A New Jersey-focused government relations professional who helps his clients navigate the policy making process and achieve their business goals. A former state senator, New Jersey utility commissioner, transportation policy maker and corporate management consultant whose diverse skills and extensive bipartisan relationships make him particularly adept at helping clients address issues at the intersection of business and government. Special expertise in clean energy and public infrastructure.Served 14 years in the New Jersey Legislature. Victor in nine elections. Transformed one of the most competitive legislative districts in the state into a “safe seat.” As a state senator, he rose to the position of Majority Conference Leader, and chaired two key committees: Transportation and Legislative Oversight. As chair of the latter, he led an 18-month investigation into deteriorating conditions at New Jersey Transit and enacted remedial legislation to improve the agency’s transparency and governance. In partnership with the New York Legislature, he advanced the most significant reforms to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 50 years and spearheaded a successful effort to secure a $3 billion appropriation for a new bus terminal.In 2018, he was appointed by Governor Murphy as one of five Commissioners of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. During his five-year term, he was intimately involved in all major agency initiatives, including the development of an offshore wind industry and the first offshore transmission project in America, electrification of the transportation sector, revamping of all solar programs, upgrading utility infrastructure and integrating new sources of energy into the grid.He also served four years as a Board Member of N.J. Transit, the nation’s third-largest mass transit system. With Board colleagues and staff, he advanced a $6 billion capital program and worked to restore ridership to pre-Pandemic levels.Before joining the Legislature, he spent ten years as Mayor and Council Member of the Borough of Fair Lawn, and worked in Washington, serving on the staff of the Brookings Institution and Congressional Budget Office.His business career is equally diverse. He worked for major international management consulting firms where he led engagements throughout the US and Europe focused on business strategy, competitive analyses, acquisition studies and hospital operations. He co-founded an emergency management consulting firm and managed his family’s textile factory.
Listed skills include Policy, Public Policy, Government, Public Speaking, and 40 others.