Victor Salama

Executive Director

Victor Salama joined Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) in June 2020 as the organization’s Executive Director. He has over 25 years’ experience in creating international partnerships in both for- profit and non-profit sectors and has extensive experience as a nonprofit executive, entrepreneurship workshop instructor and business owner.

Prior to joining GNEC, Victor was the Executive Director of First Friends of NJ & NY, a non-profit organization based in Kearny, NJ that supports immigrants who are detained by the US Dept. of Homeland Security in four NJ jails and also upon their release. Victor was also President of the LIVY Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping non-profits grow through the creation and implementation of program replication strategies.

He spent 3 years at StrateSphere LLC, a Columbus Ohio based firm devoted to public-private partnership creation. As Director of Business Development, he grew business opportunities for StrateSphere’s Venture Highway entrepreneurship education programming and other entrepreneurship and education related activities. He was also a Venture Highway entrepreneurship education workshop trainer.

Victor spent 15 years as Vice President of Business & International Partnerships at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), an organization that provides entrepreneurship education programming to youth serving institutions. His roles included supporting and creating new international and domestic licensed partnerships, managing NFTE’s 11 program offices and pushing forward the company’s strategy initiatives. He has taught NFTE teacher training workshops and youth workshops all over the world.

Prior to his career at NFTE, Victor ran his own food distribution company and worked for various United Nations agencies in the area of international entrepreneurship development and technology. He has extensive experience working directly with entrepreneurs, universities, economic development agencies and government ministries.

Victor has a J.D. from Washington College of Law, The American University (Washington DC), and an M.A. from the School of International Service, The American University and a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, PA).