LaTysha Gaines
LaTysha "Ty" Gaines is the Campus Operating Officer (COO) for the Woodland Park campus. She previously served as Campus Operating Officer for the Woodland Park and Paramus campuses in 2021. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Vice President of Student Development and Campus Life.
Ms. Gaines has more than 20 years of experience in higher education with a concentration in student affairs, engagement, retention, recruitment, and conduct. She began her career as a residence hall director, an area coordinator, and managing assistant director, and she also served as Managing Director of Community Standards and Student Conduct. In this position, she was the Kean University Hearing Officer and Title IX Investigator for sexual misconduct and intimate partner and other domestic violence matters. Ms. Gaines was also the departmental liaison for policy development, reporting, and compliance. Ms. Gaines held several positions during her 16 years at Kean University, including Assistant Registrar, adjunct professor, and Managing Assistant Director of Enrollment Management.
Ms. Gaines is the Vice President of the Woodland Park Educational Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Paterson and Passaic, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
She received the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award for Community Education from St. Joseph's Health in 2026 and the Leadership Excellence Award from Our Way to H.O.P.E. (Helping Out People Everywhere) in 2025. In 2024 Ms. Gaines was honored with the Executive Director’s Community Partnership Award from the Paterson Education Fund and was named among the Enterprising Women in Commerce Award recipients by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey.
She also received the Gratitude Award for Service, Outreach, and Dedication to the Community from Shiloh Baptist Church in 2023 and was named among the 2023 Women of the Year by the Unbothered Women’s Empowerment Movement. Ms. Gaines was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Youth of New Jersey in 2016.
Ms. Gaines is pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Supervision and Leadership at Capella University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from Kean University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from William Paterson University.
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