Donita Devance, MCRP

Donita Devance, MCRP is an Associate Director at the Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP) and the Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement (CHECE) at Rutgers University-Newark. For over 35 years, she has dedicated her career to improving the lives of disadvantaged and underserved populations, advocating for solutions to the challenges they face.

Devance earned a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School at Rutgers University and has spent the past three decades addressing critical issues such as health care equity, urban education reform, diversity and inclusion, social justice, social policy, and community engagement.

Through OUCP/CHECE, Devance connects the university’s extensive resources—faculty, staff, students, and facilities—with community change agents at local, state, regional, and national levels. As a grant writer, planner, and evaluator, she supports partnerships that foster solution-building, collaborative research, community-driven planning, robust evaluation, and the incubation of innovative programs.

Her body of work focuses on some of today’s most pressing health and social policy issues, including homelessness prevention, supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDS, advancing health equity, promoting well-being among aging populations, voter education, career development, community leadership training, reentry support for incarcerated women, educational improvement for underperforming schools, and enhancing digital literacy among older adults. She has contributed to numerous articles, reports, publications, and presentations that highlight her impact in these areas.

Throughout her career, Devance has held senior management and research roles at Rutgers University’s Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, the Center for Urban Policy Research, and the American Affordable Housing Institute. She also served as Senior Health Planner for the Northeast Regional Local Advisory Board for Health Planning, part of Seton Hall University’s Center for Public Service.