas Edison State College.
From 1983 to 2008, he served in the United States Army where he earned more than 25 medals of distinction.
Colavita has been a lifelong resident of Lawrenceville.
In 2004, he was elected the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders and served as chair in both 2007 and 20011.
He also serves on the Mercer County Board of Social Services.
Colavita graduated from Notre Dame High School in Lawrence, received a BA from St. John’s University and a master’s from The College of New Jersey.
For 37 years, he worked as a speech language pathologist for the Hamilton Township Board of Education.
He served as both president and vice president during his nine year tenure on the Lawrence Township Board of Education.
In 1996, he was elected to the Lawrence Township Council where he served as both mayor and deputy mayor.
Heading was born in Trenton and graduated from Trenton Central High School in 1988. He attended Devry University and is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Training program.
He is a certified literacy tutor with Literary Volunteers of America.
Heading is the program director of a mentoring program at EEJ Ministries where he designs workshops to aid self-development and individualism in young people.
He hosted a conference titled Escaping the Grips of Gang Violence at the New Jersey Black Issues Convention.
Lopez is a graduate of Nottingham High School, attended Liberty University and served in the United States Army.
He began his career at Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility and later transferred to the New Jersey State Prison where he began his union involvement.
In 2012, he was elected as president of PBA Local #105, the largest law-enforcement agency in New Jersey with approximately 5,500 members.
Lopez, along with his wife and his brother, established the Law Enforcement Officers Against Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2011.
As community liaison for Children’s Futures, Summiel provides Mercer County families access to a system of preventative health care and family support services.
He was raised in Ewing where his father served on the Ewing Township Council.
He graduated from Ewing High School and received a B.S. from Towson University.
In 2013, Summiel reactivated the Trenton Branch NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics Program.
He has held pivotal leadership roles for City of Baltimore and Wal-Mart. In 2007, served at Young Scholars’ Institute where he operated the largest single-site, school-based, after-school enrichment program in New Jersey.
