Isles hosts its annual Fall Forum 2025: Cities for the Future on Thursday, October 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Social Profit Center at Mill One, 1 North Johnston Avenue, Hamilton. The day-long event convenes municipal leaders, state officials, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders to address critical challenges facing New Jersey’s cities, including extreme heat, lead poisoning, and sustainable transportation.
The forum features a keynote panel of mayors from across New Jersey, including Ras Baraka of Newark, Reed Gusiora of Trenton, Quinton Law of Moorestown, and Jody Veler of Salem. These municipal leaders share their latest sustainability and infrastructure initiatives and discuss approaches to the key challenges facing cities, townships, and boroughs across the state.
“Cities are the foundation of New Jersey, and the challenges they face — from extreme heat to aging infrastructure — require collaborative, innovative solutions,” said Sean Jackson, CEO of Isles. “Our Fall Forum brings together the leaders who are on the front lines of these issues to connect, learn from each other, and take action.”
The forum will feature three topic tracks throughout the day:
Extreme Heat: Protecting Our Communities — Sessions address urban heat island mitigation, cooling center resources, and workplace heat safety. Panelists from state agencies including NJ DEP, NJ BPU, and the Department of Labor will discuss best practices and upcoming funding opportunities.
Microtransit & Safe Streets — Workshops explore community-driven clean transportation, including an interactive session on building community rideshare programs using Isles’ GOTrenton! EV microtransit as a case study. Additional panels will address safe street design and Vision Zero initiatives.
Lead and Healthy Homes — Sessions focus on bringing lead awareness to maternal and child health services, implementing lead safe housing practices, and advocacy for sustainable lead funding as ARPA funds face a 2027 fiscal cliff.
The day concludes with closing remarks from Marcus Sibley, chair of the NJ Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition and Northeast director of conservation partnerships for the National Wildlife Federation, who will challenge attendees to turn learning into action for a more equitable and sustainable future.
Breakfast and networking precede the start of the event at 8:30 a.m. Registration is free, with donations accepted. Virtual attendance options are also available. For more information and to register, visit www.isles.org.
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