Public Policy Forum 2026

U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, wife, and mother of four kids – Mikie Sherrill ran for governor to make life easier and more affordable for Garden State families. Her career has been defined by service to her country and New Jersey, and she previously served in Congress representing New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

Mikie was inspired to join the military by her grandfather, a World War II veteran. From a young age, she knew she wanted to fly and do big things. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1994 – the first class of women eligible for combat roles on ships and aircraft – Mikie spent almost 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy. As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, she led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq War, served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy.

Following her service in the Navy, Mikie attended and graduated from law school. She worked in private practice and then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. As an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, Mikie established programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and helped people leaving prison to gain employment, housing, and education to restart their lives. Then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she prosecuted federal cases to keep our communities safe and worked to take illegal guns off the streets of New Jersey.

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.

The Honorable Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin has served in the General Assembly since 2010, representing the 19^th Legislative District. He is the longest serving Speaker in New Jersey history, now in his fourth term.

Highlights of the Speaker’s legislative tenure include raising the state’s minimum wage, delivering property tax relief, investing in childcare and mental health programs, increasing public school funding, ending surprise medical bills, and improving the state’s environmental remediation programs to provide a cleaner, safer future. These initiatives were made possible by the responsible state budgeting and fiscal stewardship during his time as Speaker.

Speaker Coughlin has spent his legislative career fighting for the working people of New Jersey. The first bill passed in his tenure as Speaker was the Equal Pay for Women Act. Under his leadership, the Democratic caucus has spearheaded numerous bills to provide tax relief for the people who need it most— middle-class families and seniors.

After securing passage of the ANCHOR program, the largest property tax relief program in state history at the time, Speaker Coughlin authored the StayNJ program, which will cut seniors’ property taxes in half. Coupled with expansions in prescription drug assistance programs of PAAD and Senior Gold, New Jersey seniors will see real savings and improved affordability.

The issue closest to Speaker Coughlin’s heart is the fight against hunger. His policy agenda has prioritized food security for New Jersey families and ending childhood hunger. He has worked to expand free school lunches and sponsored four expansive anti-hunger bill packages, including increasing aid to food banks by 500%, and creating a first-in-the-nation Office of Food Security Advocate. His ultimate goal, in concert with a coalition of community leaders on this issue, is the elimination of hunger in New Jersey by 2030. Speaker Coughlin stresses the importance of local engagement on food security to highlight the needs in every community—including his annual bowling fundraiser to benefit local food pantries in his district, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and recruiting volunteers.

Speaker Coughlin is a lifelong resident of Middlesex County.  He was born in Perth Amboy on January 31, 1958 and attended public schools in South Amboy. He attended St. John’s University for his B.A. (summa cum laude ’80) and J.D. (’83).  Before running for the Assembly in 2009, Coughlin was a member of the South Amboy Board of Education and served as a South Amboy City Councilman for six years. Speaker Coughlin has also served in various legal capacities including as a municipal court judge, prosecutor and public defender.

Coughlin is a partner in Woodbridge-based law firm, Rainone, Coughlin, Minchello LLC. He and his wife, Letitia, live in Woodbridge and have three sons—Craig Jr., Vincent and Nicholas.  He is also the proud grandfather of Claire and Jameson.

Robert C. Garrett launched his career at Hackensack University Medical Center in 1981 and served as president and CEO of the Hackensack University Health Network from November 2009 through July 2016. Mr. Garrett dramatically expanded the network through a series of acquisitions, partnerships and affiliations. In July 2016, the network merged with Meridian Health creating Hackensack Meridian Health.

Under Bob’s visionary leadership, the network has advanced treatment, innovation, research and medical education through bold strategies and strategic partnerships that are transforming care delivery in New Jersey and beyond. The network continues to expand access to care and revolutionize behavioral healthcare. Bob’s vision led to the establishment of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first new medical school in New Jersey in 60 years.

In January, 2025 the network announced a strategic affiliation agreement with Apollo Hospitals, India’s largest private healthcare system, to leverage the strengths of both organizations to enhance patient care, improve affordability and promote community health.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Hackensack University Medical Center the No. 1 hospital in New Jersey and the New York Metro area and a top 20 hospital nationally.

Bob has served as Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Health and Healthcare Governor’s Community. He is also a national thought leader and has received numerous recognitions including being ranked among Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in the U.S. He received the 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, one of our nation’s most prestigious awards that is recognized by both Houses of Congress.

Bob is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and received his Master of Health Administration from Washington University in Saint Louis, MO, and his bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University in New York.

