Two of NJBIA’s prestigious councils – the Women Business Leaders Council and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council – have expanded their leadership teams.
Jason Holt, an attorney with Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, and Andrea Murphy, group manager of Corporate Environmental Compliance at Panasonic North America, have joined the leadership team of the DE&I Council. Clelia Pergola, COO of the NJ Eldercare Law Center at Goldberg Law, and Debbie Wolpov, president & CEO of MerX Payments, have joined the leadership team of the WBL Council.
Both councils include executives from all over the state who meet regularly to share best practices, collaborate on business opportunities, and help NJBIA members become more successful. Meetings often include guest speakers who share insights on topical issues of interest to business professionals.
Holt has more than two decades of experience in state and local government, municipal corporations, turnaround strategy, litigation, and fiscal management. He is a former municipal court judge and adjunct professor at the John S. Watson Institute of Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University.
Murphy is an experienced environmental regulatory professional witha combined 16 years’ environmental management experience and over five years of general management experience, including project management, finance and strategy.
Pergola was instrumental in building the NJ Elder Law Center at Goldberg Law Group (NJELC) from the ground up by implementing a streamlined, procedures-based model for the elder care area. Pergola is a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Leading Women Entrepreneurs, Healthcare Association of New Jersey, Alzheimer’s New Jersey, and a founding member of WomenRising.
Wolpov founded MerX Payments to give companies full access to the vast spectrum of merchant services. With over 1,200 accounts, she partners with business leaders to help them select and customize the most cost-effective and efficient payment processing solutions. She is a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce and chaired the chamber’s Women in Business program.
As the newest additions to the WBL Council’s leadership team, Pergola and Wolpov will be working closely with Rosanne DeTorres, managing partner and co-founder of DeTorres & DeGeorge Family Law, and Lorena Mosquera, workflow strategist at Paradigm Marketing and Design.
As new leaders of the DE&I Council, Holt and Murphy will be working closely with current DE&I Council leaders Shy Hopkins, marketing coordinator at the New Jersey Small Business Development Center, and Jackie Lue Raia, president of ALEXENA Consulting.
NJBIA council meetings are open to the public. These events are always free to NJBIA members. During the month of February only, the customary $19 registration fee for non-members is waived.
The DE&I Council’s next online meeting, “Bridging the Gap: Successfully Integrating Autistic Individuals into your DE&I Initiatives,” will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 17. Spectrum Works, an experienced nonprofit provider of autism services for individuals and companies, will demonstrate their BRIDGES workforce development platform and how it is being used to support businesses looking to implement successful employment programs. Go here to register for this free online event.
The WBL Council will hold its next meeting, “Empowering Tools for a Better 2022,” at 9 a.m., Thursday, March 10. Lifestyle coach Kathy D’Agati, a healing-foods crusader driven by her passion to end the modern-day epidemic of autoimmune diseases and chronic health issues, will discuss practical HeartMath tools and techniques for navigating stressful times. Go here to register for this online event.
For more information about NJBIA’s councils – including the Human Resources Council and the Not-for-Profit Council go to NJBIA’s website here.
