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.

Ray Cantor is Deputy Chief Government Affairs Officer of Government Affairs of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), the nation’s largest state-level business association whose member companies collectively employ 1 million people.

Cantor, an attorney whose career has included high-level positions in the legislative and executive branches of government, a former assistant commissioner and, later, chief adviser to the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), leads NJBIA’s advocacy efforts on environmental and energy matters affecting the business community.

At DEP, Cantor oversaw the offices of Legal Affairs, Dispute Resolution, and Economic Analysis in addition to advising the DEP commissioner on policy, legal, management, and economic matters. Cantor was also responsible for policy formulation related to all DEP regulations, including site remediation, NRD, air quality, water regulation, and land-use management.

A graduate of New York Law School, Cantor began his career working at the state’s Office of Legislative Services as senior counsel in the Environment, Energy, & Natural Resources section. He later served as the Assistant Commissioner of Land Use Management & Compliance at DEP until 2002 and also worked as a project consultant for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Cantor’s experience as a business lobbyist includes five years as director of Government Affairs for the Medical Society of New Jersey and then executive director of the New Jersey Apartment Association. He returned to the state DEP in 2010, where he served as chief advisor to DEP Commissioner Bob Martin for eight years.

Caryn Barnes has 30 years of experience in all aspects of environmental investigations, feasibility testing, NAPL, soil and groundwater remediation, soil vapor investigations and site closure. She has worked extensively in New Jersey on NJDEP and USEPA-led projects. She is a technical and regulatory expert, and is an active participant and stakeholder in the development of regulations, rules, guidance and policy. Barnes is on the forefront of investigating and remediating emerging contaminants, including PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.

As a Licensed Site Remediation Professional, Barnes has responded to Immediate Environmental Concerns, certified numerous Response Action Outcomes and has prepared numerous remediation submissions. She served as the Lead Technical Coordinator for a multi-party Superfund Site. She is actively involved in numerous professional organizations, and is an avid advocate for her clients. Barnes is President emeritus of the LSRP Association, a professional organization of over 800 members.

I have 20+ years of communications experience in a range of public relations skills/techniques in 25+ different industries. Some might call me a PR Generalist. I call myself curious, inquisitive and know I can never sit down. … I have experience in public affairs, public relations, crisis management, corporate communications, public policy, government relations, social/digital media, advocacy, external affairs, media relations, marketing, investor relations, advertising, sales and community relations with Fortune 500 corporations, public utilities, government institutions, unions, sports artists, newspapers/websites and public relations/affairs agencies.

Mr. Bukowski is the Managing Director of Government Relations, Communications and Sustainability at New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), a leading energy infrastructure company that provides safe, reliable natural gas and renewable energy services, including transportation, distribution, storage, asset management, development, and retail services. He is responsible for leading strategy and teams dedicated to advancing NJR’s sustainability and decarbonization goals.

Mr. Bukowski joined NJR in 2021, and previously served as Director of Environmental Strategy and Project Compliance at New Jersey Natural Gas, the principal subsidiary of the Fortune 1000 company. Prior to joining NJR, he spent nearly 30 years at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, where he served in numerous leadership roles, including, Assistant Commissioner of Natural and Historic Resources and Assistant Commissioner of Compliance and Enforcement, and worked in multiple media areas and on key environmental programs.

A graduate of Stockton University, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and is a member of the Ocean County Soil Conservation District board of supervisors and member of Converse Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey board of directors.

Chris Daggett is Board Chair and Interim Executive Director of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium. This nonprofit organization provides grants to local news organizations to meet evolving community information needs and to benefit the State’s civic life. He is also an independent consultant, providing strategic and operational advice to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and he serves on numerous nonprofit boards. 

Immediately prior to his current work, Chris served for over eight years as President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Thomas Kean, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In addition, he was a managing director of William E. Simon & Sons, a private investment firm. In 2009, Chris ran as an independent candidate for Governor of New Jersey.  

 Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  

Dennis Hart joined the Chemistry Council of New Jersey as its executive director on November 14, 2016.

Dennis Hart’s career spans more than four decades with most of it spent at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, where he started as an enforcement case manager in the Division of Water Resources, rising to the rank of assistant commissioner of Environmental Regulation, and later administrator of the New Jersey Water Supply Program.

He was appointed by Governor McGreevey to be the state’s Drought Coordinator during the 2002 drought, directing the state’s efforts in responding to and dealing with one of the worst droughts in New Jersey’s history.

As assistant commissioner for Environmental Regulations, Dennis led a staff of 550 employees within the Divisions of Water Quality, Environmental Financing Program, Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Air Quality Permitting, Pollution Prevention and Permit Coordination, and the Environmental Safety Health and Analytical Programs, managing an operating budget of more than $41 million.In 2003, Dennis was appointed executive director of the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust, where for seven years he managed a portfolio of loans and investments in excess of $4 billion. During his tenure he completely transformed the program, which was recognized by the USEPA in 2007 with the Pisces Award for Clean Water Financing Innovation.

Prior to joining the Chemistry Council of New Jersey, Dennis worked in various leadership positions with the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association of New Jersey (UTCA of NJ). The UTCA of NJ is an association representing more than 1000 member firms involved in the construction of highways, bridges, transportation, water and sewer facilities and environmental remediation. Dennis was with the UTCA of NJ and The Construction Industry Advancement Program of New Jersey for six years, and ended his tenure as the director of utility operations. Dennis served as the state and federal government relations representative concerning water and utility regulatory and legal issues.

