Visionary Tri-State Leaders Convening to Discuss the Areas Driving City Growth - Investment, Placemaking, Development, Collaboration & Design

Leadership Gatherings To Help Accelerate Investment – Collaboration + Build Awareness & Momentum

for NEWARK’s Leading Projects, Programs & Initiatives

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A Yearly Opportunity To Gather Regional Leaders Across Sectors & Specialties

All Aligned with & for NEWARK + Tri-State Growth

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Global Investors, Developers & Asset Managers

A Leader & Innovator in Driving Inclusive Equitable Growth

National Award Winning Architecture, Design & Engineering

Facilitative + Innovative City Policies - City, State, Region

One of The Most Exciting Domestic Emerging Market

Placemaking, Innovation, Creativity, Vibrancy

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ESG & Sustainability Leaders, Innovations

The Most Exciting Project Pipeline - Future Forward

The Hottest Multifamily Market Pipeline

Retailers, Restauranteurs, Culture+Art Sweetspot

ORGANIZATIONS ATTENDING ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, 2023

A Regional Sweet Spot

Corporate, Innovation, Human Capital & Cultural Sweet Spot

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SUMMIT SPEAKERS

National Thought-Leaders, Innovators & Disruptors

Teik C. Lim
President
NJIT

Jeffrey Robinson
Executive Vice Chancellor
& Provost
Rutgers Newark

Bob Carrigan
CEO
Audible

Tim Sullivan
President & CEO
NJEDA

Marcus Randolph
CEO
Invest Newark

Angelo Genova, Esq.
Co-Founder & Chairman
Genova Burns LLC

Ras J. Baraka
Mayor
City of Newark

LaMonica McIver
City Council President
City of Newark

Aisha Glover
Head, Urban Innovation
Audible

Phil Murphy
Governor
State of New Jersey

Kerri Berson Levine
Principal
The Fidelco Realty Group

Jack Klugmann
President & CEO
Accurate

Wayne Richardson
President
Board of County Commissioners
Essex County

Kathy Anderson
Founding Partner
Progress Capital

Bernel Hall
President & CEO
New Jersey Community Capital

Omar Mansour
Principal
Boraie Development

Ron Beit
Founder & CEO
RBH Group

Adenah Bayoh
Founder & Principal
Adenah Bayoh
& Companies

Ashley Mays
Chief of Place & Real Estate
Newark Alliance

Frank Giantomasi
Member
Chiesa Shahinian &
Giantomasi PC

Jay Biggins
Executive Managing
Director
BLS & Co.

Linda Harrison
CEO & Director
The Newark Museum of Art

George Tenedios
Founder
& CEO
fresh&co

Joseph Alpert
Founder & Principal
The Alpert Group

Adam Pasternack
President,
Property Management
Russo Development

Talia Young
President & CEO
Newark Symphony Hall

Duncan Turner
General Partner, SOSV
Global Managing Director, HAX

Brian Murray
Co-Founder & CEO
Shift Capital

Jonathan Schultz
Co-Founder & Managing Principal
Onyx Equities

Melissa Strickland
Principal & Managing Director, NJ
HLW

John Schreiber
President & CEO
NJPAC

Andrew Camelotto
Director,
Real Property
GIBBONS

Andrew Cavaluzzi
Co-Founder & Partner
Hudson Valley Property
Group – HPVG

Jennifer Carillo-Perez
Partner
Connell Foley

Samer Hanini
Founder & Managing Partner
Hanini Group

Jon Dario
CEO
Edison Properties

Elnardo Webster
Partner
Connell Foley

Bill Harrison
Partner
Genova Burns LLC

Sam Chapin
Managing Director
LMXD
L+M Development Partners

Jay Bolton
Principal
Bolton Development

David Wolfe
Managing Partner
Skoloff & Wolfe

Allison Ladd
Deputy Mayor & Director,
Economic & Housing Development
City of Newark

Joe Lee
Vice President & General Manager
NJ PBS

Drew Fletcher
President
Greystone Capital Advisors

Anton Vincent
President
Mars Wrigley North America

Calvin Souder
Founding Partner
Souder, Shabazz &
Woolridge Law Group

Murat Mutlu
Founder & Principal
INOA Architecture

Gabriel Lopez
Principal
J&L Companies

John Saraceno
Co-Founder & Managing Principal
Onyx Equities

Vaughn Crowe
Managing Partner
Newark Venture Partners

Steven Gorelick
Executive Director
New Jersey Motion Picture
& Television Commission

Melanie Walter
Executive Director
New Jersey Housing and
Mortgage Finance Agency

Michael Higgins
Managing Partner
MHS
Architecture

Marcy DePina
President
Newark City Parks
Board President, Newark Arts

Leslie A. Anderson
President & CEO
New Jersey Redevelopment
Authority – NJRA

Jose Cruz
Senior Managing
Director
JLL

Pedro Gomes
Founder & CEO
Gomes Group

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ORGANIZATIONS ATTENDING ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, 2023

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- BUILDING OFF THE SUCCESS OUR SISTER SUMMIT -

The 1st Annual Summit
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One Gateway Center (Suite 2600), Newark NJ 07102

ORGANIZATIONS ATTENDING ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, 2023

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Tim Sullivan

President & CEO

New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA)

Tim Sullivan became Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in February 2018. The NJEDA serves as the State’s principal agency for driving economic growth and is committed to making New Jersey a national model for inclusive and sustainable economic development by focusing on key strategies to help build strong and dynamic communities, create good jobs for New Jersey residents, and provide pathways to a stronger and fairer economy.

