Teen Workers

Robert Asaro-Angelo (Uh-SAR-oh ANN-juh-lo) was nominated by Governor Phil Murphy to serve as the Commissioner of the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development in January 2018.

As Commissioner, Asaro-Angelo is proud to oversee the state’s diverse services to New Jersey workers. Due in part to the innovation he has spearheaded in New Jersey, in February, 2021, Asaro-Angelo was chosen by his counterparts across the nation as the Board Chair of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) for the 2021 association year.

From 2010 – 2017, Asaro-Angelo served as Eastern Regional Representative for the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration, managing the department’s regional activities and coordinating federal initiatives on the regional, state, and local levels.

Prior to his government service, Commissioner Asaro-Angelo worked for the Laborers International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Service Employees International Union Local 1115 organizing and educating public employees, construction workers and nursing home employees about government and politics.

Asaro-Angelo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Boston University and a master’s in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

A proud, life-long New Jerseyan, he lives in Middlesex County with his family.

Michele N. Siekerka, Esq., President and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, leads the nation’s largest, most influential employers’ organization, advocating on behalf of New Jersey’s large and small businesses for policies that will make New Jersey more affordable and regionally competitive.

Being known as a collaborative leader, Siekerka is leading an NJBIA established coalition (New Jersey Business Coalition) comprised of more than 100 business and nonprofit associations across the state to tackle the tough economic and business challenges our state is facing during COVID 19.

Well versed on the ‘boots on the ground” issues affecting our state’s business community, Michele is often the “go to” resource for media and is sought after to share her expertise in public forums across the state.

Alexis Bailey is Vice President of Government Affairs covering employment and labor issues for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), the nation’s largest state-level business association whose member companies collectively employ 1 million people.

Prior to joining NJBIA, Bailey worked as a Legislative Research Associate with the Kaufman Zita Group and as a Government Affairs and Communications Consultant for the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association. Bailey has also held numerous internship positions with Hoboken Strategy Group, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics and the Republican National Committee.

In 2019, Bailey was named one of NJBIA’s Rising Star Award recipients.

Bailey graduated with summa cum laude honors from Rider University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Nicholas Toth currently serves in the Murphy Administration as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Workforce Development. Prior to this role, Nicholas served as the first State Director for the New Jersey Office of Apprenticeship, where he has overseen development and implementation of the NJ Apprenticeship Network. Nicholas previously served in the Obama Administration as the Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Labor, and held Policy Advisor role in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the United States Department of Labor. Nicholas holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.