Mishael Azam
Vice President of External Affairs
UnitedHealth Group
Azam is a go-to voice on health care policy in New Jersey and nationally, working with providers and elected officials toward one core goal: making sure everyone has access to affordable coverage.
Cathy Bennett
CEO
N.J. Hospital Association
Bennett has kept NJHA pushing on two fronts in 2026 — advocacy around federal Medicaid cuts and a new technology alliance with Jade Global aimed at cutting administrative red tape and expanding AI use across the association’s roughly 400 member hospitals, health systems and post-acute providers.
Vanessa Broadhurst
Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs
Johnson & Johnson
Broadhurst is a member of J&J’s executive committee, guiding global marketing, communications, health equity and government affairs. A veteran leader with more than 25 years in global health care, she previously shaped commercial strategy for J&J’s Innovative Medicine sector and led multiple U.S. businesses.
Chrissy Buteas
CEO
HealthCare Institute of New Jersey
Buteas leads HINJ, the statewide trade group representing New Jersey’s pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-technology companies — a sector responsible for billions in economic impact. She’s a prominent voice in Trenton and Washington on innovation, affordability and patient access, steering industry advocacy while strengthening partnerships across government, academia and the lifescience ecosystem.
Chuck Cerniglia
Executive Director – New Jersey Market
UnitedHealthcare
Cerniglia is approaching a pair of milestones: two decades with UnitedHealthcare and one year leading its New Jersey market.
Christopher Cozic
Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer
Genmab
Cozic helps run a Danish antibody-medicine company that’s grown fast in New Jersey — from about 150 employees in 2020 to more than 1,000 today — anchored by its state-of-the-art facility at the Princeton Forrestal Innovation Center in Plainsboro.
James Davis
Chairman & CEO
Quest Diagnostics
Davis leads a lab-testing giant that posted strong revenue growth and became the first independent national lab named to the Optum Health Preferred Lab Network, all while leaning further into automation, robotics and AI to sharpen quality and productivity.
Uli Diaz
SVP, Government and Community Affairs
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.J.
Diaz is a familiar face among policymakers in both Trenton and Washington and extends that influence into the community as a board member of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
Paul Di Maio
CEO
Delta Dental of N.J. and Connecticut
Di Maio took the top job at Delta Dental in 2025, capping a run that began in 2016 and included a stint as chief administrative officer overseeing legal, compliance, HR, audit and special investigations.
Joaquin Duato
Chairman & CEO
Johnson & Johnson
Duato has kept J&J’s New Jersey footprint growing in 2026 — he was named chair of the newly formed New Jersey CEO Council advising on statewide economic strategy, and secured naming rights for the Johnson & Johnson Exchange at the New Jersey Innovation Hub, part of the HELIX project taking shape in New Brunswick.
Stephen Dumke
CEO
Christian Health
Dumke has positioned Christian Health as one of New Jersey’s most forward-thinking senior-care and behavioral-health organizations, one that believes aging and mental health are the same fight. Under his leadership, Christian Health has integrated geriatric medicine, psychiatry and long-term care into a unified model that improves outcomes and lowers costs.
John Fanburg
Managing Member
Brach Eichler
Fanburg has spent more than 40 years advising physicians and health care institutions on corporate, transactional and regulatory matters, and chairs his firm’s Healthcare Law practice. He’s one of New Jersey’s most trusted legal strategists in the sector — a go-to for complex deals, compliance challenges and the fast-shifting policy landscape.
John Flavin
Founder
Portal Innovations
Flavin, a longtime biotech accelerator leader, founded Portal Innovations to back early-stage life sciences, medtech and bioinformatics companies. He’s bringing a model that blends capital, wet-lab space and strategic support — helping startups move from concept to clinical and commercial traction — to the HELIX in New Brunswick.
Dr. Joseph Galasso; Dr. Carrie Ditzel
Founding Partner; Director of Geropsychology & Neuropsychology
Baker Street Behavioral Health
Galasso built a rapid-access behavioral health model with statewide offices and national telehealth, expanding care for all ages while leading nationally recognized programs for individuals with disabilities. Ditzel directs geropsychology and neuropsychology, improving wellbeing for thousands of older adults facing postCOVID psychological challenges.
