Meet Our Team

Erika Charles serves as Vice President for the Division of Wellness Services and Chief Well-Being Officer at Kean University, where she provides strategic leadership in advancing a comprehensive and holistic approach to well-being across the university community. Her work prioritizes the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of students and employees and focuses on creating systems and environments that remove barriers to success and promote individual and institutional thriving. 

In her role, Erika provides leadership and oversight for the Kean Wellness Center, Cougar Connections Center of Social Work, KUBIT, the University’s multidisciplinary behavioral intervention and support team, the Trauma Response Team and the University’s Wellbeing Taskforce. Through these areas, she advances proactive intervention, prevention, crisis response, caring support and coordinated services designed to address the complex and evolving needs of the university community. 

Erika is also responsible for advancing university policies, procedures and practices through a comprehensive well-being framework. Her work focuses on strengthening institutional systems, fostering collaboration across disciplines and embedding well-being into the culture and operations of the university to support student and employee success. 

Prior to joining Kean University, Erika provided leadership and consultation to school districts in supporting and advocating for at-risk students and families through Intervention and Referral Services, Special Education, 504 Planning and Transitional Services. She has extensive experience in mental health, K–12 education, crisis response and systems-level change. As part of the Traumatic Loss Coalition, she supported schools and communities responding to sudden and traumatic loss through crisis mobilization and psychological first aid. 

Throughout her career, Erika has worked with educational communities to strengthen policies and procedures related to student mental health and substance use needs, while supporting alignment with New Jersey Administrative Code and best practices in social work. Her professional experience reflects a commitment to developing responsive, inclusive and sustainable systems of support for students, families and educational communities. 

Erika holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey. 

Erika is passionate about creating meaningful change at the systemic level and advancing a culture of well-being in which the social, emotional and educational needs of students, families and employees are recognized and supported. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking and traveling. 

Elizabeth O'Donnell, MSW, LSW, serves as the Director of the Cougar Connections Center of Social Work at Kean University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Felician University and her Master of Social Work from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Ms. O'Donnell has worked at Kean University since 2019 and is deeply committed to advancing student success.

In her role, Ms. O'Donnell strives to create a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for students. She takes a strengths-based, holistic approach to student support, guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to address essential challenges such as food insecurity, homelessness, financial hardship, and family-related concerns that may impact students’ persistence to graduation.

In addition to managing the Cougar Connections Center and overseeing the Cougar Pantry, Ms. O'Donnell serves on the Trauma Response Team, the Wellbeing Task Force, and KUBIT. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and going down the shore.

Zakiyya S. Jordan is a Lead Social Worker in Cougar Connections Center of Social Work.  She is a proud alumni of Spelman College and Rutgers University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Social Work, respectively. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and holds a School Social Worker certification from New Jersey’s Department of Education. 

Ms. Jordan has extensive experience working in special education, mental health and program development. Zakiyya worked in the South Orange Maplewood School District as a Crisis Intervention Worker. She provided individual and group counseling, as well as coordinated school-wide programs and initiatives focused on social emotional learning, mental health, and student wellbeing in support of students’ academic and social success. She also works in private practice specializing in treating children, adolescents, and young adults with anxiety, depression, familial conflict, and transitions related to school or work performance.

After 16 years working primarily in the K-12 educational settings, Ms. Jordan is excited to make her transition to higher education. She is passionate about mental health, education and social justice. She utilizes everything from humor, culture, spirituality, trending topics and life experiences to cultivate genuine connections with those she encounters. She has always focused on the “bigger picture,” looking closely at all the moving parts on a macro and micro level that affect an individual’s life. The Cougar Connections Center of Social Work is the perfect opportunity to further explore intersectionality and social work to eradicate systemic barriers in education.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, going to concerts and shows, trying out new recipes, community service projects with several organizations, or buying books for her never-ending TBR list. More than anything Ms. Jordan loves to laugh and sees laughter as one of life’s greatest coping skills. “I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter:  it has made the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong.”- W.E.B. Du Bois 

Aaliyah Robinson  is a Grant Coordinator for the “Mental Health in Higher Education: Community Provider Partnership and Professional Development Grant.”

She has previously worked for Kean University as an undergraduate student worker and as a part time Academic Specialist for Cougar Connections Center of Social Work. Aaliyah is guided by the values of Social Work as evidenced by her dedication and commitment in addressing the needs of students through research and programming at Kean University.

Aaliyah is a Kean University Alumni, with dual degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in Gerontology and a concentration in Communications and a Master of Social Work.

As a Grant Coordinator, Aaliyah looks forward to utilizing grant funding to bring new opportunities to Kean University students that will be beneficial to their mental health, well-being, and overall college experience. Ms. Robinson is excited to expand resources for mental health and professional development that will be available on campus for all Kean University students and staff.

Rosangel Gonzalez is a Social Worker at Cougar Connections Center of Social Work. She is a proud double alumna of Kean University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master in Social Work. Rosangel has served as a Pediatric Nephrology Social Worker at RWJ Barnabas Health, where she provided psychosocial assessments, coordinated care plans, and educated patients and families navigating chronic kidney disease. Her prior roles include mentoring at-risk youth, developing evidence-based therapeutic programming, and facilitating access to vital services for underserved populations.

Rosangel is deeply committed to promoting emotional well-being and social equity. Fluent in Spanish, she is passionate about bridging gaps in care and creating lasting impact in the lives of those she serves.

During her free time, Rosangel enjoys spending quality time with her family, travelling and reading.

Yagel Cabrera is a Social Worker at Cougar Connections Center of Social Work. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Rutgers University and a Master in Social Work from Temple University. Yagel is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and fluent in Spanish. Yagel worked at Care Plus NJ as a Crisis Response Worker for Performcare’s Children’s Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (CMRSS) where she provided assessments, de-escalation, crisis intervention, stabilization and case management services. Yagel has worked in various other roles with children, teens, adults and senior citizens providing case management services, supportive counseling, psychoeducation, and facilitating medication management.

Yagel cares about educational equality, and ensuring people’s basic and mental health needs are met in order to have a successful educational experience and fulfilling career.

During her free time, Yagel enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, traveling and dancing.

Samantha Williams is a Grant Coordinator for the “Mental Health in Higher Education: Community Provider Partnership and Professional Development Grant.”

She is a recent graduate of Kean University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice in 2025. During her undergraduate studies, Samantha worked as a student assistant for Cougar Connections Center of Social Work and transitioned to an Academic Specialist shortly after graduation.

Currently, Samantha is pursuing a Master of Social Work at Rutgers University, with an expected graduation date of May 2027. Specializing in Management and Policy, she is passionate about community advocacy and aspires to build a career in community organizing.