2022

Sally Glick

How to Build & Maintain Valuable Relationships

Sally Glick is a Principal and Chief Growth Strategist at SobelCo. In that role she is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm’s branding, marketing communications and functions as an ambassador to the community, driving their business development strategies. Sally is deeply involved in the community, serving on several nonprofit and business boards and committees including as the President of the Association for Corporate Growth NJ, Vice-Chair of the NJ District Export Council, Board Member for Commerce & Industry Association of NJ, Committee Co-Chair of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Council, Board Member and Executive Board Member for the Center for Nonprofits and Advisory Board Member of Montclair State’s Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, M&T Bank and Bank of NY Mellon.

Marcella Gencarelli

Navigating the New Normal

Marcella Gencarelli serves as Chair Emeritus and Event Chairwoman of The Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Founder of Women in Warren Business Networking Group, and has over 20 years of experience in banking, busines development, coaching, and relationship-building. Marcella attended Essex County College and obtained various American Bankers Association certifications. During her time at PNC Bank, she received the Circle of Excellence and Service Excellence awards, as well as the ABA Business of Banking (top 10% performance excellence nationwide), consistently outperforming in categories such as sales goals, client goals, customer experience and net promoter scores. Marcella was also recognized as the Summit Area YMCA Mission Volunteer of the Year, 2018 Boy Scouts of America Patriot’s Path Council Tribute to Women Honoree, chair of multiple fundraising events including annual Awards Dinner for The Suburban Chamber of Commerce, and is an annual contributor, panelist, and moderator for Union County Women Mean Business.

Sneh Kadakia

Turning Passions Into Profits

Sneh Kadakia is a founder and the CEO of “from HERE,” a network of commitment-free, on-demand workspaces conveniently located in your neighborhood. She was featured on Forbes’ Next 1000 list in 2021. “from HERE” was recognized in Bloomberg’s “50 Startups That Rose as America Locked Down” in September 2022, proudly representing the state of New Jersey. Sneh launched her first startup in June 2019: Lokus, an enterprise technology solution that facilitates coworking within hotels in New York City. The pilot was set to launch in April 2020 and postponed due to COVID-19. Prior to launching her own companies, she had an expansive career in human resources that revolved around curating the best employee experiences, developing people-centric technologies, and being a trusted business partner for leaders at all levels. Sneh has written about and presented on numerous topics that impact today’s workforce, leaders, and companies. She holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Neural Science from NYU.

Felice Twaddle

Turning Passions Into Profits

Felice Twaddle is an accomplished public service professional, advocate, speaker, and host whose many years of experience led her into the cannabis field. Felice was appointed to the Board of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association by NJ Senate President Nicholas Scutari, and is currently serving as the NJCBA’s Treasurer. She has been a fierce advocate for a legal and responsible cannabis industry. Felice also recognized the need for more attention to communities of color and has partnered with former Assemblyman Jamel Holley as a voice for social justice. Felice is also a member of Burton Trent Public Affairs, where she works with prospective cannabis industry licensees.

Radiance “Rae” Ashe

Turning Passions Into Profits

Radiance “Rae” Ashe believes that a self-made entrepreneur can be extremely rewarding with dedication, hard work, a solid foundation, and faith. Rae Ashe is a mother and driven woman who believes that living out your dreams while giving back is the only option to attaining true success. In 1993, she hosted a local cable access show called “Video Club House,” served as a radio personality for two online stations, Streetz96.com and BKS1 Radio. Radiance also organized the summer concert series “The Brick City Summer Jam” a local open mic platform for aspiring musical artists of all genres. A native of Newark, New Jersey, she is the Founder and CEO of HEIGHT Magazine, and has managed to expand her brand, which started out as a guide for tall women, but is now far beyond a popular fashion and lifestyle read. In addition, Rae’s weekly Daily Dose Podcast airs on Spotify, Google, Anchor, Deezer and Speaker, and in 2019 she created, directed and distributed her first television show. “Learn How to Marry Me,” which airs across millions of homes through Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and more.

