Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS was appointed Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences in January 2017. Dr. Libutti also serves as Senior Vice President of Oncology Services for RWJBarnabas Health and is a Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He previously served as Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and as Associate Director of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center for eight years prior to joining Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health.

Dr. Libutti is an internationally known expert in endocrine surgery and the management of neuroendocrine tumors. His clinical practice focuses on gastrointestinal malignancies including cancers of the liver and pancreas. His research focuses on developing novel cancer therapies through an understanding of the tumor microenvironment as well as on a better understanding of the tumor suppressor genes MEN1 and FILIP1L. He has published over 300 peer reviewed journal articles, is a Past President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, serves as the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Springer-Nature Journal Cancer Gene Therapy and holds eleven U.S. patents.

As the Global Director of Employee Engagement in the office of Global Community Impact at Johnson & Johnson, Michael Bzdak manages the Corporation’s efforts to engage employees in social impact. He continues to manage a volunteer support program and philanthropic support of K-12 education, including a signature school-to-career program and a global STEM education initiative. Bzdak has been an employee of Johnson & Johnson since 1990.

He has also served on the advisory board of the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University as well as the New Jersey’s Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service; additionally, he has served on the Council on Foundations Corporate Committee, the New Jersey AIDS Partnership Advisory Committee; the board of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation as well as the New Jersey Council for the Humanities where he completed a term as chairman of the board of directors. Bzdak was named an Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow in 2018.

He received a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MA and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He is a visiting part-time lecturer in the School of Communications and Information Studies at Rutgers University and formerly an adjunct faculty member at New York University.

Kara Moore is the Sector Lead for Life Sciences at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. She is focused on working with organizations across the state in this sector on growing and innovating in the state of New Jersey. Prior to the NJEDA, she led efforts connecting corporate partners to researchers at Rutgers University and Northwestern University. She holds a Master of Information Science from Indiana University.

An influential journalist in New Jersey for more than three decades, Tom Bergeron is the founder, editor and co-owner of ROI-NJ, a digital and print outlet covering the world of business and politics in New Jersey that he helped launch in the fall of 2017.

The 30-year veteran of journalism, who previously worked at The Star-Ledger, Yahoo! and NJBIZ, has established himself as one of the most well-known and trusted sources for business leaders, industry heads and government officials in the state by building a reputation of being fair and thorough in his reporting and presentation.

Tom lives in Morris Plains with his wife and their five children. When he is not writing and reporting, he is coaching youth sports teams – having led more than 100 teams in the past 20 years.

He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Stephanie Ruhle is the host of MSNBC's “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” on weeknights at 11 p.m. ET. Ruhle also appears across all NBC News and MSNBC platforms as NBC News’ Senior Business Analyst, including “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” “TODAY”, NBCNews.com, and TODAY.com’s “On The Money” with Stephanie Ruhle.

Ruhle has interviewed titans in politics, business, entertainment and sports. As a Wall Street veteran, she is known for bringing her business acumen and hard-hitting style to high profile interviews, for her original reporting and bringing humanity into her news coverage and her daily “Good News Ruhles” segment.

Previously, Ruhle served as anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television and editor-at-large for Bloomberg News, where she co-hosted Bloomberg , Bloomberg TV’s flagship morning show featuring global thought leaders across business, tech and media.

Prior to Bloomberg, Ruhle worked at Deutsche Bank, serving as a Managing Director in Global Markets Senior Relationship Management. Ruhle began her career at Credit Suisse, where she was the highest-producing credit derivatives salesperson in the US.

Ruhle plays an active role in women’s leadership development, having founded the Corporate Investment Bank Women’s Network and co-chaired Women on Wall Street. Ruhle is a member of the board of trustees for Girls Inc. NYC and in 2016 was honored as one of their Women of the Year. She is also on the Leadership Council at Robin Hood, NYC’s largest poverty-fighting organization.

An influential journalist in New Jersey for more than three decades, Tom Bergeron is the founder, editor and co-owner of ROI-NJ, a digital and print outlet covering the world of business and politics in New Jersey that he helped launch in the fall of 2017.

The 30-year veteran of journalism, who previously worked at The Star-Ledger, Yahoo! and NJBIZ, has established himself as one of the most well-known and trusted sources for business leaders, industry heads and government officials in the state by building a reputation of being fair and thorough in his reporting and presentation.