During his tenure, Tim has led the NJEDA’s transformation into a comprehensive economic development organization dedicated to implementing Governor Phil Murphy’s vision for a stronger and fairer New Jersey. Tim has overseen the creation of new programs focused on catalyzing industry clusters and a dedicated Small Business Services unit charged with providing robust financial, workforce, and technical support to the State’s small business community, with a focus on historically underrepresented firms.

Under his leadership, the NJEDA has led the development and implementation of more than 15 programs created under the Economic Recovery Act of 2020, provided more than $700 million in COVID-19 relief to small businesses impacted by the pandemic, facilitated the construction of the NJ Wind Port and growth of a robust offshore wind industry in New Jersey, collaborated with partners in the private sector to grow New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem, and helped municipalities revitalize brownfields and other underused spaces into valuable community assets.

Tim most recently served as Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), where he oversaw State tourism and branding, brownfield redevelopment, transit-oriented development, and waterfront initiatives. Tim joined the DECD in January 2014 and became Deputy Commissioner the next year.

Tim previously served as Chief of Staff to the New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, focusing on transportation and transit-oriented development, brownfield redevelopment, waterfront and maritime/port redevelopment, public and affordable housing policy, small business support, infrastructure finance, and public/private partnerships.

Prior to joining city government in 2010, Tim worked at Barclays Capital as Chief of Staff to the Head of Global Investment Banking. He began his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers in 2003 as a healthcare banker, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions for leading companies in the managed care, biotechnology, and healthcare services sectors.

Tim is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Angelo J. Genova, Co-Founder,Chairman of the Firm, is a multi-faceted law professional with extensive experience in complex business and employment litigation, appellate advocacy, labor and employment law, government contracts, procurement, campaign finance, and political and election law. As a renowned trial lawyer, Mr. Genova appears regularly in front of courts of all types at the New Jersey, regional and federal levels, including numerous appearances before the New Jersey Supreme Court. For decades, he has provided precedent-setting legal representation that has reached all levels of the state and federal legal landscape.

Mr. Genova is no stranger to the media, both mainstream and within the legal industry. His media acknowledgements and accolades include:

PolitickerNJ has consistently named Mr. Genova to its annual Power List, calling him one of the “deadliest courtroom lawyers in the State.” He brings to the table the “most fearsome preparation of any other attorney” and, stating further, “Here’s a nightmare scenario, sitting on a witness stand with this guy coming around the corner of a table and bearing down on you with his first question.”
Insider NJ described Mr. Genova as “The attorney for New Jersey’s political stars….the Genova Burns heavyweight is the last guy you want to come face to face with across an imitation wood paneled docket on Judgment Day.”
New Jersey Super Lawyers has identified Mr. Genova in its peer-selected, statewide rankings as the Top Vote Getter (2008, 2010), the Second Highest Vote Getter (2015, 2016) and the Third Highest Vote Getter (2011, 2017). Mr. Genova has been ranked in the Top 10 and/or Top 100 “Super Lawyers®” listings every year since 2005.
Since 1987, Mr. Genova has been ranked as stellar by Best Lawyers in Business & Commercial Litigation and Labor & Employment Law.
He holds the highest rating of AV® from Martindale-Hubbell.
Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers has named Mr. Genova as a leading lawyer for Business Litigation and Labor & Employment Law.
Human Resources Executive Magazine has named Mr. Genova as one of the country’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys.
Law Dragon® has ranked Mr. Genova in its Top 20 for Traditional Labor & Employment Law.
Law Dragon® has ranked Mr. Genova in its Top 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers.

As a litigator, Mr. Genova subscribes to the basic legal tenet that lawyers must know their case inside and out. In his mind, there is no substitute for preparation, attention to detail, and an uncompromising commitment to advancing the client’s interests. He sees his role as a “counselor” and problem solver, embracing the lawyer’s responsibility to educate clients about their legal rights, responsibilities and vulnerabilities, while assisting them in developing a clear path towards defined legal outcomes. Mr. Genova considers his principal skill as “effective advocacy,” defining it as the ability to marshal facts quickly, distill them to their core elements, and apply legal principles and strategies to achieve optimal outcomes for clients.

Countless business disputes, civil litigation matters, and complex commercial controversies involving family members, partners, shareholders, vendors, contractors and executives have benefitted form Mr. Genova’s expertise. He has served as lead or co-counsel at every stage of litigation from the pleading phase, discovery, and depositions, through motion practice, trial and appeal.

Mr. Genova’s experience in election and political law spans more than 30 years. He has represented candidates for every level of government, including those running for city council, county executive, mayor, state legislature, Governor, member of the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate, and President of the United States. He has also advised a large number of local, state and national political parties. He has also successfully represented clients in matters involving all aspects of election law and campaign finance, including ballot questions, vote-by-mail disputes, voter eligibility, election recounts, rechecks and post-election challenges. This includes matters falling under the Voting Rights Act, Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), and New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJELEC).

It is said that if it happens in the workplace, Angelo Genova has the experience to address the employer’s issue across an array of industries. He has 30 years of experience in collective bargaining, traditional labor law, employment litigation, EEO, Title VII, OSHA, FLSA (wage & hour), prevailing wage laws, project labor agreement negotiation, and the defense of individual and class action claims. Mr. Genova has negotiated precedent-setting collective bargaining agreements with public workers in New Jersey, including those involving difficult issues like employee contributions for healthcare costs.