John Gallucci
CEO
JAG Physical Therapy
Gallucci has grown JAG from a single West Orange clinic into a 150-plus-location powerhouse spanning New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania — one of the region’s largest physical therapy providers. He’s built deep ties with colleges and pro teams, including Rutgers, Seton Hall and the New Jersey Devils, cementing JAG as a go-to name in sports and rehabilitative care.
Chris Guiton
Head, NJ State and Community Engagement, Government Affairs & Policy
Johnson & Johnson
Guiton leads Johnson & Johnson’s state and community engagement strategy in New Jersey, shaping policy relationships and partnerships that strengthen the company’s presence across the state. He works at the intersection of government affairs, community investment and health equity priorities, helping connect J&J’s global capabilities to local needs and statewide economic development.
Debbie Hart
CEO
BioNJ
Hart has spent more than three decades building BioNJ into the advocacy home for the state’s biotechnology industry, including its signature annual biopartnering event that brings together founders, researchers and investors.
Phillip Heath
CEO
Samaritan
Heath leads Southern New Jersey’s top hospice care organization, where the Care Pathways initiative folds in palliative medicine, primary care and social connection alongside the Boccolini Institute’s research and education work.
Dr. Jean-Pierre Issa
CEO
Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Issa leads Coriell’s push into advanced science and commercial growth, expanding its role as a trusted biomaterials supplier while driving research in aging, cancer and epigenetics — how genes switch on and off. His leadership strengthens Coriell’s mission to translate cutting-edge discovery into real-world impact across precision medicine and population health.
Brigitte Johnson
CEO
Care Plus NJ
Johnson has transformed Care Plus NJ’s behavioral health continuum, growing one of the nation’s first CCBHCs and expanding access to crisis, school-based and community care. Her leadership has positioned Care Plus NJ as a leading voice for a stronger behavioral health system while helping more individuals and families access comprehensive, coordinated support.
Terrill Jordan
CEO
Regional Cancer Care Associates
Jordan leads one of the largest community-based oncology networks in the country, with more than 110 cancer care specialists, roughly 500 employees, and 25 locations across New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic. A former VP and Chief Legal Officer, he brings more than 20 years of multidisciplinary business and legal experience across healthcare and major industries.
Scott Kobler
Partner
McCarter & English
Kobler has spent more than 40 years as one of the go-to attorneys for New Jersey’s biggest, most complex health care deals, representing lenders and providers across the acute, subacute, lay and faith-based spectrum.
Wendy Lazarus
Principal
WML Public Affairs
Lazarus runs a boutique public affairs firm known for its work across health care, life sciences and regulated industries. She’s a trusted adviser to executives navigating policy, communications and stakeholder engagement, bringing a reputation for strategic clarity and coalition-building. Her counsel helps organizations anticipate regulatory shifts and shape narratives in Trenton and beyond.
Dan Loughlin
Vice Chairman – Brokerage, New Jersey
JLL
Loughlin handles corporate representation on both sides of commercial real estate transactions — acquisitions and dispositions — with particular depth in pharmaceutical and biotech site strategy. Put another way: He’s in the middle of every big corporate real estate transaction in the life science sector.
Roberto Muñiz
CEO
Parker Health Group
Muñiz will retire by the end of 2026, capping a 28-year tenure defined by the transformation of senior care from institutionalized settings to person-centered “small home” environments. He joined Parker in 1998, when the nonprofit operated just two nursing homes; under his vision, the organization evolved into an integrated system now supporting more than 16,000 older adults annually across a full continuum of residential and home-based care.
Barry Munk
CEO
Marquis
Munk oversees Marquis’ expansion into modern, person-centered senior care and post-acute services. His steady, mission-driven leadership has strengthened quality, operations and partnerships across New Jersey. Under his direction, Marquis continues evolving its care model to meet rising demand and sector-wide transformation, earning recognition as a growing force in senior-care innovation.
Mike Munoz
Senior Vice President & Market President
AmeriHealth
Recognized for his commitment to expanding access to affordable, high-quality health care, Munoz has helped drive meaningful change for the communities AmeriHealth serves while fostering strong community partnerships and a culture of excellence.