Tom lives in Morris Plains with his wife and their five children. When he is not writing and reporting, he is coaching youth sports teams – having led more than 100 teams in the past 20 years.

He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Philip D. Murphy took the oath of office for a second term as New Jersey’s 56th governor on January 18, 2022. He is the first Democratic governor to serve a second term in 44 years.

Governor Murphy currently serves as chair of the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association, the first governor to lead both organizations simultaneously.

Since taking office in 2018, Governor Murphy has focused on building a stronger, fairer, and more affordable New Jersey. Under his leadership, New Jersey has made strides in growing the state’s economy and creating new economic opportunity while shrinking longstanding inequities, restoring fiscal responsibility to state government while expanding critical investments, and delivering real tax fairness and relief, including 14 tax cuts for New Jersey’s middle class and seniors.

An influential journalist in New Jersey for more than three decades, Tom Bergeron is the founder, editor and co-owner of ROI-NJ, a digital and print outlet covering the world of business and politics in New Jersey that he helped launch in the fall of 2017.

The 30-year veteran of journalism, who previously worked at The Star-Ledger, Yahoo! and NJBIZ, has established himself as one of the most well-known and trusted sources for business leaders, industry heads and government officials in the state by building a reputation of being fair and thorough in his reporting and presentation.

Tom lives in Morris Plains with his wife and their five children. When he is not writing and reporting, he is coaching youth sports teams – having led more than 100 teams in the past 20 years.

He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Brian is a Tax Partner and Tax Account Leader in Ernst & Young's Northeast Area Tax practice with more than 20 years of tax consulting experience advising his clients on matters related to global corporate tax strategy and implementation.

He serves a variety of public and privately owned businesses, both US inbound and outbound, with a focus on the Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility industries. He has diversified ASC 740 and IAS12 tax accounting experience and has assisted many companies with adoption of various tax accounting standards. He has also worked with start ups and spin offs on the initial implementation and maintenance of a streamlined global income tax reporting process.

Brian advises his clients on the entire tax life cycle, from planning and accounting, to compliance and controversy, providing a wholistic and integrated approach to a the tax operating model and working with his clients to position tax as a strategic business partner.

He is also the Co-Director of the NJ Entrepreneur of the Year Program, the most recognized CEO awards program in the business community. As he Co-Director, Brian works with many business leaders in the NJ market to identify and recognize those organizations that are demonstrating true Entrepreneurship and/or Innovation.

Steven Bier has been involved with philanthropic work since he was fourteen-years-old. His family ran fundraisers in the 1970s for the National Assoc. of Patients on Hemodialysis and Transplant. He helped fund the first summer camp with dialysis machines so teenagers with renal disease could attend camp.

He is a former board member of MyGOAL Autism and a co-founder of Popcorn for the People.

He has coached in Disability Leagues in NY and NJ. 

He currently is an attending at St. Peters University Hospital and Jersey City Medical Center.

Vetchay, also known as chef "Vee," is a culinary alumnus from Middlesex College, where he currently serves on the Hospitality Culinary Department advisory board and continues to work with students every semester. Having a passion for the food industry, Vetchay has worked in foodservice, retail, and the manufacturer sector, where he has gained over 12 years’ experience in the food industry With this experience beginning in 2009, Vetchay went on to later create Naturalvert, a snack food manufacturer that specializes in organic, no-allergen granola, that is distributed and sold throughout the east coast at Walmart, Whole Foods, Shoprite, and many more. Vetchay currently lives in Hawthorne, NJ, with his fiancé and daughter.

James Polos is the Executive Director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority (MCIA) which focuses on public/private economic development opportunities for Middlesex County. Under Jim’s leadership, the MCJA implemented a visionary change in their functions. An agency that historically provided general County services, transformed and reinvented itself to focus on economic development in Middlesex County.

