NJBIA has added two more top business executives to its Board of Trustees, both bringing extensive expertise in business and banking to the board, NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka announced today.
Citizens Commercial Bank President and Head of Middle Market Rebecca O’Connell and Eastern Janitorial Company President and CEO Nicholas Rafanello recently joined the NJBIA Board of Trustees and will each serve three-year terms.
“Both Nick and Rebecca bring very informed voices from their respective fields, and we are very fortunate and grateful to have them join our expanding board,” Siekerka said.
“The expertise and experiences they bring to the table are a perfect match for our highly engaged and valued board of trustees. We are honored that they are joining us to bring more support to our mission of advancing the competitive excellence and success of New Jersey businesses.”
O’Connell represents Citizens Bank throughout the region, encompassing New York City and surrounding boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and Northern and Central New Jersey.
In her role, O’Connell is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the extended region, encompassing headship for a team of expert middle market bankers and liaising with colleagues to deliver the bank’s full suite of capabilities to deepen client relationships across the broader organization. She drives effective partnership across key stakeholders to accelerate growth and community impact in key markets where the bank has recently expanded its footprint.
O’Connell held previous roles at JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America after spending time in the private sector in a global Treasurer/Finance & Consulting capacity.
In addition to NJBIA’s board, she currently sits on the board of Moxxie Mentoring Foundation in Long Island and is a founding board member for the Saint Anthony’s High School Business and Entrepreneurial Center in Huntington, New York.
Eastern Janitorial Company is a second-generation, family-owned business which serves the janitorial and maintenance needs of public and private facilities throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
Rafanello assumed full control of the business in 2013, re-branded it as a deeply experienced service contractor and quickly became a market leader in the region. The company has also established new service offerings focused on deepening its relationship with existing janitorial customers.
Founded in 1977, Eastern has grown substantially over the last decade and now employs hundreds of workers in the tri-state area. It operates in three divisions: Commercial Cleaning, Specialty Flooring and Surface Restoration and Engineering/Handyman Services. Recently, the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University named Eastern Janitorial Company its Family Business of the Year.
Rafanello previously served as vice president of investment banking at Credit Suisse, as well as a principal at Xerox Global Services. He graduated from Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science with a Bachelor of Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering. He also earned a Master of Business Administration, specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship, from the NYU School of Business.
Rafanello lives in Morris County with his wife and three children. He is heavily involved in the local community, volunteering time on local economic development, soccer and baseball boards.
Other NJBIA Board of Trustees Moves
Along with the addition of O’Connell and Rafanello, NJBIA announced the board retirements of Rashaad Bajwa, CEO of Integris, and Domenick Cama, who recently retired as president of NYC Metro & New Jersey Markets of Citizens Bank.
Additionally, Deanna Sperling, president and CEO of RWJBarnabas Behavioral Health Center, has been appointed as Treasurer of NJBIA’s board.
“I thank Rashaad and Domenick for their dedication to the board, for always bringing valuable input to our meetings and for sharing NJBIA’s mission,” Siekerka said. “And we thank Deanna for taking on this new and important role with our board.”
The complete list of members of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association Board of Trustees is below.
- Clifford F. Lindholm, III, (Chair), President & CEO, Falstrom Company
- Lori Roth, CPA/ABV, CFF, (Vice Chair), Co-Managing Partner, Prager Metis
- Denise Beckson, VP of Human Resources & Government Relations, Morey’s Piers
- Marcy Bliss, CEO, Wedgewood Pharmacy
- Tim Corriston, Managing Partner, Connell Foley
- James W. Horne Jr., President & CEO, Junior Achievement of New Jersey
- Anthony Iacono, Ph.D., President, County College of Morris
- Jaclyn Kator, Regional Vice President, External Affairs, AT&T
- Rebecca O’Connell, President & Head of Middle Market, NYC Metro, Long Island, NJ, Citizens Commercial Bank
- Nicholas Rafanello, President & CEO, Eastern Janitorial Company
- Celestina S. Quintana, Owner/Operator McDonald’s restaurants
- Michael Reagan, Senior Vice President of Consulting Services, CGI
- Michael Renna, President & CEO, South Jersey Industries
- Gail Friedberg Rottenstrich, CEO & Co-Founder, ZAGO Manufacturing
- Deanna Sperling, MAS, RN, NE-BC, President & CEO, RWJBarnabas Behavioral Health Center
- Rick Thigpen, Senior Vice President-Corporate Citizenship, PSEG
