Jason Abreu
President
Atlantic Cape Community College
Jason Abreu became Atlantic Cape Community College’s 10th president on July 1. A first-generation college graduate, he has more than 20 years of leadership experience in education, including more than 15 in senior higher education administration. He previously served as vice president of student affairs at Tarrant County College’s Trinity River Campus in Fort Worth, Texas, and held leadership roles at Furman University and Miami Dade College. He holds a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.
Andrés Acebo
Chancellor
Kean Jersey City
Andrés Acebo led New Jersey City University through a financial turnaround as its 13th president before becoming Chancellor of Kean Jersey City when the two universities completed their historic merger on July 1. Under his leadership, NJCU reduced institutional debt by tens of millions of dollars and saw its outlook upgraded by Moody’s from negative to positive — the first positive outlook in the university’s history. The first-generation son of Cuban exiles from Union City, Acebo was the youngest known president to lead a public university in New Jersey.
Kathy Acosta; Angela Vargas
President; Board Member
Latino Mental Health Association of New Jersey (LMHANJ)
Kathy Acosta and Angela Vargas are key leaders of the Latino Mental Health Association of New Jersey, advancing statewide efforts to expand culturally responsive mental-health services for Latino residents. Acosta, the organization’s President, drives advocacy, professional development and policy engagement. Vargas, a Board Member and past President, leads community outreach and education initiatives that strengthen access and mental-health literacy. Together, they shape LMHANJ’s impact across New Jersey’s behavioral-health landscape.
Roly Acosta
CEO
JAG Companies, Inc.
Roly Acosta leads JAG Companies, parent to Northeast Remsco Construction, Caldwell Marine International, and Huxted Trenchless, three major infrastructure contractors operating nationally. Under his leadership, the companies deliver complex heavy-civil, marine, and trenchless projects for public agencies and private clients, contributing to large-scale transportation, utility, and energy infrastructure. His tenure has positioned JAG as a recognized force in specialized construction across the U.S.
Luis Alamo
CEO
Alamo Insurance Group
Luis Alamo is CEO of Alamo Insurance Group, a Secaucus-based brokerage he founded in 1994. The firm, one of the state’s largest independent insurance groups, provides risk-management consulting and employee-benefits services to public entities and private clients. Alamo’s leadership centers on complex risk strategy, public-sector advisory work, and long-term client service across diverse industries.
Alyana Alfaro Post
Executive Communications Lead
PSEG
Alyana Alfaro Post leads executive communications at PSEG, shaping strategic messaging for senior leadership. She previously served in the office of former Gov. Phil Murphy, managing statewide press operations and communications strategy. Her work at PSEG centers on executive visibility, organizational storytelling and high-level corporate communications supporting major energy, infrastructure and regulatory initiatives.
Valeria Aloe
Director of Strategic Planning
Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Montclair State University
Valeria Aloe spent more than 20 years in brand management and finance across seven countries, at companies including Procter & Gamble, Citibank, Reckitt Benckiser and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She also founded the Rising Together Movement, which works to bridge the cultural gap between Latino and non-Latino leaders, and wrote the book Uncolonized Latinas. Her honors include Top 100 Latina in the U.S. in 2023.
Guillermo Artiles
Partner
McCarter & English, LLP
Guillermo Artiles is a Partner at McCarter & English, where he chairs the firm’s Government Affairs practice, leads its Cannabis Group and serves as managing partner of the Trenton office. He advises clients across telecommunications, healthcare, energy and technology on government affairs and complex business litigation. Artiles is a registered New Jersey government affairs agent and a recognized voice in the state’s cannabis and public-affairs sectors.
Maricela Báez
PR & Partnerships Specialist
Goya Foods
Maricela Báez is a public relations and partnerships specialist at Jersey City-based Goya Foods, where she is one of the company’s public faces in the community. Her work includes Goya’s partnership with Catholic Charities’ Feeding Our Neighbors program, which provided 300,000 pounds of food this year. She has accepted honors on Goya’s behalf for its disaster relief in Puerto Rico, and she has spoken on the company’s culinary-arts scholarships and on women’s leadership in the food and supermarket industry.
