SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022
PROGRAM AGENDA 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Breakfast Check-In 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Breakfast & Fireside Chat 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM: EXPO
PSEG 10
El Taller Bogota 86
The food store 81
NJEDA 16
Capifinders 39
Stumpy’s Hatchet House Green Brook 38 Sweetlove NJ 58
El Rey de La Arepa 70
Paint 2 Smile LLC 40
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission 51 DCG Media Group 46
Visa Inc. 1
BIUCHIC 85
Liberty Mutual 37
Irlanda Lopez 60
Ebneth Financial Group 45
RBAC 25
Bergen County Purchasing & Finance 48
Chase Bank 18
Horizon 6
Horizon 7
HolaDoctor, Inc 28
Valley National Bank 12
AT&T 22
Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) 53
J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. 50
American Repertory Ballet | Princeton Ballet School 54
Visa Inc. 5
Visa Inc. 2
NJM Insurance Group 26
Visa Inc. 4
Insure NJ Services LLC 49
Port Authority NY/NJ 35
Multi Cultural Poder Hispano 90
Latino Market New York Life 34
NJDOL 29
Chase Bnak 9
PHP Agency (People Helping People) 82
Visa Inc. 3
Wells Fargo Bank 8
Kearny Bank 24
Latina Surge Nonprofit 56
Linen & Ties 31
Lyft 30 Mana Colombian Importers 89
r6catalystQPNJ 41
Valley National Bank 13
Bell Ruiz 80
Peapack-Gladstone Bank 14
AT&T 21
From Village 87
Lakeland Bank 52
Thomas Edison State University 20
NJMEP 15
SHCCNJ 91
Live Forests J&P LLC 57
ALPFA 84
EXHIBITORS
Camac Insurance Agency LLC 43
MassMutual 44
Thomas Edison State University 19
Zippeats 32
Bergen County Purchasing & Finance 47
LISC 23
America SBDC New Jersey 33
Englewood Health 36
PSEG 11
Camac Insurance Agency LLC 42
Rutgers Graduate School of Education 55
Your Wellness Space 83
Hola Doctor, Inc 27
Mozzarella Cucina Italiana 59
NJ Pride Chamber of Commerce 17
Tito's Vodka 88
Fireside Chat
Throughout the years, Senator Pou has sponsored an array of legislations, many of which she has navigated into law ranging from social justice and human rights, while also working with colleagues to ensure more diversity on the NJ Supreme Court. Additionally, since her former role as Chair of the Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, she continues to secure funding for much-needed community programs.
Since stepping into the Senate in 2011, she secured a law that broadened the definition of human trafficking and increased penalties. She sponsored a 2013 law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities, and a 2014 law setting new standards, including background checks, for individuals working in the homes of seniors and people with disabilities. She sponsored 2015 laws reforming the juvenile justice system and expanding the geographic scope of restraining orders. Among their various provisions, she revised the prior limited circumstances when young offenders can be waived up to the adult court system or transferred to adult prisons, placed a cap on the use of solitary confinement to 8 consecutive waking hours and to a limited number of consecutive days based on the age of the minor, and placed an emphasis on rehabilitation of the minor; the latter added new protections for victims of sexual assault and created a central registry of protective orders accessible to police and child protection officers. A 2016 law sponsored by the Senator created an educational program for drivers on carbon monoxide poisoning.
Senator Pou was elected to the Senate in 2011 and re-elected in 2013, 2017, and 2021. She served in the Assembly from Jan. 29, 1997, when she was sworn to fill a vacancy, until her rise to the Senate. She was the first woman and the first Latina elected to represent the 35th Legislative District.
In 2017, the senator sponsored laws allowing the National Guard and reservists to retain eligibility on civil service lists if called up for active federal military service and allowing students enrolled at a four-year college who have earned a total of 66 credits between that school and a county college to be awarded an associate’s degree by the county college. In 2018, she sponsored laws prohibiting marriage for individuals under age 18 to protect our children from forced marriages, allowing qualified undocumented immigrants to be eligible for state student financial aid programs, and extending health benefits coverage for newborn infants.
Senator Nellie Pou
January 2022, Senator Pou became part of the Senate Leadership as Senate Majority Caucus Chair and currently serves as Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Vice-Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Chairwoman of the New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus.
President, National Caucus of State Legislators
In the realm of criminal justice, Senator Pou has worked to assist inmates set to be released with reentry benefits to help them transition into society and keep communities safe, while also proposing unprecedented legislation serving as a model for other states -- that was signed into law on October 19, 2020 -- thereby applying Public Health Credits of up to 8 months to certain inmates and parolees nearing release during a public health emergency related to a communicable disease, as in the case of the Coronavirus, to help mitigate the spread in state prisons and keep inmates and correctional staff safe.
Senator Pou has served as a panelist, keynote speaker or moderator for an array of national and statewide organizations, as well as featured on multiple media outlets for many prime sponsored laws that have led NJ to serve as a national leader, including most recently as one of NJ Insiders 100 Policy Makers 2020. She is a member of the New Jersey Complete Count Commission for the 2020 Census, the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission, New Jersey Puerto Rico Commission, NJ Disparity in State Procurement Study Commission, the Task Force for Continued Transformation of Youth Justice in New Jersey and the Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity. She serves as President-Elect of the National Hispanic Council of State Legislators, member of the National Council of State Legislators, Women in Government, the National Order of Women Legislators/National Foundation of Women Legislators, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the Women’s Political Caucus, Emerge New Jersey, and the Council of State Government. Senator Pou worked for the City of Paterson for over three decades, including as Director of Human Services and Business Administrator and has served in many leadership positions throughout the years of services to our community.