Melanie Cecilio

Turning Passions Into Profits

Melanie Cecilio is the founder and Culinary Director of Little Fox Kitchen, a culinary school and event space in Cranford NJ. Little Fox Kitchen is Melanie’s dream school – a place to share cuisine learned at the side of master chefs around the world; to inspire and educate amateur chefs and food aficionados; and above all, to celebrate the joys of food with others. Ms. Cecilio has brought her immense talents to teaching, developing, and curating recipes, and heading up product initiatives for leading global food companies, including Kraft, Nestlé, Glad, Monde Nissin, Cuisinart, and Heinz-UFC. She has developed corporate team-building culinary programs for top global companies, including Google, E-Bay, Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook (Meta), Pinterest, and L’Oreal. An instrumental part of building Hoboken’s Hudson Table, she has also taught cooking classes at Haven’s Kitchen, Hunt Hill Farm, Natirar, and Sent Sovi in Barcelona, and was chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

Peter Bolo, MD

Navigating the New Normal

Peter Bolo, MD, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Overlook Medical Center and serves as the Resiliency Advocate for Atlantic Health System in northern New Jersey. He has thirty years of clinical experience and areas of interest include inpatient psychiatry, complex mood disorders, behavioral disturbance in dementia, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). His educational background includes undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan followed by medical school and psychiatry residency training at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons / New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Bolo launched the AMG Resiliency Taskforce to address rising concerns of burnout amongst healthcare workers. Dr. Bolo is now charged with creating resiliency programming for all 18,000 Atlantic Health System team members, and under his leadership, Atlantic was honored this year as part of the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program.

Jahlisa Jones

Navigating the New Normal

Jahlisa Jones is the Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Provident Bank and has been encouraging and inspiring business professionals for several years. Jahlisa graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies. Prior to working at Provident Bank, Jahlisa worked for Mott MacDonald, a global Engineering Consulting Firm, where she led several recruitment and training initiatives. She was often invited to speak for the nonprofit organization ‘Dress for Success’, Medgar Evers’ spotlight on STEM Student Conference, The Calculus Project and St. Peter’s University to touch on a variety of topics geared towards educating students on career advancement. She has helped acquire jobs for business professionals in leading industries. Although Jahlisa finds joy in the many aspects of business of which she’s involved, her greatest passion is mentoring and nourishing the careers of her peers. Jahlisa is a strong believer in pulling the next one up, and to that end, she gives helpful career advice – including tips for nailing interviews, dressing for the job you want, and best post interview follow-up practices.

Katie Tempesta

Navigating the New Normal

Katie Tempesta is a third-generation West Orange, NJ resident. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies from Caldwell University in 2008. She currently holds various Human Resource Certifications which include HR Management, Learning and Development and Employee & Labor relations, and has more than a decade of experience in the field of Human Resources. Katie now serves as Director of Human Resources at JCT Solutions, where she oversees identifying and evaluating hiring challenges, employee retention, work-life balance, recruitment, performance management, mediation and employment law. Katie is recently married and resides in West Caldwell, NJ with her husband Joe.

Cherron Rountree

Nailing the Negotiation

Cherron Rountree is a New Jersey native business executive with 20 years of diverse leadership experience. As the current President and Partner of Direct Development Design+Communications, Cherron specializes in strategic planning, project development, and public relations for both public and private organizations. Cherron has an extensive history in public service and administration for New Jersey county and municipal entities, expertise in developing strategic partnerships and financial management, and has served as Administrator for both urban and suburban municipalities. She has developed constituent relations, secured millions in grant funding, improved service to residents, negotiated partnerships, reduced taxes, and led redevelopment efforts that attracted new residents and businesses. Cherron is a past recipient of the Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s Business Administrator of the Year Award, a part-time lecturer with Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and a licensed real estate agent with White Realty in Union. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from NYU, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, and is a Certified Redevelopment Agency Executive Director.

Kay LiCausi

Turning Passions Into Profits

Kay LiCausi is a highly sought-after government and public relations strategic advisor and issues advocate. A creative and dynamic business leader with almost 30 years of experience in government and politics at all levels, Kay knows how public policy, politics and process intersect to craft and deliver personalized strategies to achieve client objectives. As the founder and President of Hoboken Strategy Group (HSG), a boutique government and public relations firm, Kay has led HSG since its inception in 2008. HSG represents a diverse client-base including Fortune 100 companies, pharmaceutical interests, and more. HSG works with organizations in New Jersey to increase their business presence, solve regulatory challenges, and champion legislative issues. A determined advocate for women and children, Kay serves as the co-lead of the Democratic Task Force of the Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments, and holds board seats on PAM’s List, Latina Civic PAC, and Girl Scout Troop 10370.

Mary Adelman

Turning Passions Into Profits

As a business consultant, trainer, speaker, author, and entrepreneurial change agent, Mary Adelman brings a broad spectrum of expertise to her role as UCEDC’s Business Counselor. Mary understands what it takes to start and operate a business. She has more than 25+ years of experience in providing strategic direction to help small businesses grow and prosper. This includes creating individual and group exercises to provide participants with opportunities to develop pragmatic, well-focused strategic action plans, among other business development initiatives. Prior to joining UCEDC, Mary was Assistant Director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center of Northwest Jersey (NJSBDC-NW), where she mentored and provided business support to clients representing various industries. Mary holds an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from the County College of Morris and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Ashford University.