Mr. Genova has also served as General Counsel to the New Jersey Democratic Party for 25 years. He is a former Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (2003 – 2007), former Chairman of the New Jersey Urban Development Corporation (1991 – 1992), and served as General Counsel to the Transition Team for former New Jersey Governor James J. Florio in 1989.

Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark.

A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House. With a forward-thinking agenda that reduced crime to its lowest levels in six decades, addressed affordability while maintaining steady growth, lowered unemployment, returned local control of schools after more than two decades, and replaced all 23,000 known lead service lines in less than three years at no cost to residents, Baraka has defied expectations since taking office in 2014.

Mayor Baraka’s futurist agenda has included the implementation of a groundbreaking partnership called Hire. Buy. Live. Newark, a program that marks the first time that any US city has sought to transform its economy by combining employment, procurement, and residential strategies.

As part of his commitment to strengthen Newark’s position in the expanded technology space, the City launched LinkNWK (pronounced Link Newark). This communications network of sidewalk kiosks provides Newark residents and visitors with free, gigabit Wi-Fi, mobile device charging, phone calls to anywhere in the U.S., access to municipal services, maps and directions, and real-time local information on city streets at no cost to taxpayers or users. Additionally, broadband and Wi-Fi have been extended to city parks and recreation centers, and the City seeks to ensure that every resident has access to free or very low-cost broadband to bridge the digital divide.

Mayor Baraka is recognized nationally as a thought leader in the space of urban revitalization, and his commitment to reducing crime in Newark, reimagining public safety, tackling the city’s housing crisis, and developing innovative and community-driven approaches to eliminating income inequality has solidified his status as one of the country’s most progressive elected officials.

While serving as the Mayor of Newark, he also presides as the President of NJ Urban Mayors Association; Executive Board Member for NJ League of Municipalities; Co-Chair, National League of Cities Reimagining Public Safety Task Force; U.S. Conference of Mayors- Vice Chair for Ports, Transportation and Communications Committee; and Member, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Local Government Advisory Committee.

Mayor Baraka was educated in the Newark Public Schools. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s Degree in Education Supervision from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City. His father, the late Amiri Baraka, was a legendary poet and playwright. His mother, Amina Baraka, is herself a renowned poet. Doting husband and father, Mayor Baraka is a published author who recently released the audible memoir “The Book of Baraka” and is well-regarded in the entertainment industry for his appearance on the Grammy-award winning album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” in his authentic role as an educator, and for his EP “What We Want.”

LaMonica McIver is a compassionate leader and committed public servant.

Born and raised in the Central Ward, LaMonica McIver is a public educator, a mother, and wife who has spent her life working in her community as a dedicated public servant. She is the Founder of Newark G.A.L.S., Inc. and founding Trustee of The Believe In Newark Foundation. She attended Warren Street School and graduated from Morton Street School to go on to attend Central High School, where she graduated as an Pre-Engineering Student in 2004. LaMonica has spent her life working in her community and being a dedicated public servant. Growing up in New Hope Village in City’s Central Ward, LaMonica had a passion to inspire and help people within her community. LaMonica started working in politics at the age of 13. Organizing youth groups to encourage others the importance of getting out to vote.

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After earning an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Bloomfield College and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Seton Hall University, she began her career as a School Leader, Educator, and HR Professional at a host of diverse public school districts.

LaMonica started Newark G.A.L.S., Inc. 2012. After growing up and serving in the Newark community, the passion to help young women became an essential mission of hers. Her hope was to give back to young girls in the community that gave to her.

Newark Gals is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of women from Newark. Through her leadership Newark Gals has empowered over 3000 girls at their annual girls conference they have hosted in the last 4 years at Central High School in the Central Ward, provided enrichment camps for girls over the summer, and helped launch and open the City’s first Center of Hope for Women and Girls in the Central Ward. Now as a partner with Newark Public Schools she continues to lead the organization by creating effective programs for High School Girls at the Marion Bolden Student Center.

In addition, LaMonica is very proud of the accomplishments of the Believe In Newark Foundation in which she helped found in 2014. The Believe in Newark Foundation is a non- profit organization that serves as a vehicle to provide resources, technical assistance and foster greater giving to support the nonprofit community and the residents of the City of Newark. Under LaMonica’s leadership the Believe in Newark Foundation has provided thousands of resources to the residents of Newark. Resources such as funding for small organizations, turkeys and food baskets to residents, programs and activities for seniors, toys for children during the holidays, and scholarships for Newark High School Seniors.

LaMonica’s mission remains unchanged: fighting for the quality of life for all residents of the Central Ward. Since finding the love of her community at age 11, she has not stopped serving the community. She serves in whatever capacity needed to help those of our City.

In 2018, LaMonica was elected as Council Member of the Central Ward. She is the youngest woman and Council Member to serve on the Newark Municipal Council. In 2022, LaMonica was appointted at the Council President of the Newark Municpal Council. The youngest to ever hold this post in the City of Newark. It’s the privilege of LaMonica’s life to work on behalf of ALL the people of the Central Ward. She’s lives in the Central Ward with her husband and daughter.

About The Governor

Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor
New Jersey

Phil Murphy, as he says, “grew up in a family that was middle class on a good day.” That has shaped Phil’s values, his priorities, and the kind of governor he will be.

Religion, basic values, work ethic, education, and civic awareness were pillars of family life. His father never graduated from high school, his mother worked as a secretary; they inspired Phil and his three siblings to pursue their educations and be active participants in civic life.