In 2019, she sponsored laws restricting the use of isolated confinement in New Jersey’s correctional facilities for adults and made further reforms to the juvenile justice system concerning incarceration and parole and worked to expand access to drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants to ensure road safety for all and to increase accountability. In 2020, she introduced legislation - now signed into law- that would provide automatic representation to juveniles by the Office of the Public Defender if they are under 18 years old. Legal representation will continue up to age 20, based on the financial means of the parents or guardians.
Since New Jersey's declaration of the Public Health Emergency in March of 2020, due to the COVID-19 virus, Senator Pou continues to play an active role in countless public policies signed into law to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents. Most tackle the areas of education, health and human services, transportation, economic and criminal justice, increased employment opportunities and benefits, affordable housing and rental assistance for tenants and landlords, grants for small businesses among others. Moreover, she has championed the extension of Telehealth and Telemedicine, implemented moratoriums on evictions and foreclosure, reactivated professional and occupational licenses, as well as led the reciprocity law and allowed access to the same for eligible NJ residents regardless of citizenship status. Other policies signed into law include requiring health insurance coverage for certain refills of prescription drugs during a state of emergency, extends deadlines for certain Motor Vehicle documents, many set new standards for long-term care facilities, protect employee benefits during a temporary furlough, increase voter protections by way of established secure Ballot Drop Boxes throughout the state and adopted a Ballot Cure Act to ensure eligible votes are counted.
Company Summary Recognizing
Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and gas service – serving 2.2 million electric customers and 1.8 million gas customers or nearly three out of every four people in the state.
serves as the President of PSEG Adelante Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) and is a member of the PSEG Pride, ABLE, Balance, FEAT, ProLiFic, VETS and Women’s Leadership Alliance EBRGs. She has held a Board of Directors Seat with the Newark Puerto Rican Day Parade and is a current board member of Saint Michael’s Hospital. She serves as Secretary on the NJ BPU Supplier Diversity Development Council and serves on various SDDC committees. Marisol was appointed as Board Member of the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council in January 2021. She was appointed Chair of the Borough of Roselle Park Diversity & Inclusion Committee in 2019 & 2020. Marisol was recognized as a 2020 Top 25 Women in Power impacting Diversity and received the 2020 PSEG Diversity Excellence Award. Marisol enjoys her time volunteering and received the PSEG Recognizing Excellence in Volunteerism 2016 Award of Merit. She also enjoys traveling, especially home to Puerto Rico, with her two adult Marisolchildren.received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Montclair State University. She is also a sister of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc.
Marisol Ramirez is Supplier Diversity Manager at Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) in Newark, New Jersey. Ms. Ramirez’s background includes over 28 years of leadership experience in the areas of Customer Service, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and Diversity Equity & Inclusion. Since joining PSEG in 2014, Marisol was the Supervisor of the Accounts Payable Group and was promoted to Supplier Diversity Manager in July Marisol2019.
Marisol Ramirez
state’s quality of life.
PSEG also owns and operates a diverse fleet of power plants with approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions and has solar energy facilities throughout the United States. Another member of the PSEG family of companies, PSEG Long Island, operates the electric transmission and distribution system of the Long Island Power Authority, with 1.1 million customers.
Supplier Diversity Manager at Public Service Enterprise Group Inc.
Alison Banks-Moore is Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ). With more than 40 years of experience as a Human Resources professional, Ms. Banks-Moore has held various positions at major corporations, including AT&T, KPMG, Cablevision and 32BJ Benefit Funds.
Alison Banks-Moore
Ms. Banks-Moore has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the YWCA’s Tribute To Women in Industry Award (2011), Ramapo College of New Jersey’s President’s Award of Merit (2013) and Ramapo College of New Jersey’s Distinguished Citizen’s Award (2015), the New Jersey Chapter of the National Black MBA Association’s Distinguished Leadership Award (2018), the Ted Childs Life Work Excellence Award from Working Mother Media (2019), ROI-NJ’s 2020 Champions of the C-Suite, the National Diversity Council’s Top 50 Chief Diversity Officers award (2020) Ramapo College of New Jersey’s 2020 Mission Award, and in 2021, she was the recipient of The New Jersey African American Chamber of Commerce’s Business/Community Service Award, the National Diversity Council’s Top 100 African American Leaders in Business & Racial Justice Champion Awards, ROI-NJ’s New Jersey’s Most influential DEI Leaders 2021, The 2021 ROI Influencers: People of Color – Difference Makers, ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: Women in Business 2022, and Global Magazine’s 2022 Top 10 Influential Woman in Diversity.
Ms. Banks-Moore earned a B.A. in Communications from Ramapo College of New Jersey.
As Chief Diversity Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Alison has harnessed the energy of a dynamic organization to strengthen the personal and professional relationships that supports an inclusive, thriving, and diverse workplace. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to leveraging the unique skills and abilities of all employees which has resulted in the company receiving numerous awards from national publications to include DiversityMBA Magazine, DiversityInc., INROADS, AARP, Latina Style, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), GI Jobs, National Association For Executive Women, Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media), Corporate Equality Index, Diversity Best Practices, National Organization on Disabilities, as well as the Tri-State and National Diversity Councils
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ Recognizing
Ms. Banks-Moore is a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Diversity Alliance, the Northeast Regional Corporate Industry Liaison Group, the Society for Human Resource Management, a former member of NJ LEEP’s (The New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project) Advisory Board, New Jersey Network to Network Women’s Consortium, member of the Ramapo College of New Jersey’s Board of Governors and member of the Ramapo College Presidential Search Committee, Chair of the Tri-State Diversity Council’s Board of Directors, and the Military Friendly Advisory Council.
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