As the former president of Louisiana State University and a longtime top official at Washington University in St. Louis, Tate brings an outsider’s perspective to his role at Rutgers — one he began last summer. Tate already is taking steps to build relationships, saying the school’s connection to the state — its elected officials and business leaders — is vital to its success.
Thomas is the best-known and most respected communications and marketing professional in South Jersey. Her more than 25 years of co-ownership of her firm with fellow honoree Pam Boyd helped her earn that distinction. Here’s how she keeps it: By acting as if every day is her first day in the industry. Thomas outworks the competition. Hustle always wins.
Titus took over the role of overseeing New Jersey last year — but he’s not new to the position. As vice president of CGI’s state and local business, he also covers Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, helping to deliver sector business strategy and planning, profit & loss ownership — and aligning areas of market demand to key sector strengths and capability in concert with CGI, government relations and external business partners.
A lawyer’s lawyer: Torcicollo is the perfect person for leadership of the firm, as he spent more than a decade hiring and mentoring many members of the team. He also brings a broad-based commercial litigation practice with substantial trial experience to the role as one of the top attorneys in the metropolitan area for construction-related disputes.
Voorhees took over as CEO last summer — the latest in a long list of promotions. She joined NJM in 1996 in the information technology department and steadily assumed roles of increasing responsibility. She was instrumental in creating a project management process and led several strategic technology upgrades at the company. In 2018, she was elevated to chief information officer. In 2024, she became chief operating officer.
Walsh is the leader of a firm that not only is one of the country’s top 25 advisory, accounting and tax firms — but a longtime cornerstone of the greater New Jersey business community, having recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Walsh, who has an MBA and is a CPA, has led numerous firmwide strategic initiatives around best practices, client experience and technology.
As the second-generation leader of one of the largest logistics companies in the state, Walsh deftly guided National Retail Systems in North Bergen through the pandemic and its impact on the supply chain. As a longtime resident of Saddle River, he gladly became the primary donor of the Walsh Family Bridge, one of the first covered bridges to be built in the state in years.
With more than 30 years of experience providing employee benefit plan audit and consulting services to publicly and privately owned entities across the United States, it’s no wonder Wasser is the founder of EisnerAmper’s Pension Services Group. But that’s hardly her calling card. As partner-in-charge, she is responsible for maintaining the firm’s excellent culture, providing the best employee and client experience possible.
How’s this for being a company man: Westhoven joined New Jersey Natural Gas as an engineer in November 1990. He was soon elevated to director and then to senior vice president of energy services at New Jersey Resources. He ran the company’s unregulated businesses, Clean Energy Ventures and Home Services, before being named president and chief operating officer in 2019.
Williams is the leader of the labor-management group for union carpenters and contractors in a multistate region, including New Jersey. She has become a prominent voice for workforce development, advocating for skilled trades. A union apprentice herself, she also has become a highly regarded (and appreciated) leader in the effort to empower women in construction.
Since starting The Zita Group in 2007, Zita has focused on helping organizations navigate government with intention and integrity as a strategic consultant, lobbyist and policy analyst. She has been a success every step of the way. What began as a small partnership has grown into one of New Jersey’s top lobbying and strategic consulting firms — and the largest founded and led by a woman.