David Haymes has worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection since 1989, as a geologist, a technical coordinator, and a Section Chief. From 2010 to 2017, David was the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner for the Site Remediation & Waste Management Program. David also served as the Director of the Division of Enforcement, Technical, & Financial Support and Administrator of the New Jersey Spill Compensation Fund from January 2018 to July 2022. David was appointed the Assistant Commissioner of Contaminated Site Remediation & Redevelopment in August 2022.

Throughout his career, David has been actively involved in writing regulations, guidance, and legislation that form the framework for site remediation in New Jersey. David has also been active in developing strategies and policies related to contaminants of emerging concern, including PFAS, and the Department’s ongoing litigation efforts to have polluters clean up contaminated sites and to reimburse the state for cleanups conducted using public funds. David has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Colgate University and a Master’s Degree in Geology from the University of Illinois.

Daniel Kennedy oversees the daily operations and programs of the association. A registered legislative agent, Dan works in consultation with the officers and board of trustees to carry out the association’s mission. He frequently meets with and testifies before New Jersey legislative committees and regulatory agencies on matters of importance to the industrial and commercial real estate development industry.

Irene Kropp worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She retired as the Deputy Commissioner in July of 2013 after 30 years of public service in the NJDEP.  As Deputy Commissioner she managed the Department’s Transformation Initiative as well as the Environmental Justice, Permit Coordination, Information Services, Science and Research and Emergency Response Offices. She was also instrumental in the response actions taken by the NJDEP in the Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Superstorm Sandy. As Assistant Commissioner of the Site Remediation Program she was responsible for the development of the Licensed Site Remediation Professional program as well as the enactment of the Site Remediation Reform Act.

Prior to Ms. Kropp’s role as Assistant Commissioner of the Site Remediation Program, she held various management roles throughout the Department. Since leaving NJDEP she has consulted on site remediation projects at Langan Engineering as well as for her Kropp & Associates, LLC.

Rayna Laiosa has more than 20 years of experience in EHS management, with particular focus on environmental compliance and policy. Currently, she is working for The Chemours Company as Regulatory Affairs Senior Manager to lead regulatory advocacy focusing on environmental across the United States.

Since 2012, Rayna has been actively participating for Industry with NJDEP in various stakeholder groups, including the Soil Standards workgroup, Ground Water Quality Criteria and Ground Water Use and Classification workgroups, Remedial Action Permits, and Site Remediation Advisory Group (SRAG). Rayna is the Site Remediation Industry Network (SRIN) Chair, representing Industry.

In addition to her work experience, Rayna is a member of the Passaic County Brownfield Commission and Chair of the Hawthorne Environmental Commission and Green Team. Currently, Rayna is a Board Trustee member of The Continuing Professional Education Services, LLC and a Board Trustee member for the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), representing the Borough of Hawthorne. In 2023, I was nominated to the ANJEC Executive Board as Vice President and recently awarded the Enterprising Women in Commerce Award in the Environmental category from Commerce Industry Association of New Jersey.

Rayna holds a Masters of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Governor Philip D. Murphy appointed Shawn M. LaTourette in June 2021 as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection. Commissioner LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources.

Commissioner LaTourette was born and raised in New Jersey. Commissioner LaTourette graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University and earned his law degree summa cum laude from Rutgers Law School. The Commissioner has vast experience and a deep commitment to equity and protecting vulnerable communities while facilitating public infrastructure development and advocating for environmental protection.

When faced with issues impacting their business, clients turn to Karen Murphy for her extensive experience in environmental and real estate law and practical approach to problem solving. Her practice encompasses regulatory, compliance and corporate aspects of environmental law, including due diligence for M&A, Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) compliance, site remediation, environmental permitting, cost recovery, and other compliance issues that frequently arise with real estate and business transactions.

Karen assists small and large businesses in the energy, industrial, and commercial sectors with the sale and purchase of environmentally impaired properties. She works closely with environmental consultants, engineers, environmental health & safety professionals to manage risks and liabilities for clients.

In addition to her work in the environmental arena, Karen is experienced in all facets of real estate law. She is regularly called up to negotiate leases, easements and purchase agreements and for offices, warehouses, retail establishments and large industrial complexes. Her attention to detail and concern for her clients bottom line are paramount in every real estate transaction she handles.

Karen devotes a substantial amount of time to pro bono endeavors. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of  Partners for Women & Justice, and a pro bono volunteer for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice.

Gary Sondermeyer is VP of Operations for Bayshore Recycling of Woodbridge, NJ. Bayshore is one of NJ’s largest recyclers, managing 9 separate recycling operations on its 58-acre campus. Gary also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sustainable Jersey Program, Vice Chair of the Governor appointed State Plastics Advisory Council and Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers. Gary joined Bayshore following 30 years of service at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. He served as the agency’s Chief of Staff for 10 years under 6 New Jersey Governors. Gary has undergraduate and Masters’ Degrees in Environmental Planning from Rutgers University.

John G. Valeri Jr. is a Member and Practice Group Leader of CSG’s Environmental Practice Group. John has more than 30 years of experience providing advice regarding state and federal environmental laws and regulations, including obtaining permits and approvals involving multiple environmental media for complex projects. He provides strategic policy advice on major state and federal legislative and regulatory initiatives, and he regularly appears before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Administrative Law and in appeals before the New Jersey Superior Court. John also represents public utilities and renewable project owners and operators before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. In addition, John negotiates environmental agreements and provides strategic policy advice on major state and federal legislative and regulatory initiatives. John previously served as Associate Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the USEPA, and Counselor to the Administrator under former Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. John also served as Senior Assistant Counsel for Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and Chief of Staff to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. John was appointed as a member of the New Jersey Clean Air Council by Governor Chris Christie in 2015 and served as the Chair from 2018-2021.