Under Jim’s leadership, the MCIA is approaching nearly $1 billion in economic development projects and is prepared to implement Destination 2040, the County’s master economic roadmap. The MCIA has taken the lead on the County’s largest economic development projects with the ultimate goal of making our community a thriving, attractive destination to live, work, and play for generation to come. These projects include: the $800 million Morris Cancer Center in New Brunswick, design and construction of the $100 million North Brunswick Train Station and $50 million New Brunswick train station renovation in partnership with NJ Transit and AMTRAK, and development of a new public school in New Brunswick. In addition, the MCIA is expanding into the parking business with the purchase of a parking deck next to the Performing Arts center in Carteret and construction of a new parking deck adjacent to the new Cancer Center in New Brunswick.

John Notte has served as the I-Bank’s Project Manager-Water since April of 2023. Previously, John served as the I-Bank’s construction management assistant for both the Water and Transportation Banks. As project manager-water, John has played a pivotal role in transitioning the Water Bank to a post-COVID19, digital era by working closely with the I-Bank software developers to modernize the web-based loan management system. Since 2015, John has assisted with managing the I-Bank’s Statewide Assistance Infrastructure Loan (“SAIL”) disaster relief financing program that aided New Jersey’s Superstorm Sandy rebuild efforts for water systems. John drafts, publishes, and ensures the accuracy of legislative reports. He leads meetings with stakeholders such as borrowers, Bond Counsel, contractors, and NJDEP staff. He shepherds borrower projects from the application process through long-term financing and provides guidance to borrowers on state and federal regulations and requirements. In addition, he prepares and reports on material for board meetings, maintains tracking reports of projects, and prepares communications with stakeholders. John also assists with marketing as he prepares and presents material to educate borrowers on the Water program.

John is currently continuing his education at Rutgers University where he is studying business management. Additionally, he plans to become PMP certified to supplement his education and enhance his technical capabilities.

Melinda Roslon has served as the Transportation Bank’s Project Manager since August of 2022, and as Assistant Project Manager since her hire in November 2018. In this current role, she has been responsible for managing the transportation infrastructure multimillion dollar loan program. She coordinates project reviews involving multiple State government offices within NJDOT including Local Aid, Division of Civil Rights, and Environmental Program resources. Melinda drafts, publishes, and ensures the accuracy of legislative reports and assists the legal team with the development of program regulations. She leads meetings with stakeholders such as borrowers, Bond Counsel, contractors, and NJDOT staff in meetings and training sessions. In addition, Melinda reviews and processes short- and long-term loans and their disbursements. She manages borrower projects from the application process through long-term financing and provides guidance to borrowers on state and federal regulations and requirements. Melinda has also improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the I-Bank by working with developers to streamline the web-based loan management system. In addition, she prepares material for board meetings, reports for the tracking of project and financing data, and prepares all communications with stakeholders. Melinda also assists with marketing as she prepares and presents material to educate borrowers on the Transportation program.

Before joining the I-Bank in 2018, Melinda served as the Manager of Benefits and Service Delivery at Aon Corporation, where she was responsible for overall service delivery of benefits administration for multiple large market clients. She developed and updated requirements for pension plan provisions, served as a primary expert for the client team and other internal groups. In addition, Melinda managed multi-service benefits implementations working with diverse plans and a variety of vendors on overlapping project timelines.

Deidra Viney is the owner of Express Employment Professionals of Edison, NJ and Jersey City, NJ. For over 20 years she has become one of the leading and most respected small business owners in the State of New Jersey and nationally within the Express Employment Professionals franchise. Having established her reputation as an expert in the fields of the professional employment sector, she has become one of the most sought-after experts, lending her straightforward knowledge and expertise to individuals and businesses alike. Deidra hopes to help and support other entrepreneurs to reach their highest potential.

Prior to Express, she was a bond rating analyst on Wall Street and a commercial lender for small to mid-sized companies. Deidra has always been in a sales or analytical role at each of her positions. Deidra has always had a desire to assist companies. As a commercial lender, she assisted small to mid size companies obtain financing to grow. Now she assists them with finding staff to grow.

Deidra has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Rutgers University- School of Business at the New Brunswick campus.

Ms. Nixon serves as the chief of policy and external affairs for the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. In that capacity, she leads the organization’s policy, government, and public affairs agenda, achieving multi-stakeholder goals for an improved economic status for members of New Jersey’s Black community.

Ms. Nixon also is the founder and chief executive officer of FerlandaTM, a leadership consultancy. She advises businesses, organizations, and individuals in the areas of diversity and inclusion; leadership and professional development; communication, presentation and meeting facilitation skills; event planning; marketing; new business development; and general business strategy and administration.

