NJ’s Business Climate

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.

As Chief Government Affairs Officer for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association Christopher focuses on taxation, budget, economic development and workforce development. NJBIA is the largest and most impactful business association in the nation.

Prior to his current job, Emigholz worked in state government for a decade. He was the Budget Director for the State Senate Republican Office for 8 years overseeing economic, fiscal and education policy, and he also directed education policy and legislative affairs in the New Jersey Department of Education prior to that. This is his second stint at NJBIA having served for years as their workforce development and education lobbyist earlier in his career. He was also a teacher through the Teach For America program in a high school in Atlanta, Georgia, and a community liaison/volunteer coordinator for an elementary school in Baltimore City through the AmeriCorps-VISTA program.

Emigholz has a Master of Public Policy degree from Rutgers’ Bloustein School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University. He currently lives in Robbinsville, NJ with his wife and 3 children, where he is active in the community including coaching youth sports and serving on the school board to which he was elected.

Senator Steve Oroho served five terms in the New Jersey State Senate. He represented the twenty-fourth legislative district in the northwestern part of the state.

Before entry into public office, Senator Oroho had extensive professional experience in the finance departments of top New York City firms including work for Price Waterhouse, W.R. Grace and Company, as well as Young and Rubicam where he held the position of Senior Vice President of Finance. Senator Oroho is presently a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and he is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Senator Oroho first ran for public office in 2001 winning a seat on the Franklin Borough Council. He moved up to the Sussex County Freeholder Board in 2005 upon his successful election and served one term before winning election to the State Senate in 2007.

In the State Senate, Senator Oroho served on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, the Senate Higher Education Committee, the Senate Economic Growth Committee and the Senate Environment Committee. Senator Oroho was also a founding member of the Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, as well as the Red Tape Review Commission. He also served as the Senate Republican Leader.

In the State Legislature, Senator Oroho took a particular interest in budgetary and economic development issues. He helped craft, in a bipartisan fashion, most every major tax reform issue enacted in New Jersey over the past decade. His contributions in this particular area earned him numerous awards and citations from the business community at-large and many other organizations.

Senator Oroho is married, and the father of five children and ten grandchildren. He resides in Franklin Borough, Sussex County.