State Senator Vin Gopal was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2023 with more than 60% of the vote in a landslide election in what is considered one of New Jersey’s most politically competitive districts. Senator Gopal has championed legislation to provide aid for education and local businesses; provided property tax rebates for taxpayers, seniors and veterans; made life more affordable for seniors; make mental health services more accessible, improved public safety and teared down barriers to employment and services for members of the disabilities community – with dozens of his bills signed into law.

During his first two terms in the Senate, Senator Gopal served on a number of committees in leadership positions – including, Co-Chair of the Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Vice-Chair of Senate Transportation, Vice-Chair of Senate Tourism and as a Member of the Senate Health Committee. Senator Gopal currently chairs the Senate Education Committee and serves as Senate Majority Conference Leader. He also serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Gopal is the first South-Asian American to be elected to the Senate in New Jersey history.

A dedicated volunteer who works with many nonprofit organizations to assist people in need, Senator Gopal is also the Founder and President of the Vin Gopal Civic Association, a 501c(3) organization dedicated to helping Monmouth County charities and individuals in need. His community contributions as a volunteer include serving as a past Board of Trustees Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County, and he served for many years as a volunteer first responder and EMT. He is also a former Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University and is currently the co-chair of the Monmouth University School of Civil Discourse.

An entrepreneur, Senator Gopal has started and built several businesses and is currently a business consultant and coach. Senator Gopal has served on the Board of Directors for the Northern Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce, and as President of the Hazlet Township
Business Owners Association. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, he created a districtwide organization of business, community, church, and nonprofits leaders to address the challenges of the coronavirus to the local economy.

Born in Neptune Township and raised in Monmouth County, Senator Gopal holds a Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. He resides with his wife, daughter and puppy in Long Branch.

Liat Krawczyk is the founding Executive Director of the New Jersey AI Hub, a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership between Princeton University, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), Microsoft, and CoreWeave, designed to accelerate innovation in artificial intelligence and position New Jersey as a global leader in the field. Its aim is to bring together AI researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, educational institutions, and the public sector to advance world-class research and development; drive transformative AI innovation; empower the workforce for the AI era; and shape the future of responsible AI deployment.

Previously, she served as Senior Advisor for Workforce Strategy and Head of Child Care at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office, supporting the rollout of a $300M workforce effort aligned with $37B in semiconductor investments and shaping the care economy strategy. Before that, Liat was Vice President of Innovation Industries at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where she led workforce strategy across emerging tech, the green economy, and life sciences. She founded the NYCEDC Childcare Innovation Lab and co-led Cyber NYC, a $100M public-private initiative focused on inclusive talent pipelines and R&D to grow NYC’s cybersecurity ecosystem. She also served as Head of Strategy for a machine learning PropTech startup.

Liat brings experience across government, startups, and nonprofits at the intersection of technology, workforce, the care economy and industrial policy, driving the creation of inclusive innovation ecosystems.

Ralph A. LaRossa is chair, president and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG). He is also chair of the PSE&G board and a member of PSEG’s Senior Executive Team.

Previously Mr. LaRossa was chief operating officer of PSEG from January 2020 until September 2022 at which time he became president and chief executive officer. He was president and COO of PSEG Power from June 2017 until September 2022. In his role as PSEG COO, he was responsible for overseeing all of the operating businesses of PSEG, including Public Service Electric & Gas Company, PSEG Long Island, PSEG Power and PSEG Services Corp. functions, information technology and cyber and physical security.

In addition, Mr. LaRossa was chair of the board of PSEG Long Island from December 2020 until September 2022 and from October 2013 until 2017. From 2006 until 2017, Mr. LaRossa served as president and COO of PSE&G.

Mr. LaRossa joined PSE&G in 1985 as an associate engineer and advanced through a variety of management positions in the utility’s gas and electric operations.

Mr. LaRossa received his Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. In addition, he completed the Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development and MIT’s Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives.

Mr. LaRossa is chair of Choose New Jersey and serves on its board. In addition, he is a member of the board of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and former member of the board for Montclair State University. Mr. LaRossa is also an honorary trustee of the Liberty Science Center, the past chair of the American Gas Association and past member of the board for the New Jersey Utilities Association and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Mr. LaRossa is the recipient of the Rutgers Heldrich Center for Workforce Development Distinguished Leadership Award.

Senator Declan O’Scanlon was raised in Little Silver and graduated from Monmouth University with degrees in finance and psychology. He is a lifelong Monmouth County resident, raising two children here as well. Declan first entered the political arena when he was elected to the town council of Little Silver where he served for 14 years, he was then elected to the State Assembly in 2008 and has served in the State Senate since 2018.