Phil put himself through Harvard on loans and part-time jobs. After earning a graduate degree at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he started his career at the bottom, working his way up to help lead a major international business by learning how economies grow and create jobs.

Phil has helped lead local charities to support troubled teens and domestic abuse survivors, and these groups have changed thousands of lives for the better. Nationally, Phil served proudly as New Jersey’s sole representative on the board of the NAACP, the world’s oldest civil rights organization. He served as Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee, helping Howard Dean on the “Fifty-State Strategy” that rebuilt the Democratic Party from the grassroots up; that effort helped return Congress to Democratic hands in 2006 and elect President Barack Obama in 2008. Phil also has led national and state task forces on education and public employee pensions and benefits.

In 2009, Phil answered President Obama’s call to service and became the U.S. Ambassador to Germany after his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. After returning home in 2013, Phil and his wife, Tammy, saw our state falling behind. They couldn’t sit by and watch hard working families struggling to stay even, much less get ahead. They founded New Start New Jersey as a “think and do” organization to rebuild the state’s economy from the middle class out — New Start New Jersey partnered with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University to create the New Start Career Network, which is helping older, long-term unemployed residents once again actively compete for good jobs.

As governor, Phil will make New Jersey more fair and just for all residents. His vision would grow the middle class and jumpstart the state’s economy by targeting investments in people and infrastructure, reclaiming New Jersey’s mantle as a center of the STEM and innovation economies, protecting working families by raising the minimum wage and expanding earned sick leave for all, and protecting the middle class with real tax fairness.

Phil and Tammy live in Monmouth County and are the parents of Josh, Emma, Charlie, and Sam.

Key Initiatives in Newark & Across New Jersey

Economy & Jobs

Governor Murphy’s primary focus is building a stronger and fairer economy that works for every New Jersey family. Since the recession, incomes have been stagnant while costs of living continue to rise, making it difficult for middle-class and working-class families to get by, much less get ahead. Governor Murphy believes in strengthening our economy by reigniting the innovation economy that made New Jersey the Silicon Valley before there was a Silicon Valley, and investing in infrastructure to take advantage of our location between two major markets. He is committed to making New Jersey’s economy fairer by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding protections for workers such as paid sick leave, and providing tax relief to working families. Governor Murphy will also institute a renewed focus on workforce development, vocational training, and apprenticeship programs so that workers will have the skills they need to meet employers’ requirements.

Education

Our state’s economic future depends on giving our children the education they need to succeed in a 21st-century economy where they will be competing with workers around the globe. While New Jersey is blessed with some of the best public schools and educators in the nation, significant disparities exist within our educational system. Governor Murphy is committed to fully funding the existing school funding formula, which was held up as a national model when passed, and opposes the unnecessary usage of standardized tests, particularly as graduation requirements. And money should never be a barrier to students who have the ability and drive to go to college, which is why he will work towards making community college free and four-year college more affordable.

Environment

Governor Murphy recognizes that climate change is a fact and an existential threat to our state and that the effects are already being felt along our shoreline. While this is a crisis to be addressed, it is also an opportunity to build a clean energy economy with good-paying green jobs. Governor Murphy will seize this opportunity by restoring New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and putting New Jersey on a road to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. He will accelerate the development of renewable energy sources by promoting solar energy and jumpstarting our offshore wind industry, where New Jersey should be a national leader given its location. In addition, he will ensure that our environmental efforts are appropriately focused on low-income communities who are disproportionately impacted by pollution, and protect the quality of our air and water supply.

Health

Governor Murphy believes that health care is a right, not a privilege, and will work to ensure that all New Jerseyans have access to affordable health care. The Affordable Care Act was a huge step in the right direction and reduced the uninsured population in the state by hundreds of thousands, and Governor Murphy will defend it against all attacks in Washington. He will fight back against any attempts to slash Medicaid funding or end the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which are crucial to many New Jerseyans. And Governor Murphy is committed to taking action at the state level to make health care more affordable and accessible.

Law & Justice

New Jersey has the shameful distinction of having the largest black-white incarceration gap of any state in the country. Governor Murphy will address this problem by bringing law enforcement and the community together, as he did when he brokered the first meeting between the head of the state PBA and the state chapter of the NAACP. He will end mass incarceration by pursuing the legalization of marijuana and comprehensively reviewing all criminal sentencing laws. Governor Murphy will also ensure that all of our communities are safe. That includes defending our immigrant communities that are being targeted by the federal government by ensuring that all New Jersey residents facing detention or deportation have access to legal representation. And he will also sign common-sense gun safety measures in order to stem the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our state.

Transportation

One of New Jersey’s greatest assets is its location, with access to two of the largest markets in the world. However, our state has squandered this advantage due to a failure to make the necessary investments in its infrastructure. The two current rail tunnels under the Hudson River are over 100 years old and rapidly deteriorating. After the termination of the Access to the Region’s Core project, which would have resulted in the opening of two new tunnels this year, Governor Murphy understands that the replacement Gateway Project is essential and will do everything possible to support it. Additionally, NJTransit has suffered from severe underfunding and mismanagement, which has seen fares soar while the quality of service and safety has declined sharply. Governor Murphy is committed to turning NJTransit around by ensuring that funding is adequate, improving customer service, and putting transportation experts in charge.

