Diversity Expo and Breakfast 2023

1Call Restore

A2 Interior

Allesig Group LLC

Americano Newspaper

Aquino-Accounting

Aroma Cafetero LLC

AT&T

Bergen County Community College

Bergen County Department

Purchasing / Finance

Biuchic

Cacao and Beyond LLP

Casa Cubana

CB Soap & Candle Co.

CFSC Community Financial

Services Centers

Chic Massage LLC DBA Diva Spa

Citizens Bank

Colonial Insurance Agency

CSC Holdings LLC - Altice USA

Delta Countertops LLC

Dume Accounting & Tax Services LLC

eGrove Systems Corporation

Estrella Insurance Agency LLC

Excel Facilities

Financial Resources Federal Credit

Union

From Village Meats

Gaby Decorating Cakes

Generation Fearless

Hackensack Meridian Health

Horizon BSBCNJ

HR Cleaning

Invenergy

J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc.

JAMS group

Kearny Bank

Lakeland Bank

Las Marias Restaurant

Latin American Treasures LLC

Leonardo Franco Leon

Matheny

Negocios Hispanos

New York Life Insurance Company

NJ Transit

NJM Insurance Group

OceanFirst Bank

Office of Essex County Risk

Management

Otro Rollo Films

Passaic County CASA

Peapack-Gladstone Bank

Poder Hispanos

Power Container

Primary Financial

Provident Bank

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)

Pueblos Originarios (Las Marias)

Radiant

Regional Business Assistance Corporation (RBAC)

RestorePro USA

Sanitas Medical Center

Santos Flowers LLC

Shiara Production & Entertainment

SweetLove

Tacos Basilio

TGA Insurance

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Port Authority of NY & NJ

Thomas Edison State University

TorozcoDigital

United Airlines

Valley Bank

Visions Federal Credit Union

Waldron Distributors LLC

Wells Fargo

Blenda Pinto

Emcee

Director,Corporate&GovernmentAffairs fortheNortheastRegionUnitedAirlines

Blenda Pinto is a seasoned government affairs specialist with over twenty years-worth of combined federal, state, and local public policy expertise. She joined United in 2011 holding a leadership role at the Newark hub overseeing state legislative and local policy issues; and managing relationships with key external political and business stakeholders to advance corporate/business and policy interests for the airline throughout the northeast region.

Prior to joining United, Blenda spent five years as Associate State Director handling federal policy issues, all statewide elections, and grassroots activities for the AARP, New Jersey state office in Princeton.

She also served as a Senior Associate with the DC based government relations lobbying firm Cassidy & Associates, where she assisted a host of vanguard clients from 1999-2005. From 1995-1999, she worked for U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, as a Constituent Services Rep. in his Newark office for two years then as his Chief Legislative Correspondent in Washington, DC.

Blenda is Chairwoman of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and proudly serves on the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council for the CCSNJ as well. She also serves on the Board of the Greater Newark Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Corporate Advisory Board for the NJ Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is PR/Communications Chair for United’s uIMPACT Women’s Business Resource Group.

Blenda received her B.A. in Women’s Studies & Puerto Rican Hispanic Caribbean Studies, with concentrations in Political Science from Douglass College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1994.

Elisa Charters

Moderator

PresidentandCo-founder-LatinaSurge, SHCCNJBoardMember

Elisa Charters is a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), the BIPOC community and small business development. In 2014, Elisa co-founded Latina Surge, a small grassroots non-profit in Essex County, NJ. This was an extension of her community work at several organizations throughout the State of NJ. The organization has since evolved to become Latina Surge National (LSN), expanding its network to multiple states and with partnerships across the country. LSN’s mission is charitable and educational in advancing DEI, cultural intelligence, and racial and gender parity in government, corporate America, and higher education.

Professionally, Elisa has conducted international trade and wholesale and retail apparel sourcing from LATAM. More recently via her consultancy EAC Business International LLC, she has supported manufacturing and distribution areas, and technical sales, in the fire, hospital and hotel industries with specialized commercial and industrial laundry equipment, while also providing DEI guidance to other companies and organizations. She has supported corporate clients with navigating government purchasing/procurement of industrial and commercial goods and services; and with DEI/CSR best practices as a Cornell University/ILR-certified DEI Management Professional with 20+ years of experience. She credits recent business strategies as an alumna of the competitive SHCCNJ’s #HETP and #LETS accelerator programs.

Elisa continues to serve various organizations including New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hispanic & Latinx Leadership Council; Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business; and Columbia University as both President of its Latino Alumni Association (LAACU) and an invited member of its newly established Task Force for Belonging.

Arturo Osorio

Moderator

AssociateProfessor,RutgersUniversity, SHCCNJBoardMember

Dr. Osorio is an Associate Professor of Practice – Entrepreneurship at Rutgers Business School. He conducts research on entrepreneurial actions and consequences in urban communities, socioeconomic development (systems and processes), and food security.

Dr. Osorio is a Fellow at The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED), a Senior Fellow at Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies (Cornwall Center), and a member of the Rutgers Business School Public-Private Community Partnership Program (RBS-PCPP). He is a co-founding member of ArMar Consulting, a firm focused on researching and solving socioeconomic issues within urban communities, including entrepreneurship and food security.

