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.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nagela Duperval is a powerhouse entrepreneur, restaurateur, real estate agent, investor, and mentor. As the owner of OU LA Restaurant & Bar, Nagela, has built an impressive legacy rooted in hard work, compassion, and a commitment to empowering others, particularly women and girls.

Her entrepreneurial ventures reflect her dynamic leadership and vision. OU LA Restaurant is a vibrant culinary destination that celebrates her Haitian heritage, offering guests a space to connect through food, culture, and shared experiences.

Nagela’s impact extends far beyond her professional achievements. She is a community-driven leader who believes in lifting others as she climbs. Her story serves as a beacon of hope,reminding others that with determination, vision, and support, anything is possible.

Brittany’s journey, shaped by her time as an undefeated trial attorney, public official, and risk management strategist, led her to establish BND Consulting in 2017. With a deep understanding of the challenges leaders face in today’s rapidly-changing world, Brittany is passionate about providing women leaders with the clarity they need to lead their teams with confidence.

Weaving together a unique blend of executive coaching and strategic advisory, she helps women develop their leadership styles, create stability and structure in their organizations, navigate team dynamics, and embrace a leadership style that is authentic to them, impactful for their organizations, and inspiring for their people. In her work, she’s increased a client organization’s budget by 16%, developed a fundraising strategy that led to the highest growth in contributions in 1 quarter, and reduced attrition from 26% to 0% in 14 months.

Along with founding BND, Brittany co-founded an enterprise peace intelligence startup designed to teach conflict de-escalation. She’s also served as fractional CEO and COO at entrepreneurial-focused nonprofits.

Brittany has been featured in Essence, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Fast Company and been invited to speak at Harvard University, Columbia University, SHRM Inclusion Conference, and the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference. Recently, she received the Top 40 Under 40 Award from NJBIZ. She is a 92NY Women inPower Fellow and a member of the Advisory Council for the Harvard Business Review.

Jaclyn (Jaci) Kator is the Regional Vice President External Affairs for AT&T in New Jersey. She started with the company in 1998 in Illinois and has worked in a variety of company roles within the Information Technology organization and in External Affairs. In Jaci’s current role, she works with government entities, elected officials, and community stakeholders on AT&T’s policy, strategic, and community initiatives at the state and local level.

Jaci currently serves on the boards of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Business and Industry Association, and Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey. Jaci’s past includes serving as Chair of Northern Illinois University’s advisory board for the department of Public Administration, Chair of the Schaumburg Business Association, Chair of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, Advocacy Chair for the American Cancer in Illinois, and as a former retail small business owner alongside her husband.
Jaci is passionate about helping businesses thrive, collaborating with local and state government, and introducing students to career opportunities in local government.

Jaci obtained a bachelor’s degree in integrated communications from Roosevelt University Chicago and a Master of Public Administration degree in local government from Northern Illinois University. Jaci lives in Southern New Jersey with her husband and two children.

With over two decades of experience in retail, e-commerce, and human resources leadership, Mary Ann Lindholm has built a career dedicated to driving organizational growth, optimizing workforce strategy, and leading high-performing teams.

Currently serving as Vice President at Falstrom Company, she brings a strategic vision to human resources and business operations, ensuring efficiency, innovation, and long-term success. Before transitioning to human resources, she spent over 20 years in merchandise planning and retail strategy at industry-leading companies, including Walmart, David Yurman, and Bloomingdale’s.

At Walmart eCommerce, Mary Ann led planning and forecasting efforts for the Home Division, adapting to the evolving e-commerce landscape and driving digital market share growth. This included employee development responsibilities for new hires. During her tenure at David Yurman as Senior Director of Retail and E-Commerce Merchandise Planning, she implemented structured financial planning processes that enhanced sales and margin performance in the luxury jewelry sector. Her 23-year career at Bloomingdale’s included leadership roles in merchandise planning across multiple categories including Cosmetics, Ready to Wear and Men’s, where she played a critical role in long-term business strategy and omni-channel performance. In addition, she led a variety of training classes and held leadership roles in employee development.