Jose Balderrama
SVP, Human Resources
Valley Health System
Jose Balderrama joined Valley in 2014 and has since led its Human Resources team, overseeing the growth of the health system’s greatest asset — its people. His accomplishments include attracting and retaining staff committed to Valley’s culture and mission, achieving record employee engagement and industry-leading retention rates, training staff to support Valley’s transformation into a high-reliability organization, and guiding the health system’s COVID-19 response with a focus on staff safety and mental health. Valley is now widely recognized as a top regional employer.
Hubert Benitez
President
Saint Peter’s University
Hubert Benitez is President of Saint Peter’s University, where he oversees the institution’s academic direction, financial strategy, external partnerships, and long-term growth initiatives. As the university’s 23rd president, he leads efforts to strengthen enrollment, expand academic programs, and elevate the Jesuit institution’s regional and national profile. His career includes more than two decades of executive leadership in higher-education and health-science institutions.
Stephanie Brown
Head of Government Relations & Community Impact; Chair
Wonder; New Jersey State Ethics Commission
Stephanie Brown serves as Head of Government Relations & Community Impact at Wonder, helping guide the company’s public-sector strategy, regulatory engagement, and community partnerships as it expands its foodtech footprint. She also serves as Chair of the N.J. State Ethics Commission, overseeing statewide ethics compliance and governance standards. Her work spans government affairs, policy development, and cross-sector civic engagement.
Tonio Burgos
Founder & CEO
Tonio Burgos and Associates
Tonio Burgos is Founder & CEO of Tonio Burgos and Associates, a prominent government-relations and strategic-consulting firm with offices in New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The firm advises major corporations, nonprofits, and public agencies on policy, infrastructure, and legislative strategy. Burgos has decades of influence in regional politics and public affairs, shaping high-level advocacy across the Northeast.
Laura Bustamante
Chief of Staff
Office of the Mayor, Jersey City
Laura Bustamante serves as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Jersey City, one of New Jersey’s largest and fastest-growing municipalities. She oversees strategic initiatives, inter-governmental coordination, policy execution, and city-wide priorities across economic development, public safety, and community engagement. Her role places her at the center of Jersey City’s operational and political leadership.
Dr. Cristina Calderon
Hospitalist
Atlantic Medical Group; Overlook Medical Center (Atlantic Health System)
As a bilingual Latina physician working in both primary care and hospital medicine, Dr. Cristina Calderon represents a still-uncommon presence in New Jersey medicine. She is a hospitalist and board-certified family medicine physician with Atlantic Medical Group, caring for patients at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. She earned her medical degree from the American University of Antigua and completed her family medicine residency at Albany Medical Center, serving as chief resident from 2019-20.
Patricia Campos Medina
President
Latina Civic
Patricia Campos Medina is President of Latina Civic, a statewide organization advancing Latina political power, civic engagement and leadership development. She is also a nationally recognized labor and immigrant-rights strategist, advising unions, advocacy groups, and policy organizations. Her work centers on building coalitions, expanding representation, and shaping public-policy conversations affecting working families and immigrant communities.
Dr. Gerardo Capo
Medical Director
Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Gerardo Capo is the first Hispanic medical director at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. He leads oncology strategy, clinical quality, and program growth for one of RWJBH’s major cancer centers. His appointment is significant because Trinitas serves a predominantly Hispanic community and RWJBH explicitly cites his background as central to strengthening culturally competent care.
Joe Cardona
Vice Chancellor, University Relations
Rowan University
Joe Cardona is vice chancellor for university relations at Rowan University and serves as its spokesperson. He has spent more than 30 years at Rowan, starting in the Educational Opportunity Fund program, and has been the communications leader for three of the university’s seven presidents. A Fair Lawn native, he holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Rowan.
Dennis Carrión
Founder
Carrion Accident & Injury Attorneys
Dennis Carrión is a bilingual personal-injury attorney serving clients across New Jersey, New York and Florida through his firm, Carrion Accident & Injury Attorneys. Known for high-stakes advocacy in cases involving catastrophic injury, workplace accidents, and negligence, he leads a practice centered on accessibility for Spanish-speaking communities. Carrión’s regional footprint and community-focused approach have made him a trusted legal voice for diverse families navigating complex claims.
Dr. Hector Castillo
Sole Proprietor
Office of Hector L. Castillo, M.D.
Dr. Hector Castillo is a Paterson-based ophthalmologist affiliated with St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, with more than 45 years in practice after earning his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. Beyond his ophthalmology and internal medicine practice, he is a real estate entrepreneur and community leader known for his commitment to serving Spanish-speaking patients, with civic involvement including the Paterson Task Force and the Peruvian Parade.