Kerri B. Levine

Kerri Berson Levine is a Vice President at The Fidelco Realty Group and a dedicated

philanthropist. Kerri devotes her professional efforts to improving and restoring a wide-range of

properties in urban areas throughout the tri-state area, including her family’s birthplace and the

center of her civic and philanthropic endeavors, Newark, N.J. She has contributed to Fidelco’s

success, developing distinct locations in overlooked inner-city neighborhoods and spearheading

the business’s commercial leasing, restaurant, marketing, and media initiatives. Kerri has helped

secure many noteworthy tenants, including Melba’s, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hudson Union

and Essex County, Chipotle, Krauszers, FastSigns, Redd’s Beirgarten, PureBarre, Leadership

Newark to name a few.

Most recently, Kerri has been focused on the renovation of the historic, Fidelco-owned 550

Broad Street building in Newark. Charged with identifying young, tech-industry tenants and

tenants representing the diverse community, Kerri is helping Fidelco bring a new vibe to the

North End. Kerri also forged a relationship with Melba Wilson, the world-famous restauranteur,

who will be opening a new restaurant – Melba’s 550 – in the 550 Broad location. 550 Broad

Street will soon be a business hub and restaurant destination for the neighborhood.

Additionally, Kerri is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo

& Zoological Society of New Jersey, where she is committed to enriching the zoo’s recreational

experience and fostering excellence in wildlife education and wildlife conservation. Kerri

partnered with Essex County to develop the zoo’s first Annual Miniature Golf Classic. She also

serves as a trustee and treasurer of Opportunity Project Inc., a not-for-profit organization helping

to rehabilitate and empower individuals living with brain injuries.

Kerri is co-founder of GIRLTALK #takeover, a daylong event for inner-city females ages 8-16

that focuses on beauty, community exposure, and female health and wellness. She also sits on the

NJPAC Women’s Board; is a trustee emeritus of Newark Downtown Development District; and

serves on the advisory board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hudson and Essex. Kerri’s passion

for her work at Fidelco is matched by her support of some of New Jersey’s key institutions,

including Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center,

GlassRoots, and Newark Yoga Movement.

Kerri received her degree from New York University in Manhattan, where she currently serves

on the CAS Dean’s Advisory Council.

Bernel Hall

President & Chief Executive Officer

Over the past 25 years, Bernel Hall has executed over $5 billion in real estate investment, lending, and disposition transactions for multifamily, retail, office, and hotel properties in 36 states throughout the US. A former investment banker, public housing executive, and real estate finance professor, Mr. Hall is an expert in large, multi-faceted public-private real estate transactions, small business transactions and executive leadership.

As New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) President and CEO, Mr. Hall leads the largest Community Development Financial Institution in New Jersey with four business lines–Lending, Real Estate Development, Investment Ventures and Strategic Community Consulting–with approximately $700 million in assets under management. Loans and investments leveraged over $2.5 billion in capital to more than 120,000 business owners and residents in underserved and low-income communities in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Additionally, Mr. Hall leads Community Asset Preservation Corporation (CAPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NJCC, and the largest affordable housing development company in New Jersey with more than 600 units of housing and 500,000 square feet of commercial assets. CAPC’s capabilities include real estate development, property management, asset management, mortgage acquisition, and mortgage modification services in New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

As President and CEO of Invest Newark, he established a proven track record of transformative leadership that resulted in wealth creation for underserved communities throughout New Jersey’s largest City. In partnership with his Board of Directors and Staff, Mr. Hall transformed Invest Newark into New Jersey’s premier economic development vehicle featuring the state’s only land bank, a municipally sponsored fiber optic company, an employee-owned industrial company, and an infrastructure investment fund.

As CEO of Halltown Real Estate Advisors, Mr. Hall served as real estate investment advisor to some of the largest housing authorities in the country. As part of his tenure with the Atlanta Housing Authority (“AHA”), Mr. Hall established an $100 million co-investment vehicle between AHA, HUD, and the Atlanta Economic Development Authority (“Invest Atlanta”). During his tenure with the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”), and oversaw the execution of over $1.5 billion in real estate disposition, development, and joint venture transactions. Previously, Mr. Hall worked in Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group where he was responsible for sourcing and evaluating urban-based multifamily, retail, and mixed-use real estate private equity investments. Prior to his work at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hall executed $785 million in real estate acquisitions, loans, and joint ventures transactions for UBS Investment Bank. Mr. Hall began his career with Bank of America in the firm’s Construction Lending and Real Estate Investment Banking Groups.

Mr. Hall is a licensed Uniform Investment Advisor (Series 7, 65) and possesses a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University and a M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He sits on the community development and new market tax credit advisory boards of PNC Financial and Goldman Sachs, respectively. He also holds a certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Ron Beit

Founding partner & CEO

RBH Group

Ron Beit is the founding partner and CEO of RBH Group, LLC, president of RBH Management, LLC, asset and property management companies; as well as managing member of RBH-TRB Newark Holdings, LLC. Ron has acquired, developed, rehabilitated, and/or operated over 1 million square feet of existing commercial and residential real estate in numerous projects throughout the U.S. as well as over 6 million additional developable square feet in institutional-grade sites throughout downtown, Newark, NJ.

Ron’s professional passion is in Newark, where he has been an active participant in helping the city become New Jersey’s business and entertainment capital and a downtown 24 hour, 7-day-a-week attraction. RBH Group boasts over 79 parcels that were acquired through 30 separate transactions in Newark’s downtown core. e company’s e orts there to date have been in land assemblage and land entitlement in order to create a large-scale platform for institutional-grade development. RBH is currently developing the groundbreaking Teachers Village project and the Four Corners Millennium project in the historic core of the city, as well as Makers Village in the Ironbound.

