hall of fame

Over the years, we have recognized former residents who have become role models in their chosen career fields despite their upbringing. With theirs stories, they become role models for the youth who are currently living at the Hoboken Housing Authority.

02/16/2023 Inductees

  • Police Officer for the City of Hoboken

    • Born in the mid-eighties and lived in the Hoboken Housing Authority

    • Only son raised by a single mother 

    • Graduated from Hoboken High School in 2005

    • Worked as a union laborer for Local 325

    • Volunteered for the Hoboken ambulance corps as an EMT

  • Police Officer for the City of Hoboken

    • Raised at 208 Harrison Street

    • Raised by a single parent during the crack epidemic

    • Graduated from Hoboken High School

    • Served in the Marine Corps from 1994-1998

    • Joined the Hoboken Police Department as a special in 2009

    • Became a mounted police officer in 2006

    • First Puerto Rican in the history of Hoboken to be a mounted officer

  • Chairwoman Hudson County Food & Shelter Coalition

    • Originally from Hoboken, New Jersey,

    • She was previously a tenant and HHA commissioner

    • Works as the CEO/Founder of Trending into A New Life, LLC, a life coaching business,

    • President of the Hudson County Community College Alumni Association

    • President of the International Association of Women

06/14/2023 Inductees

  • Legislative Correspondent

    Kaylah Ashley Fermaint was born and raised in Hoboken, NJ. From a young age, her parents instilled in her the importance of education, community, and sacrifice. Growing up under financially restricting circumstances and attending Title I schools allowed Kaylah to develop an awareness for the inequality and injustices her community faced. Luckily, this led her to develop a passion for advocacy and policy early on in her childhood. Attending an esteemed collegiate institution was a dream of hers that seemed unattainable for a woman like her. Nonetheless, with the support of her community, family, and friends, Kaylah went off to pursue a B.A. in Human Services and Social Justice at George Washington University.

    Following her collegiate career Kaylah was selected as the United Food and Commercial Workers Public Policy Fellow for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and worked for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). During her time with CHCI Kaylah worked on a variety of priority policy areas and achieved huge legislative wins for constituents in NY-14.

    Kaylah now works as a Legislative Correspondent for Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) where she is able to continue fulfill her passion of creating innovative policies that will liberate the communities that raised her. 

  • Basketball Coach

    J.R. Lynch was born and raised in Hoboken to Madeline Gonzalez and Jon Lynch.

    JR graduated form Hudson Catholic Regional high school and from the University of Hartford with a Master Degree in Business.  In 2023, he won the national championship, with UConn, the university of Connecticut, Men’s Basketball. He currently serves as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach of Manhattan College.

  • Football and Basketball Coach

    Jason Blanks Se. was born and raised in Andrew Jackson Garden, from the late Rinda and Benjamin Banks, and is the younger of six children. He also is a husband, and father of three. Jason jr., Isaiah, and Sameyah.

    In 2003 he was three sport all county. I was also named “athlete” of the year for Hudson County. He later went to Sussex County Community College to play Baseball then transferred to William Paterson to play.

    Jason has been inducted into the Hoboken/ Demarest High School Hall of Fame in 2018. He was also nominated for Dunkin Donuts Coach of the Year and won a grand prize of $10,000. He is still a resident of Hoboken where He has been coaching Football and Basketball for the past 13 years and teaching kids how to be great students’ athletes.

06/14/2023 Inductees

  • Director of Community Programs at HOPES Community Action Partnership Inc.

    • Ms. Mercado oversees all of the organization’s community programs, which include services in the areas of education, assisted transportation, health and wellness, benefits enrollment, healthcare navigation, financial education, workforce readiness, and other initiatives that support self-sufficiency among youth, adult, and seniors.

    • For the past 21 years as a member of the HOPES management team, Evelyn has supervised staff teams that work across these various program areas and obtained various certifications in the areas of adult education, financial literacy, housing counseling, tax preparation, and health care enrollment, to name a few.

    • Prior to joining HOPES, Evelyn worked for the North Hudson YMCA. Ms. Mercado is a lifelong resident of Hudson County, bilingual in English and Spanish, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences History from Thomas Edison State University.

  • Director of Operations

    • Born and raised in Hoboken

    • Was hindered by sports injury at age 9

    • Took four years of recovery

    • Coached at Hudson Catholic High School

    • He can employ his friends and family and make an impact for the community

    • Motivation: When people tell him that he cannot accomplish things

  • Assemblywoman

    • She was born and raised in Hoboken.  A mother of three young men and a grandmother of four. 

    • Employed by the City of Hoboken for the past 19 years, currently with the Department of Community Development. 

    • Democratic member of the New Jersey General Assembly currently serving her fourth term representing the 33rd District.

    • Vice Chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee, Chair of the Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee, member of the Budget Committee and is the Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore for the New Jersey General Assembly.

    • Member of the New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus and New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus.

06/19/2025 Inductees

  • VP EAST COAST REGION DOMINOS PIZZA CORPORATION

    • Raised at 318 Harrison Street

    • The oldest of seven children, began working as a driver for Dominos in 1987

  • Purchasing Manager at Deerpath Construction Corp.