Dr. Hector Javier Castro
Director of Community Health & Wellness Education and Program Development
MAXITIA Project Inc.
Dr. Hector Javier Castro is a physician and consultant across internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and emergency and trauma medicine, who now leads community health education for MAXITIA Project Inc., a Paterson-based nonprofit. He designs programs that help Latino community members navigate the health care system and make informed care decisions, including a Health Shepherding Program that coordinates access and advocacy.
Alejandra Ceja
VP, Office of Social Impact and Inclusion; Executive Director
Panasonic; Panasonic Foundation
Alejandra Ceja is Vice President of the Office of Social Impact and Inclusion at Panasonic and Executive Director of the Panasonic Foundation, leading corporate-responsibility strategy, philanthropic investments, and community partnerships across the company’s U.S. operations. She oversees programs focused on education, workforce development, and equity initiatives. Ceja previously led national education and nonprofit efforts, bringing extensive experience in mission-driven corporate impact.
Tara Chalakani
CEO
Preferred Behavioral Health Group
Tara Chalakani is CEO of Preferred Behavioral Health Group, one of New Jersey’s largest nonprofit behavioral-health organizations, providing mental-health, substance-use and community-support services across multiple counties. She leads strategic growth, clinical expansion, and statewide partnerships focused on improving access to care. Under her leadership, PBHG continues strengthening crisis intervention, youth services and integrated behavioral-health programs.
Margo Chaly
Acting Secretary of Higher Education
State of New Jersey
Margo Chaly serves as New Jersey’s Acting Secretary of Higher Education, overseeing statewide higher-education policy, institutional accountability, student-success initiatives and coordination across public and private colleges. She leads efforts to expand affordability, workforce alignment, and equitable access to post-secondary opportunities. Her office guides funding, regulatory oversight, and long-term strategic planning for New Jersey’s higher-education system.
Elisa Charters
Member; Founder
NJIT Board of Trustees; Juegos AI Lab
Elisa Charters is a double NJIT graduate (bachelor’s and master’s) who sits on the university’s Board of Trustees — the third Latina to serve in that role — and on the board of NJIT’s tech-innovation subsidiary, NJII. She’s also Founder of Juegos AI Lab, a Newark-based startup whose multilingual platform helps residents, small businesses and municipalities connect through local discovery. A 30-year veteran of public-sector finance and entrepreneurship, she brings a unique economic-development lens to her roles at NJIT and NJII.
Karina Checo Lemond
Assistant Vice President, Revenue Cycle
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Karina Checo is assistant vice president of revenue cycle at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, where she moved up from executive director of revenue cycle. She oversees the financial side of patient care at one of New Jersey’s largest hospitals, from billing to collections. She is a member of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives.
Melinda Colon Cox
General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
New Jersey Community Capital
Melinda Colon Cox is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at New Jersey Community Capital, the major community-development financial institution supporting affordable housing, small-business lending and neighborhood revitalization. She oversees legal strategy, compliance, governance and risk management for the organization’s statewide investment and lending portfolio. Her work supports mission-driven capital deployment in underserved communities.
Francisco Cortes
President; Chairman & CEO
N.J. State Veterans Chamber of Commerce; The Setroc Group
Francisco Cortes is President of the N.J. State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, leading statewide advocacy to expand contracting, certification, and procurement opportunities for veteran-owned businesses. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of The Setroc Group, a multicultural communications firm supporting corporate, nonprofit, and public-sector clients. His work centers on elevating veteran entrepreneurship and strengthening strategic storytelling across industries.
Jorge Cruz
Executive Director
LISC New Jersey
Jorge Cruz serves as Executive Director of LISC New Jersey, leading one of the state’s most active community-development organizations. He oversees investments in affordable housing, small-business support, neighborhood revitalization, and economic-mobility initiatives. Cruz directs statewide partnerships with municipalities, nonprofits, and private-sector stakeholders to expand equitable development and strengthen underserved communities.
Carol Cuadrado
Associate VP, University & Government Relations
William Paterson University
Carol Cuadrado is Associate Vice President for University and Government Relations at William Paterson University, where she leads legislative strategy, public-sector engagement, and institutional advocacy. She manages relationships with state and federal officials, advancing funding priorities, policy initiatives, and strategic partnerships that support the university’s mission and student success.