Ron is on the New Jersey Committee of the Regional Plan Association and is co-chairman of the board of the New Jersey chapter of Teach for America. He is also a board member of the Newark Alliance, St. Benedict’s Preparatory, Integrity House and the and the Greater Newark Convention and Visitor Bureau. Ron is also an active participant and contributor to several other charities.

Ron and his real estate work in Newark have been featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as in the Stoler Report and Sundance Channel’s Brick City television programs. Ron was named in New Jersey Biz’s 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Power 50 in Real Estate and was featured on the “New Jersey Capitol Report” in August 2012. Ron was also awarded the “Partners in Progress Award” at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (Barnabas Health) in April 2012, and the Newark Regional Business Partnership’s Kevin J. McKenna Leadership Award for 2014. He received the Medal of St. Benedict’s Award for 2015, Chamber Award 2015, AFL-CIO Award.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, his Juris Doctorate at New York Law School, and has been admitted to both the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations.

Adenah Bayoh
Founder & CEO
Adenah Bayoh and Companies

Adenah Bayoh embodies the American dream. At age 13, she escaped the civil war in her native country of Liberia, immigrated to the United States and is now one of the most successful entrepreneurs in her home state of New Jersey. Adenah is the founder and CEO of Adenah Bayoh and Companies, which is the parent corporation that owns IHOP franchises in Paterson and Irvington, New Jersey and a real estate development portfolio with over $225 million dollars in urban redevelopment projects. Because of the success of her flagship IHOP in Irvington, she is the second largest employer in the Township. Next year, Adenah will launch Cornbread, her signature line of fast casual, farm-to-table, soul food restaurants.

Adenah began her career as an entrepreneur at an early age. After attending a public high school in Newark, New Jersey and putting herself through college, she secured a job in banking and began purchasing multifamily homes as investments. Following the financial success of these investments, she left her banking position to concentrate on building her own businesses focused on transforming and empowering disadvantaged communities.

Inspired by her grandmother, who owned a restaurant in Liberia, Adenah decided to use the profits generated from her real estate investments to open an IHOP in Irvington, New Jersey. After overcoming financial challenges and a learning curve, she cut the ribbon on her first location in 2008 at age 27, making her one of the youngest IHOP franchisees in the country. In 2010, her location was the fastest-growing in the Northeast, and it remains one of the top grossing in the region. Adenah continues to build on her success; in January 2015, she was appointed to the prestigious Federal Reserve Bank of New York Advisory Council on Small Business and Agriculture. In December 2015, she was named to Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list alongside such luminaries as U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch; Robin Washington, the CFO of pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences; and Oscar winning actress Viola Davis.

On June 22, 2015, she proudly cut the ribbon on her second IHOP in Paterson, New Jersey. Located in the Center City Mall, IHOP Paterson will generate 120 jobs.

After expanding her real estate holdings with the acquisition of larger sites, she decided to take the bold step of transitioning from buying, selling and renting properties to full-scale real estate development. In 2012, she partnered with two other developers to purchase the former Irvington General Hospital site, which had been vacant for nearly a decade, and transform it into an unprecedented $200 million dollar residential and retail community. Additionally, she is in pre-development on the construction of another urban renewal project that will provide 40 residential units in Irvington.

Adenah is also philanthropically involved in the communities where she does business. At IHOP Irvington, she runs a free breakfast program for children under 12, and she hosts dinners for needy families during the holidays. In addition, she allows local nonprofit organizations to hold charitable events at both IHOP locations. Adenah’s accomplishments have not gone unrecognized. She is a sought-after speaker by business, professional, and community organizations; universities; and women’s associations. Moreover, in March 2014, she was honored as one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the publication NJBIZ and was the cover story in its March 24th issue.

Adenah is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where she earned a degree in Business Management. Despite her numerous successes, her proudest achievement is being a mother to her two young children.

David Wolfe focuses his practice on representing taxpayers in significant real estate tax matters. He also represents corporate and individual clients in complex civil litigation. He has extensive experience in all types of property tax appeals, including hotel, multi-family, retail, office, industrial properties, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. He frequently counsels clients regarding property tax exemption matters, abatements, and PILOTs. David also routinely performs property tax due diligence and tax projections for institutional clients.

David is proud to have assisted clients in the development and stabilization of several of the transformational projects in New Jersey’s largest two cities, Jersey City and Newark. He represents taxpayers in every county in New Jersey, throughout the North East and significant matters nationally through the firm’s relationship with the National Association of Property Tax Attorneys (NAPTA).

David has obtained billions of dollars of assessment reductions on behalf of his clients, including the following assessment reductions on behalf of his clients:

Reduced hotel assessment from $421 million to $259 million;
Reduced office assessment from $372 million to $264 million;
Reduced hotel assessment from $188 million to $131 million;
Reduced multifamily assessment from $116 million to $67 million;
Reduced nursing home assessment from $36 million to $10.1 million;
Reduced super-regional mall assessment from $21 million to $8 million;
Reduced power center assessment from $21 million to $13 million*
* All assessments rounded to nearest million

David serves on the NAPTA Board and as the Co-Chair of the Real Property Tax Practice Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA). Chair of the NJSBA Taxation Section, Mr. Wolfe has been featured or quoted in a wide variety of local and national publications, including Forbes.com, GlobeSt.com, Marketwatch.com, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Law.com, Law360.com, The New York Law Journal, and Commerce Magazine.

He began his career as an associate at the law firm of Davis Polk and Wardwell in New York. While at Davis Polk, he focused his practice on regulatory investigations, securities litigation and banking disputes.