He is also a board member of several startups, The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (SHCCNJ), The Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District (LPCD), and Shift Small Business Now. He is an advisor to several community development corporations and business organizations, including the New Jersey Latin-American Consular Group (GLACO by its Spanish acronym) and New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJ-SBDC). He has worked on community development reports and analyses with organizations around the world, including the Federal Reserve New York (US), the Macau Foundation (Macau, China), Fundacion Cedro Peru (Peru), and the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Dr. Osorio is a media commentator and invited speaker. He has organized and participated in several international events and conferences in urban entrepreneurship and food security. Before coming to Academia, Dr. Osorio worked as CFO for a USD$100,000,000 research and development project done in collaboration between the USA and Mexican Federal Governments.

Nancy Cantor

Panelist

Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of Rutgers University–Newark, is recognized nationally and internationally for her leadership in emphasizing the role of universities as anchor institutions in their communities, especially by forging diverse, cross-sector collaboratives and leveraging publicly engaged scholarship to advance racialequity and equitable growth.

At Rutgers University–Newark, a diverse, urban, public research university, she leads and promulgates efforts to leverage the university’s many strengths, particularly its exceptional diversity, tradition of high-impact research, and role as an anchor institution in Newark, New Jersey, through strategic investments in five broad areas in which the university’s strengths align with those of cross-sector partners: educational pathways from pre-K through college; equitable growth through urban entrepreneurship and economic development; cultivating creative expression through the arts and culture; strong, healthy and safe neighborhoods; and science in the urban environment.

In her role as a social psychologist, Chancellor Cantor is recognized for her scholarly contributions to the understanding of how individuals perceive and think about their social worlds, pursue personal goals, and how they regulate their behavior to adapt to life's most challenging social environments.

She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Ernest L. Boyer Award from New American Colleges & Universities, the Anchor Institutions Task Force Community Engagement Award, the Robert Zemsky Medal for Innovation in Higher Education, the Woman of Achievement Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Making a Difference for Women Award from the National Council for Research on Women, the Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award from the American Council on Education, and the Frank W. Hale, Jr., Diversity Leadership Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.

Teik C. Lim

Panelist

Dr. Teik C. Lim is the 9th President of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and also holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining NJIT on July 1 of2022, Dr. Lim led the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) as interim president from 2020-2022 and was provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UTA from 2017-2020.

Dr. Lim’s career began in the private sector before transitioning to faculty appointments and then to university administration. He worked as an engineer at Structural Dynamics Research Corporation before joining The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research as a research scientist. He taught at the University of Alabama beginning in 1998, as an associate professor, before joining the University of Cincinnati in 2002, where he advanced from associate professor to professor to department head and associate dean for graduate studies and research before, ultimately, being named Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Dr. Lim earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (ME) from Michigan Technological University, his Master of Science in ME from the University of Missouri-Rolla, and his Ph.D. in ME from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Lim is internationally recognized as a leading scholar in the field of structural vibrations and acoustics as well as modeling and simulation technology. He was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. He is also a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers. Dr. Lim was recognized with the Thomas French Alumni Achievement Award in 2010, the Gear Lab Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017, and the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence in 2019 from his alma mater, The Ohio State University.

Eric M. Friedman

Dr. Eric M. Friedman is the president of Bergen Community College, New Jersey’s largest. A dynamic and engaging leader, he is well-known across the community college landscape as an innovator and passionate promoter of equitable higher education programs and services. His consistent focus is on how the community college can have a transformative impact on individuals and communities.

With over 30 years of private and public sector experience, he leads an enterprising, diverse, nationally-recognized community college. He has a deep commitment to leading with an ethic of care, approaching education through the lens of equity, fostering initiatives that support student success, and living out the mission of a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

At Bergen, Dr. Friedman has prioritized developing initiatives that sort expanding the College’s enrollment, serving as a hub site for workforce development initiatives and embracing Bergen’s expansive diversity. Friedman has driven key projects in these areas while navigating external challenges related to funding, student preparedness, and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Friedman frequently lends his voice to national discussions and serves as an advocate for community colleges, speaking at events, conferences, and forums. Dr. Friedman further contributes to the advancement of community colleges by serving as a Middle States Commission on Higher Education Peer Evaluator and Team Chair.

Dr. Friedman is active in numerous professional, business, and civic organizations currently sitting on the advisory boards of the Bergen County Economic Recovery Committee, the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, and New Jersey Council of County College’s Workforce Committee.

Panelist

Andrés Acebo

Panelist

Andrés Acebo is a Hudson County native who grew up in Union City, N.J., and has maintained strong ties to the community. He is only the second Hispanic to serve as the leader of a four-year public institution in the state of New Jersey—following in the legacy of another NJCU leader, Dr. Carlos Hernandez, who led the institution as its 11th president from 19932012. Acebo is also the youngest known president to ever lead a public university in the State of New Jersey.

Acebo was elevated to Executive Vice President and University Counsel in the midst of the announcement of the university’s current financial emergency on June 27, 2022. He also served as secretary to the Board of Trustees and guided its government relations initiatives.

Acebo has been recognized as a Rising Star by New Jersey Super Lawyers, a Top Latino Lawyer by Latino Leaders Magazine, a Top Lawyer under 40 by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and a Diverse Attorney of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal. In Fall 2022, he was recognized as a 2022 “Latinos 40 Under 40” award recipient by Negocios. Now, in recognition of leadership by young Latinos in the New York metropolitan area. This fall, Acebo was also honored by the Boys Scouts of America-North Jersey Council with the 2022 Good Scout Award, in reflection of his service to his community.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Acebo lives the NJCU mission every day, as a first-generation college student, who has a similar life story as many of our current students. His family story began nearly 60 years ago when his father fled Cuba for freedom, and his path to NJCU was recently depicted in a feature in Hispanic Executive and in an NJ.com Op-Ed entitled “A father’s story and a son’s promise.”

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