In addition to being an active Legislator, the Senator is CEO of FSD Enterprises Inc., a wireless communications infrastructure consulting company. Declan is also the Board President of Love Thy Neighbor, a faith based charitable non-profit organization.

As the Senate Republican Budget Officer, Declan is focused on reigning in irresponsible spending and has worked tirelessly to bring real reform to all New Jersey. He led the fight with Governor Christie to enact the 2% property tax cap and was the prime sponsor of pension and benefits, and arbitration reform. These initiatives give local governments the tools to reign in property taxes and control spending.
Senator O’Scanlon is outspoken on other reform fronts, from red light cameras and driver’s rights to organ donation and drug policy. Declan consistently fights for sound, fact-based policy and common sense.

Former Monmouth County Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger, Ph.D., became an assemblyman in January 2020. 

In addition to serving as mayor and deputy mayor of Middletown, Scharfenberger served on the Middletown Township Committee for nearly 14 years. 

At the state level, he was a member of Governor-elect Chris Christie’s transition team, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Business Action Center and Director of the Office for Planning Advocacy. 

Prior to joining the Christie administration, Scharfenberger had a long career as a professional archaeologist, working mainly in the Northeast and lecturing throughout the United States, Canada and England. He holds a master’s degree from Hunter College and received his doctorate in 2005 from the CUNY Graduate Center with a dual focus on historical archaeology and cultural landscape studies. He is currently a member of the adjunct faculty of Monmouth University in West Long Branch. 

Gerry has been a member of the Landmarks Commission since 1996 and was appointed Chairman in 2012, and currently serves on the Middletown Township Open Space Committee, the Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Middletown Economic Development Committee, Middletown Veterans Affairs Committee and the Monmouth County Historic Preservation Committee. He also serves on the Monmouth County Greenhouse Gas Reduction Committee. He served as the Township Committee’s liaison to the Bayshore Dredge Committee in 2006, on the Zoning Board of Adjustment in 2003 and 2004.   

He and his wife, Geraldine, have resided in the Middletown area for more than 31 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. 

Stephen Sweeney began his career with Local 399 in Camden, NJ, joining in 1977 and becoming a journeyman in 1980. He rose through the ranks as Financial Secretary-Treasurer and Business Agent, later serving as a general organizer for both the Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey District Councils. In 2015 he became General Vice President, and served as First General Vice President until December 2025, consistently demonstrating deep commitment to workers and the labor movement.

A longtime public servant, Sweeney represented South Jersey in the State Senate from 2002 to 2022, including 12 years as Senate President. He previously served as a Gloucester County Commissioner and Director, where he built a reputation as a consensus-builder focused on practical solutions for New Jersey families.

Sweeney is also recognized as a leader in statewide energy policy. He drove major expansions in solar development—growing New Jersey’s capacity from 250 MWp to nearly 4,500 MWp—by stabilizing the SREC program and encouraging redevelopment of landfills and brownfields. He authored the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credit program, enabling more than 5,000 MW of planned offshore wind, and championed New Jersey’s involvement in RGGI to support efficiency and emissions reductions.

Guided by an “all-of-the-above” energy philosophy, Sweeney promoted a balanced strategy that includes natural gas, nuclear, and renewables. He advanced legislation that preserved the state’s three nuclear reactors—powering over 3.8 million homes—and supported natural gas infrastructure, including the pipeline to the BL England plant. As Gloucester County Freeholder Director, he also oversaw development of the 738-MW LS Power Plant in West Deptford. Throughout his career, Sweeney has prioritized reliability, affordability, and sustainability in meeting New Jersey’s energy needs.

In the Senate, Sweeney passed a series of reforms designed to save New Jersey’s severely underfunded pension system. He also authored the 2% cap on local government spending that helped cut projected property tax increases in half, and sponsored legislation increasing the minimum wage, requiring earned sick leave and creating New Jersey’s Paid Family Leave program for all New Jersey residents.

Sweeney sponsored S2, “The School Funding Reform Act,” that eliminated longstanding inequities in the school funding formula and the Vocational Education Bond Act to expand workforce training. He pushed through legislation to encourage K-12 and countywide school regionalization, which was a major recommendation in the “Path to Progress” report issued by the 2018 Economic and Fiscal Policy Workgroup he created.