Mary Ann holds a Bachelor of Arts from George Williams College of Aurora University. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband, Cliff, and where they raised their three children. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, needle point and playing golf.

Sue Ozunal is a seasoned Business Strategy & Growth Expert with 28 years of experience. As a battle-tested entrepreneur – she’s navigated economic downturns and natural disasters.

Trained by world-renowned coaches like Michael Gerber, founder of the legendary EMyth, Sue grew her business coaching firm internationally between 2005-2018, serving hundreds of businesses across various industries, with a focus on owners with technical backgrounds in fields like construction, manufacturing, IT, medicine and law. She has also offered training and coaching programs for the distributors of corporations like Microsoft, Intel, and Volvo.

Sue’s core expertise and passion lies in teaching small business owners the entrepreneurial skills, shifting the employee mindset they’re stuck in. Her clients say they love her energy driving them out of problems into focusing on creative solutions. By implementing innovative strategies like Blue Ocean Marketing and Business Model Innovation, Sue has helped clients achieve remarkable growth rates of up to 500%.

Post-pandemic, Sue has exclusively coached childcare businesses, primarily female-owned, through a Texas Workforce Commission funding program. This coaching program yielded dramatic results, significantly improving the participating childcare centers.

Sue Ozunal holds a BS in mechanical engineering, an executive MBA, and several certifications in business coaching. She lives in Montvale, New Jersey with her three children

Fondly referred to as “The Multi-Gen Leader”, Krishna Powell is Founder & CEO of HR 4 Your Small Biz, LLC, a boutique style human resources consulting and talent development firm. As a nationally renowned subject-matter expert on the Millennial and i-Gen/Homeland generation, Krishna has facilitated talent development programs and coaching clients throughout the United States, France, China, United Kingdom and Singapore. With over 25 years of experience, Mrs. Powell possesses an uncanny ability to connect with the next generation of leaders; providing them with practical applications for success in life and the workplace.

Judy Sailer is the Director of Learning and Development for Primepoint HR & Payroll. She holds a Masters Degree in Management & Organizational Leadership from Springfield College, received her Human Resources Cert from Rutgers University, and is a certified SHRM CP and PHR. She has presented for NJBIA, CCSNJ, NJACP, Tri-State SHRM and Garden State SHRM and has been featured in Forbes and Jersey Matters. She is well-versed in all aspects of management and leadership; her passion is staff development.

Catherine Frugé Starghill, Esq. is the Vice President of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) and Executive Director of the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development (Consortium). She is also the former Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Catherine was named to NJBIZ’s Top 50 in Education list in both 2022 and 2023, and was named one of New Jersey’s 25 Most Influential African Americans by the South Jersey Journal in 2017 as one of the “State’s leaders who stands head and shoulders above others and boldly reflects the rich diversity and excellence of the African American community throughout the Garden State.”

As Vice President of the NJCCC and Executive Director of the Consortium, Catherine is the executive who developed and implemented the statewide New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities initiative with over 1,800 industry and education partners aligning education to the needs of the workforce to build a stronger economy. She hosts the annual NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities Summit in Atlantic City, NJ for over 500 industry and education partners gathered to learn from national though-leaders focused on education and workforce training pathways to build stronger state economies, innovative workforces, and economic mobility for the state’s residents.

Before her positions at the NJCCC and the Consortium, Catherine held several executive positions at the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the NJ Department of Community Affairs. Prior to joining the public sector, Catherine worked in the private sector in the Tax and Legal Services practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Corporate Finance Staff of Ford Motor Company.

Catherine simultaneously earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accounting from the University of Michigan. She later earned a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Catherine was married to the late Rev. Dr. Britt A. Starghill and is the mother of two children, Britt Andrew and Brie Alexandra.

Michele is the co-founder and president of Fem-Gevity. As a co-founder of a pioneering women’s telemedicine start-up, she brings 18 years of experience in implementing women’s health initiatives.