Ms. Nixon started her professional career as an attorney. She practiced corporate law for 18 years – five years at a midsize Manhattan law firm and 13 years at a leading commercial and consumer finance company. She also served as an adjunct professor at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University–Newark where she taught one course on ethics and another on leadership.

Ms. Nixon majored in Political Science and Communications at Syracuse University. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Colonel (Ret) Jeff Cantor is the founder & Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce which launched in November 2018. His goal is to improve the economic environment for veterans in the state and to build the infrastructure to create greater competitiveness and success for veteran business entities. Prior to that, Jeff served as the Lead for Veterans Economic Development for the State of New Jersey. In that role, he was tasked with looking at ways to support veterans either through meaningful employment or veteran business support & entrepreneurship, as well as look at ways to support formerly incarcerated veterans.

Jeff enlisted in the Army in 1985 as a Private First Class and through determination became commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. He held four military occupational specialties in Infantry, All-Source Intelligence, Imagery Intelligence, and Civil Affairs. He served in various units both on active duty and in the Army Reserves. Jeff has served in dozens of countries around the world on six continents including Kosovo, Bosnia, Germany, and so many more. He retired from the military in 2017 at the rank of Colonel (0-6) in the Army Reserve. He is a veteran of the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan and has been awarded a Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, The Combat Infantryman Badge, The Combat Action Badge, Basic Parachutist wings and many other awards over a 32-year career.

Victor Salama joined Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) in June 2020 as the organization’s Executive Director. He has over 27 years of 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 nonprofit organization based in Kearny NJ that supports immigrants who are detained in 4 NJ jails and also upon their release. Victor was also President of the LIVY Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits grow through the creation and implementation of program replication strategies.

He spent 3 years at StrateSphere LLC, a firm devoted to public-private partnership creation as the Director of Business Development and 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.

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).

Ms. Nixon serves as the chief of policy and external affairs for the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. In that capacity, she leads the organization’s policy, government, and public affairs agenda, achieving multi-stakeholder goals for an improved economic status for members of New Jersey’s Black community.

Ms. Nixon also is the founder and chief executive officer of FerlandaTM, a leadership consultancy. She advises businesses, organizations, and individuals in the areas of diversity and inclusion; leadership and professional development; communication, presentation and meeting facilitation skills; event planning; marketing; new business development; and general business strategy and administration.

Ms. Nixon started her professional career as an attorney. She practiced corporate law for 18 years – five years at a midsize Manhattan law firm and 13 years at a leading commercial and consumer finance company. She also served as an adjunct professor at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University–Newark where she taught one course on ethics and another on leadership.

Ms. Nixon majored in Political Science and Communications at Syracuse University. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Colonel (Ret) Jeff Cantor is the founder & Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce which launched in November 2018. His goal is to improve the economic environment for veterans in the state and to build the infrastructure to create greater competitiveness and success for veteran business entities. Prior to that, Jeff served as the Lead for Veterans Economic Development for the State of New Jersey. In that role, he was tasked with looking at ways to support veterans either through meaningful employment or veteran business support & entrepreneurship, as well as look at ways to support formerly incarcerated veterans.

Jeff enlisted in the Army in 1985 as a Private First Class and through determination became commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. He held four military occupational specialties in Infantry, All-Source Intelligence, Imagery Intelligence, and Civil Affairs. He served in various units both on active duty and in the Army Reserves. Jeff has served in dozens of countries around the world on six continents including Kosovo, Bosnia, Germany, and so many more. He retired from the military in 2017 at the rank of Colonel (0-6) in the Army Reserve. He is a veteran of the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan and has been awarded a Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, The Combat Infantryman Badge, The Combat Action Badge, Basic Parachutist wings and many other awards over a 32-year career.

Victor Salama joined Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) in June 2020 as the organization’s Executive Director. He has over 27 years of 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 nonprofit organization based in Kearny NJ that supports immigrants who are detained in 4 NJ jails and also upon their release. Victor was also President of the LIVY Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits grow through the creation and implementation of program replication strategies.

He spent 3 years at StrateSphere LLC, a firm devoted to public-private partnership creation as the Director of Business Development and 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.

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).