Melanie Willoughby, a fixture in the New Jersey business and government communities for five decades, will retire as executive director of the New Jersey Business Action Center, effective Aug. 1, she announced.
“I have been incredibly proud to serve the people and businesses of New Jersey in a variety of roles across my career, including Director of State and Federal Government Relations at the Department of Community Affairs, President of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, and Vice President and later Chief Government Affairs Officer at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association,” she said. “Leading the BAC and serving my fellow New Jerseyans has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Her work at the BAC has been particularly meaningful, she said, as the BAC helps businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to identify the resources, rules and relationships they need to understand in order to succeed in New Jersey.
“For the past 8 years, I have led a team that celebrated triumphs and navigated challenges,” she said. “The BAC has supported thousands of New Jersey businesses and entrepreneurs during a global pandemic, oversaw the first update to the New Jersey State Plan in decades, launched business.nj.gov as a virtual state business hub, helped dozens of local businesses enter the export market, and created the New Jersey Manufacturing Network.
“It has been a personal blessing to have worked alongside incredibly dedicated colleagues throughout my career as a public servant and advocate for the business community. While my chapter at the BAC is coming to a close, I retire knowing that the people and businesses of New Jersey are in great hands with the Business Action Center.”
A seasoned government relations strategist, with 48 years working in Trenton, Melanie has worked with federal, state and local levels of government as an advocate for businesses of all sizes and types.
Before joining the BAC in 2018, Willougbhy served as the Chief Government Affairs Officer of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.
Prior to joining NJBIA, she served as the president and CEO of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, a statewide retail business organization. She also was the voice of the retail industry on the state and national stage.
She started her career in the administration of Gov. Brendan Byrne, as the Director of State and Federal Government Affairs in the NJ Department of Community Affairs. She directed the governor’s agenda on fiscal control of municipal and county governments, housing development and land use planning.
She leaves the scene with a lifetime of memories.
“I am grateful for the friendships, the lessons and the shared commitment toward making New Jersey a great place to live, work and to do business,” she said.
