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Speaker Coughlin’s COVID-19 Recovery Panel Conducts Second Meeting

(TRENTON) – The 38-member coronavirus recovery Economic Advisory Council established by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin held its second meeting Friday. The new working panel’s mission statement is, “To provide input and ideas to the Speaker and members of the State Legislature on how to move forward on recovery from COVID-19.”

Speaker Coughlin announced the addition of four new members to the Council:

·       Chrissy Buteas – Chief Government Affairs Officer, New Jersey Business and Industry Association

·       Vicki Clark – Board Chair, New Jersey Tourism Industry Association

·       Joe Maurillo – Owner & Operator, Nanina’s in the Park

·       Jon Resnick – President, IQVIA

“I’m pleased to announce the new members of this Economic Advisory Council who join the panel of talented experts in a vast array of fields,” said Coughlin (D-Middlesex). “The council will work to expeditiously to assist the Assembly in developing a safe and responsible strategy for the reopening of New Jersey. The Council will balance the needs of the economy and public health as it works to put our state in the best possible position going forward.”

Speaker Coughlin and Council Chairman, George Zoffinger also announced the following sub-committee chairs and the members assigned to each panel:

·       Banking, Legal, Accounting, Public Safety, and Housing – Peter Harvey, Partner at Patterson Belkap (Chair)

Ø  Tony Coscia, Partner at Windels Marx

Ø  Christiana Foglio, President & CEO of Community Investment Strategies, Inc.

Ø  Steve Guidette, Executive Vice President of Business Banking at Provident Bank

Ø  Paul Vecchione, Principal, International Planning Alliance, LLC

·       Education – Dr. Jonathan Holloway, Incoming President, Rutgers University (Chair)

Ø  Kyle Anderson, Interim Executive County Superintendent, Middlesex County

Ø  Mark Finkelstein, Vice Chair, Middlesex County College Board of Trustees

·       Economic Development – Chrissy Buteas, Chief Government Affairs Officer, NJBIA

Ø  Luis De La Hoz, Chairman, Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Ø  John Harmon, Founder, President & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce

Ø  Dr. James Hughes, University Professor, Rutgers University

Ø  Valerie Montecalvo, President, Bayshore Recycling

Ø  Christopher Paladino, President, New Brunswick Development Corporation

Ø  Dr. Carl Van Horn, Director, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce

Ø  Peter Visceglia, Owner & Operator, Federal Business Centers

·       Government – John McCormac, Mayor of Woodbridge Mayor (Chair)

Ø  Theresa Berger, Mayor of Howell

·       Healthcare – Ken Esser, Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff for Corporate Services, Governance & Government Relations, Hackensack Meridian Health (Chair)

Ø  Dr. Andrew Brooks, Chief Operating Officer & Director of Technology, RUCDR Infinite Biologics

Ø  Amy Mansue, Vice President & Chief Experience Officer, RWJ Barnabas Health

Ø  Dom Pelligrino, Bridgeway Senior Health Services

Ø  Jon Resnick, President, IQVIA

·       Infrastructure, Manufacturing, & Labor – Cheryl Norton, President, New Jersey American Water (Chair)

Ø  Debbie Hart, President & CEO of BioNJ

Ø  Jack Kocsis, CEO, Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey

Ø  Bill Mullen, President, New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades

Ø  Charlie Wowkanech, President, New Jersey AFL-CIO

·       Retail, Tourism – Jack Morris, Founder & CEO, Edgewater Properties, Co-Owner, Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City & Board Chair, RWJ Barnabas Health (Chair)

Ø  Amy Bellisano, Senior General Manager, Brookefield Properties

Ø  Vicki Clark, Board Chair, New Jersey Tourism Association

Ø  Marilou Halvorsen, President & CEO, New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association

Ø  Joe Maurillo, Owner & Operator, Nanina’s in the Park

·       Social Services – Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO, Community Food Bank of New Jersey (Chair)

Ø  Rose Cushing, President & CEO YMCA of Metuchen, Woodbridge, South Amboy

Ø  Dena Mottola-Jaborska, Associate Director, New Jersey Citizen Action

Ø  Rev. Louise Scott- Rountree, Aide for Clergy Affairs for New Mayor Ras Baraka

The Council sub-committees will work with chairs of the Assembly committees in producing meaningful recommendations for legislation.

“The expertise the sub-committee chairs and members bring to the table will undoubtedly prove invaluable as we work collaboratively to deliver innovative recommendations to Speaker Coughlin on how to move forward on New Jersey’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Zoffinger. “The members of this Council are New Jersey’s best and brightest. We recognize there is an urgency. I know we will work tirelessly together to deliver thoughtful suggestions for a reopening action plan that is safe, sensible and sound.”

Also participating in today’s virtual meeting were the co-chairs of Governor Murphy’s “Restart and Recovery Advisory Council” – New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis, and Choose New Jersey CEO Jose Lozano.

“As I have previously stated, I am committed to working with the Administration and all of my colleagues to ensure our State is thoroughly prepared for the reopening that is coming,” said Coughlin. “I thank the co-chairs of the Governor’s advisory panel for joining our meeting and updating members of my Council on steps the Murphy Administration is taking to ready the State for reopening.”

      The Council’s next scheduled meeting is to-be-determined. The sub-committees will begin working meetings next week.

            A complete list of Speaker Coughlin’s Economic Advisory Council members and their bios is attached.