Jill Ojserkis
Chair, Healthcare Law Practice Group
Cooper Levenson
Ojserkis leads Cooper Levenson’s Healthcare Law Practice Group, advising hospitals, health systems, medical staffs and providers on transactions, governance, compliance and medical-staff matters. Her work is shaped by years serving as in-house counsel at both community and academic health systems, giving her firsthand insight into the operational and regulatory pressures facing providers.
John Oyler
CEO
BeOne
At a time when other N.J. life sciences companies are announcing manufacturing expansions … in other states, Oyler and BeOne are doubling down on their new campus in Hopewell, adding a three-story, 145,000-square-foot building that will increase its square footage to nearly 500,000 SF and total investment to more than $1 billon.
Chris Paladino
President
New Brunswick Development Corp.
Paladino has guided major redevelopment in New Brunswick for years, and is now driving the $2 billion, 1.5-million-square-foot HELIX innovation district toward completion — a multi-building hub that will house a new medical school, research institutes and startup space, positioning the city as one of the East Coast’s emerging lifescience engines.
Anjana Patel; Gary Herschman
Partners
Baker Donelson
Patel and Herschman anchor Baker Donelson’s Health Care practice, bringing reputations as two of New Jersey’s most established health care attorneys on complex transactions, regulatory strategy and high-stakes matters. Patel serves as Office Managing Partner at the Princeton and Metropark offices.
Alex Richter
Executive Director and Head
SciTech Scity Innovation Hub
Richter has built SciTech Scity from the ground up — assembling its team, operating model and partner network — and launched the Healthcare Innovation Engine, a multi-stakeholder effort advancing digital-first care for underserved communities. The Engine earned a 2025 World Economic Forum award. He previously spent a decade at BCG advising Fortune 500 health care companies.
Ward Sanders
President
N.J. Association of Health Plans
Sanders leads the trade association representing the state’s major health plans, including all five Medicaid managed-care organizations, after 15 years in New Jersey government roles that included running the state’s early health care exchanges.
Judy Schmidt
CEO
New Jersey State Nurses Association
Schmidt, whose group represents 125,000 nurses statewide, is a former educator and clinical leader who previously served at Community Medical Center, Seton Hall University and Ocean County College. She is widely regarded as a leading voice on New Jersey’s nursing workforce challenges.
Linda Schwimmer
CEO
N.J. Health Care Quality Institute
Schwimmer is a leading voice on health care quality, safety and affordability, regularly advising state lawmakers and officials while pushing a national vision of safe, equitable, affordable care for everyone.
Christine Stearns
Chief Government Relations Officer
N.J. Hospital Association
Stearns is one of the best-connected advocates in Trenton, serving as NJHA’s key adviser on government and public affairs and a dealmaker for the partnerships the association needs to move its agenda.
Richard Stefanacci
Medical Director
Inspira LIFE
Since January 2025, Stefanacci has provided leading medical direction for Inspira LIFE, New Jersey’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) — a two-site program delivering fully integrated care to older adults across Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties. His work spans fall-injury mitigation, dementia care, medication safety and augmented-intelligence tools for care documentation.
Gary St. Hilaire
Chairman & CEO
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.J.
St. Hilaire has spent 2026 pushing the state’s largest insurer further into value-based care, leading strategic performance improvements and statewide affordability initiatives while building partnerships aimed at expanding access.
Jen Velez
EVP, Health and Network Solutions
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.J.
Velez oversees Horizon’s statewide provider networks and health-solutions strategy, shaping how millions of New Jerseyans access care. A former state human services commissioner with senior roles at RWJBarnabas Health and Shatterproof, she brings a rare blend of policy, operations and advocacy experience — grounding Horizon’s work in the needs of vulnerable communities while driving innovation across the payer landscape.
Dr. Charles Vialotti; Patrick Maron
Medical Director; Administrative Director
Villa Marie Claire
Vialotti brings nearly 50 years of clinical experience as a board-certified radiation oncologist to his efforts to improve hospice and palliative care. Maron, the facility’s administrative director since 2020, brings a hospitality-driven, mission-centered approach to leadership, overseeing all clinical, administrative and facility functions.