He sponsored the nation’s first Offshore Wind Act in 2010, led negotiations to bring a manufacturing facility for turbine platforms at Paulsboro and the New Jersey Windport to Lower Alloways Creek, and sponsored legislation to protect New Jersey’s three nuclear power plants in Salem County from closing

Sweeney fought for the successful merger of the state’s medical schools with their research universities to increase R&D funding. He was a staunch proponent of Rowan University’s unique affiliation with county colleges in Gloucester, Burlington and Cumberland counties, and helped Rowan obtain the state funding needed to become just the second university in the nation with two medical schools and a veterinary school.

William F. Tate IV, president of Rutgers University and former president of the Louisiana State University System, is an award-winning social scientist and nationally recognized leader in higher education. At LSU, he guided record-setting achievements in research, enrollment, philanthropy, athletics and legislative support. An expert in urban policy, geoinformatics, and epidemiology, Dr. Tate brings deep analytical skills and a track record of driving measurable results in large, complex organizations. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, he leads Rutgers with a focus on student success, clinical advances, and innovation that fuels basic discovery, applied research, the creative arts, and economic growth.

President Tate holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education with a cognate in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park. He also completed  postdoctoral training at the Washington University School of Medicine, earning a master’s degree in psychiatric epidemiology.

Richard T. Thigpen was named senior vice president for Corporate Citizenship in July 2018. Mr. Thigpen also is chair of the PSEG Foundation. He is responsible for supporting areas of the business that are impacted by public policy through advocacy, including federal, state and local government affairs, sustainability, charitable activities, and corporate social responsibility. Mr. Thigpen is a member of PSEG’s Senior Executive Team.

Mr. Thigpen joined PSEG in March 2007 as vice president for State Governmental Affairs, PSEG Services Corp. He has been a public affairs consultant since 1999 and was a co-founding partner of 1868 Public Affairs, which provides lobbying, strategic planning, public relations and government relations services to clients in New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.

Previously, Mr. Thigpen was an associate at the New York law firm of Thacher Proffitt and Wood in the mortgage-backed securities practice group (1988 to 1990), district director for U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (NJ-10) (1990 to 1996) and executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee (1996 to 1999). He has served as a political analyst for New Jersey Network and as an academic associate for PublicMind, Fairleigh Dickinson University Polling and Survey Research Institute. Mr. Thigpen was a former assistant to the president of the NAACP State Conference for Public Affairs. Currently, he is incoming chair of Alliance to Save Energy, as well as a member of the boards of the Regional Plan Association, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, Public Media NJ Inc. (NJ PBS), New Jersey Business & Industry Association, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark Public Radio, Inc. (WBGO), and the Donald M. Payne Global Foundation. He is also chair emeritus of the American Association of Blacks in Energy national board and serves as a visiting associate at the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics.

Mr. Thigpen holds a Doctor of Law degree from Columbia University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brown University.

An Emmy award-winning journalist, Briana Vannozzi serves as the anchor for NJ Spotlight News, the newsroom of NJ PBS. She’s worked in several capacities since joining the news division in 2012, as interim anchor and senior correspondent after years of general assignment reporting as a multimedia journalist. Vannozzi began her television journalism career by cutting her teeth on New Jersey State House politics for New Jersey Network News, and later as a news radio correspondent at FM News 101.9 covering crime and politics in New York City. Her work has taken her to national presidential nominating conventions, Capitol Hill, up and down the East Coast and every corner of the Garden State. She’s interviewed every New Jersey governor dating back to Jon Corzine and moderated numerous political debates and forums. Her work has also earned awards from the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists and the Philadelphia Press Association. A Burlington County native, she’s honored to be serving and covering her home state and raising her family there.

Bruce Van Saun is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Van Saun joined Citizens in October 2013 after serving as Group Finance Director at the Royal Bank of Scotland and as an executive director on the RBS Board from 2009 to 2013.
Following a successful initial public offering of Citizens in September 2014, Van Saun has led the bank through a dramatic transformation journey, including the build out of the Commercial Bank, the launch of Citizens Private Bank, and the expansion into New York Metro through the strategic acquisition of HSBC’s east coast branches and Investors Bancorp.

From 1997 to 2008, Van Saun held a number of senior positions with Bank of New York and later Bank of New York Mellon, including Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions with Deutsche Bank, Wasserstein Perella Group and Kidder Peabody & Co.

Throughout his career, Van Saun has served on several boards in both the U.S. and the U.K. He is currently a director of Moody’s Corporation and serves on the boards of The Clearing House, the Partnership for Rhode Island and the Bank Policy Institute