June DePonte Sernak spotlighted for DEI and cultural transformation work

Influential Women has highlighted June DePonte Sernak, Ed.D., for her work advancing diversity, equity and inclusion across New Jersey organizations and higher education. The profile underscores how her leadership, teaching and advocacy are shaping more inclusive systems and community partnerships.

Why it matters: - June DePonte Sernak’s work sits at the intersection of workforce development, higher education, behavioral health and community advocacy. - Her focus on equity, accessibility and cultural competency affects how organizations design services and reach diverse populations. - The profile frames inclusive leadership as a practical tool for improving operations, engagement and outcomes.

What happened: - Influential Women featured June DePonte Sernak, Ed.D., in a profile published Aug. 11, 2026. - Sernak currently serves as Statewide Multicultural Leadership Officer at the Center for Family Services in New Jersey. - The profile highlights her broader background in telecommunications, nonprofit leadership, higher education and organizational development. - Sernak also leads as Board Chair of the Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice.

The details: - In her current role, Sernak works with behavioral health organizations across New Jersey. - Her work includes designing diversity strategies, building training programs and helping leadership teams embed equity into operations, service delivery and community engagement. - She previously served as Dean of Life Long Learning at Rowan College at Burlington County. - At Rowan College, she led workforce development initiatives, diversity programming and community-based educational efforts across multiple campuses. - Sernak teaches at Wilmington University as an adjunct professor. - Her courses focus on ethics, organizational citizenship and social responsibility. - She also serves as a Corporate Leadership Consultant with the Derrick Samuels Leadership Institute. - Sernak is Chief Inclusion Officer of Rafforzare, LLC. - In that role, she advises organizations and individuals on DEI strategy, leadership development and personal brand transformation. - Sernak earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University. - She also earned a Master of Business Administration in Management from Strayer University. - Her community work includes initiatives tied to mental health awareness, cultural understanding and social equity. - The profile says her leadership is shaped by her multicultural family, her ancestors and values rooted in resilience, learning and perseverance. - Sernak says her grandmothers were born in 1911, before major U.S. civil rights milestones including the 19th Amendment, the Indian Citizenship Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Loving law. - She says those family experiences inform her commitment to cultural humility. - Sernak says a lesson from a woman commander in the military helped her understand that progress often happens in stages, with different people contributing at different times. - She advises young women to trust their instincts, stay prepared and avoid being limited by imposter syndrome. - Sernak argues that difficult conversations about bias, discrimination and cultural awareness can become opportunities for education, accountability and growth. - She also emphasizes accountability, including acknowledging mistakes, apologizing sincerely and remaining open to learning. - Her stated guiding values include loyalty, authenticity, compassion, humility and fairness.

Between the lines: - The profile presents Sernak as part strategist and part educator, which reflects a broader trend in DEI work toward operational change rather than symbolic messaging. - Her emphasis on self-awareness, emotional intelligence and cultural learning suggests a leadership style built around long-term behavior change. - The piece also ties her professional philosophy to personal history, using family and heritage to explain her approach to inclusion.

What’s next: - Sernak’s work is likely to remain focused on helping organizations strengthen equity practices and improve inclusion efforts. - Her public-facing profile on Influential Women and her website offer a way for readers to learn more about her work: Influential Women profile and Rafforzare, LLC.

The bottom line: - June DePonte Sernak is being positioned as a DEI leader whose impact comes from combining strategy, education and community advocacy.