Four future business leaders who have distinguished themselves at New Jersey universities through their academic work, leadership and community involvement will be honored with Rising Star awards at NJBIA’s 5th Annual Women Business Leaders Forum on Sept. 20.
The forum will bring together hundreds of men and women in Long Branch to participate alongside top business leaders and experts who will share advice for career advancement. This year’s keynote speaker is e-commerce titan Jennifer Fleiss, the co-founder of Rent the Runway and Jetblack, two successful companies that are disrupting the online retail business model.
“NJBIA’s Rising Star Awards honor students who have demonstrated a passion for their career path, academic success, and a commitment to volunteering in their communities during their undergraduate careers,” NJBIA President & CEO Michele Siekerka said. “This year, the application process was so competitive NJBIA decided to double the number of award winners because all four of these students are such standout leaders deserving recognition.”
The 2019 winners are listed below in alphabetical order.
Alexis Bailey
Alexis Bailey, of Bayonne. Alexis Bailey is a political science major at Rider University who aspires to work on national political campaigns after her graduation in December. Bailey was recently elected co-chair of the New Jersey College Republicans and is also a Fellow at the Rebovich Institute for Politics. Active in Greek life on campus, Bailey is the vice president of Member Development for the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta. She is also a volunteer counselor for the New Jersey Association of Student Councils. As a Rider undergraduate, Bailey has taken advantage of numerous internship opportunities at federal, state and county government offices. Her long-term career goal is to one day run for public office herself so that she can put her passion for public service to work making a positive impact on people’s lives.
Sri Narayanan
Sri Narayanan, of Plainsboro. Entrepreneur Sri Narayanan is a junior majoring in Business Analytics & Information Technology and Marketing at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Narayanan is the co-president of Rutgers Women in Business, the marketing co-director for the Rutgers Venture Capital Club, and the co-founder and CEO of Competitions Zone, an organization connecting students with competitions, hackathons, and conferences that enable them to learn beyond the classroom. Narayanan also founded Coding Angels, which has introduced more than 150 youngsters to computer programming, and she has partnered with university students in other states to bring Coding Angels to their communities. A Dean’s List student, Narayanan is a member of Rutgers Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society for business students. Her career goal is to found a successful health tech startup after graduating in 2021.
Tyler Richards
Tyler Richards, of Morristown. Staff Sgt. Tyler Richards is a U.S. Marine Corps reservist enrolled in the one-year Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (A.B.S.N.) program at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he also graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in health studies in May. He is the student veteran representative to FDU’s Office of Student Veterans, secretary of the FDU Student Veterans Association, and a longtime volunteer for the USMC Reserve’s Toys for Toys program. During Richards’ active duty deployment with the 3rd Marine Division in the South Pacific, he saw firsthand how the disparities in healthcare systems affected islanders’ health, which led to his decision to put the leadership skills he gained in the military to work pursuing a nursing degree. A certified personal fitness trainer and proud father of three children under the age of 7, Richards’ long-term career goal is to become a nurse practitioner and open his own medical concierge service business.
Brianna Roberts
Brianna Roberts, of Nanuet, N.Y. Brianna Roberts graduated in May from Monmouth University with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Music. She aspires to become a music industry executive so as an undergraduate she participated in numerous internships and professional conferences — even serving as a panelist at the 2019 Music Business Association Conference in Nashville, where she discussed her internships working in innovative music industry careers, such as music therapy. At Monmouth, she was social media and marketing manager for the student-run record label, Blue Hawk Records, and marketing and PR chair for Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society affiliated with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Roberts was also fundraising chair and vice president of philanthropy for her business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Associated Humane Societies of NJ and Clean Ocean Action.
The 5th Annual Women Business Leaders Forum “Owing Your Success” will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa, 1 Ocean Blvd., in Long Branch with an optional cocktail reception and motivational speaker the night prior, Sept. 19.
Discounted hotel room blocks are available. The complete agenda and registration information is available here or by calling 1-800-499-4419 and selecting “option 1.”
