The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) has welcomed Stark & Stark Shareholder Thomas S. Onder, Esq. as a member of their Board of Directors.
Tom joins 12 other BRCSJ Board Members to help direct the organization and its initiatives. The organization’s mission is to inspire the surrounding communities while communicating messages of acceptance, respect, & compassion. It also serves as a vibrant community activist center, educational enclave, & safe-space for LGBTQIA kids, intersectional families, & all marginalized people, connecting diverse communities, both locally & nationally. The organization proudly carries the name of inspirational figure Bayard Rustin, who was instrumental in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and overcame much adversity as a gay man, never shying away from who he was or whom he loved.
Tom and his family attended the first-ever Princeton Pride Parade in 2019, organized and executed by the BRCSJ, and immediately knew that he wanted to grow his involvement in the organization. “Being a Board Member of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice means being able to give back to the community and focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” Onder explained. “This organization focuses on helping people understand and be respectful towards other people, no matter who they are as individuals. The organization is really about showing respect and humanity to everyone, and I’m really proud to be a part of that.”
BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber is also very excited to have Tom on the Board. “Tom is a very welcome & wonderful addition to our already robust Board of Directors here at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice. His desire to be of service to the community & to wanting to create a better more inclusive world for his four year old daughter is an inspiration for us all to move forward together,” Seda-Schreiber expressed. “Through his work at Stark & Stark, as well as his strong personal commitment to our mission here at the Center, he will provide a strong & stalwart conduit & connection between our good works of the people & the greater community we serve.”
Tom Onder is a Shareholder and Chair of the Shopping Center & Retail Development Group, assisting owners, developers and managers of commercial real estate. He is also a member of the Litigation and Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Groups of Stark & Stark. In addition, he is a member of the Firm’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. Outside of the Firm, contributes to the community as a Trustee with the Mercer County Community College, and is State Chair for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware Regions and serves on ICSC’s national Economic Subcommittee. In his spare time, Tom is an avid gardener, crossword enthusiast and die-hard Cleveland Browns fan.