David served as Co-Chair of the ABA’s Diversity & Inclusion 360 Presidential Commission and as a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates for several years. As a young lawyer, Mr. Wolfe served as the Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, the ABA’s largest entity with more than 130,000 members.

David received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and graduated from Cornell University with distinction in all subjects.

CALVIN W. SOUDER

Calvin Souder is an attorney whose practice entails commercial/residential real estate, tax, general complex litigation, toxic torts, product liability, fraud and commercial matters, corporate governance and compliance, and insurance.

Mr. Souder represents corporations and government entities on a wide variety of complex corporate transactions and legal matters. In his practice, Mr. Souder helps developers and multi family property owners navigate municipalities in drafting and negotiating redevelopment agreements, Long Term Tax Exemptions (PILOTS), and tax appeals. Mr. Souder also advises clients on identifying and pursuing potential funding sources. He also provides clients with invaluable aid in landlord/tenant and municipal courts. He assists clients in developing strategies to defend themselves from claims while effectively managing potential statutory and regulatory pitfalls brought about by litigation and complex transactions. Mr. Souder also aids clients in developing comprehensive strategic plans and consultation regarding the potential impact of policy and regulatory changes. In addition, Mr. Souder provides clients with access to both federal and state legislators who fashion legislation affecting a variety of industries including real estate,

education, health care, energy, the environment, and insurance.

Mr. Souder’s community roots also run deep. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Essex County College, New Jersey’s largest community college servicing approximately 15,000 full-time students and an additional 10,000 part-time students. In addition, Mr. Souder formerly served as the Vice-Chairman of Newark Now, founded by Senator Cory Booker. Newark Now has been nationally recognized for its Financial Empowerment and Father’s Now programs. Also, as a former trustee of the Mental Health Association of New Jersey, Mr. Souder has taken on the challenge to bring mental health awareness to bear in minority communities. Once a year, Mr. Souder travels to Abetifi-Kwahu in Ghana as a Board member of Adopt-one-Village to secure life sustaining provisions such as water, electricity, food, and education for the village’s youth. In 2011, Mr. Souder participated in Leadership New Jersey after being identified as one of the State’s future leaders. On multiple occasions, Mr. Souder has been called upon by the Governor and various State Legislators to provide leadership to State-run institutions such as during the merger of UMDNJ and Rutgers, and the initial investigation into the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. In 2013, Mr. Souder completed the Masters of Distinguished Leaders program, geared toward identifying and educating the next generation of Civil Rights Leaders, in Washington, DC. In his latest leadership venture, Mr. Souder joined the Corporate Advisory Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Jersey—he serves as its Vice-Chairman. In his spare time, he serves as a member of the Newark Public Library’s Foundation Board.

Mr. Souder was formerly an associate of one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms prior to founding Souder, Shabazz & Woolridge. Before that, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in the District of New Jersey from 2008-2009 and New Jersey Superior Court Judge John A. O’Shaughnessy of Hudson County Superior Court, Civil Division, from 2007-2008. In his role as a law clerk, he reviewed dispositive motions, social security appeals, and discovery disputes; he also drafted written opinions on a variety of civil and criminal law matters.

CALVIN W. SOUDER

Mr. Souder graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2007, with honors. While in law school he served as Vice-President of the Black Law Student Association, Corporate Relations Director for the Northeast Black Law Student Association, and was a member of the moot court team. Mr. Souder also received the ALI-ABA Scholarship and Leadership award for the class of 2007 and was recognized as the Best Oral Advocate in Appellate Advocacy. While at the College of the Holy Cross, Mr. Souder was a member of the school’s varsity football team and Vice

President of the Black Student Union.

Steven Gorelick

Executive Director

New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission

Steven Gorelick is Executive Director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, the state agency responsible for promoting film and television production in New Jersey. During his 39 year tenure with the Commission, New Jersey has hosted over 24,000 projects, enhancing the state economy by over $2.6 billion.

Mr. Gorelick has also written articles that have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, the New York Post, The Bergen Record, Variety, The Forward, Classic Images, Travel Host, Agent and Manager, and New Jersey Municipalities. He authored You Must Remember This In 1996: A Casablanca History and Weekly Planner.

Mr. Gorelick’s screenwriting credits include The Movies Return, a documentary about the history of filmmaking in New Jersey, narrated by Celeste Holm and telecast on NJN. He wrote the television documentary Movie Matrimony, a humorous look at weddings as portrayed in Hollywood films, starring Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna, aired on American Movie Classics (AMC) and Romance Classics. He produced and co-edited New Jersey In The Movies, New Jersey Stars In The Movies, Sounds Like New Jersey, and Garden State Superstars, four short films created for the annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. He co-created the video content for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Mobile Museum. And he scripted What If No One Answered The Call?, a nationally distributed video designed to promote emergency services recruitment among high school students. He also wrote and produced The New Land Of Oz, a promotional film touting the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne as a site for studio development and back lot production.

Mr. Gorelick has received many on-screen thank you credits for his assistance on a variety of movie and television productions, including Fox-Searchlight’s Garden State, starring Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, and Choke, starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston; Warner Bros.’ City By The Sea with Robert De Niro; Tri-Star Pictures’ Cadillac Records featuring Adrien Brody and Beyonce Knowles; Miramax Films’ Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, directed by Kevin Smith; Touchstone Pictures’ Cradle Will Rock starring Susan Sarandon and directed by Tim Robbins; Todd Solondz’ Happiness with Philip Seymour Hoffman; Michael Cuesta’s 12 and Holding starring Annabella Sciorra; the Artie Lange comedy Beer League; Comedy Central’s Strangers With Candy starring Amy Sedaris; Orion Classic’s Rain Without Thunder featuring Betty Buckley and Jeff Daniels; Columbia/Tri Star’s Fathers and Sons with Jeff Goldblum; Choice Films’ Junction, starring Michael O’Keefe and David Zayas; Favorite Son featuring Pablo Schreiber and Connor Paolo; Vidmark Entertainment’s A Fool and His Money starring Sandra Bullock; ShadowCatcher Entertainment’s Getting To Know You, starring Seymour Cassel and Mary McCormack; Painted Zebra Production’s 13th Child featuring Cliff Robertson and Lesley-Anne Down; Almi Pictures’ Silent Madness with Viveca Lindfors and Belinda Montgomery; Filmworld’s Doom Asylum; Shoreline Entertainment’s “Torture Chamber,” directed by Dante Tomaselli; the FOX telefilm Jersey Girls starring Jamie Gertz; the HBO telefilm Hysterical Blindness featuring Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis; Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete; the AMC special A Salute To New Jersey; and The Bond Force Legacy, an historical documentary from Bumble Bee Productions.

Mr. Gorelick is on the Advisory Committee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and is a trustee of the Thomas Edison Media Arts Consortium (sponsors of the Black Maria Film Festival and the New Jersey Young Filmmakers Festival). He serves on the selection committee of the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival and is a prescreening juror for the Asbury Park Music in Film Festival. He was an advisor to the Rutgers Film Coop, and served on the judging committee of the New Jersey Comedy Festival. He has served on the advisory board of the Fairleigh Dickinson undergraduate film program and the Audio, Video and Broadcasting Advisory Committee of the Newark Public School System. Mr. Gorelick has been a trustee of the Cape May New Jersey Film Festival; a member of the Board of Directors of the Two Rivers Film Festival; an advisor to the Entertainment Technology Conference at Mercer County College; and a pre-screening juror for the American Film Festival.

He has been interviewed on numerous television stations and networks, including ABC (“Nightline”), WCBS, WNBC, WNYC, WOR, WPIX, New Jersey Network, NJTV, News 12 NJ, Court TV, MeTV (WJLP), and many radio stations and networks, among them NPR, WCBS, WINS, WKXW (NJ 101.5), WBGO, and WCTC.

A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Mr. Gorelick grew up in Edison and graduated from Rutgers University. He currently resides in South Brunswick.

LESLIE A. ANDERSON

Leslie A. Anderson is the President and CEO of the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA), a multi-million dollar independent financing authority created by the state of New Jersey to transform urban communities through direct investment and technical support. Leslie is the only Black woman in the nation to helm an independent redevelopment financing authority, and thanks to her effectiveness she has been reappointed to this position by four consecutive governors.

Under her bold leadership, NJRA has used its financial resources to leverage nearly $4 billion in new investments, helping to redevelop some of New Jersey’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. Moreover, the authority committed nearly half a billion dollars in direct investments to the 66 legislatively designated communities that it serves. This has led to the creation of over 15,000 new housing units and over 10 million square feet of commercial and retail space.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NJRA created the Small Business Lease-Emergency Assistance Grant Program to provide commercial rent-relief grants up to $10,000 to the small businesses that have been hardest hit by the health and economic crisis. The highly successful program, funded by the CARES Act, was fully subscribed in under 30 minutes. Not only were 90% of the applicants minority business owners, but nearly 70% had not received any other form of relief, including CARES Act funding.

In 2006, Leslie created the NJRA Redevelopment Training Institute (RTI) to provide learning opportunities centered on the complexities of redevelopment and best practices for community revitalization. Since inception, RTI has trained over 2,000 attorneys, elected officials, developers, and community based organizations. It has also received certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners, the Northeastern Economic Developers Association, and Continuing Legal Education through the NJ Supreme Court.

Prior to joining the staff of NJRA, Leslie served as a Policy Advisor to former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. In this capacity, she was responsible for working on economic, commerce, and urban policy. She played an integral role in the creation of Governor Whitman’s urban economic strategy, which was enacted into law in July 1996 through the passage of the New Jersey Urban Redevelopment Act. Leslie began her career in her hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey where she spent nearly a decade working in the city’s economic development office. She began her tenure as a planner and was ultimately selected by the mayor to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development.

Leslie remains heavily involved in the Plainfield community. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., which is a public service organization that strives to confront the problems facing disadvantaged African Americans. Leslie has served in various leadership positions in the organization including as the president of the Central Jersey Alumnae Chapter.

Leslie is a Leadership NJ Fellow, and holds active memberships in the Penn State Alumni Association and the Council of Finance Development Agencies. Leslie also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Heart of NJ Girl Scout Council and the Free Global Foundation.

Leslie’s commitment to service has earned her numerous awards and recognitions. She has the distinction of being named to ROI-NJ’s Influencers Real Estate: Power Players list as well as the ROI Influencers: People of Color list. She has also been recognized as one of NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business, and she was recognized by the Black Alumni of Penn State University for her outstanding work in public service. Leslie has also been the recipient of the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award; the Chris Kjeldsen Community Service Award; the Garden State Bar Association’s Roger M. Yancey Award (one of three non-lawyers to receive this prestigious award); the Girl Scouts of Delaware Raritan Woman of Distinction Award; and she is also an inductee in the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame.

Leslie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University.