Executive Director of the N.J. Business Action Center (BAC) to Speak at Joint Ocean/Monmouth ELC Meeting May 11

Posted on April 26, 2018 By

Melanie Willoughby, the executive director of the N.J. Business Action Center (BAC) is the featured speaker at the joint Ocean/Monmouth County ELC, (Employer Legislative Committee) meeting and breakfast Friday, May 11, 2018, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel – Eatontown, 700 Hope Road, Tinton Falls, N.J.  07724

Willoughby will be discussing how to further enhance the mission of the New Jersey BAC, the State’s “one-stop” shop for business, which is responsible for efforts to attract, retain and grow businesses in New Jersey and make those businesses a prime investment both nationally and internationally.

The registration fee, including a buffet breakfast, is $20.00. R.S.V.P. to mpangelini@ preferredbehavioral.org or call 908-309-5395. Pay at the door or mail checks, payable to Ocean ELC, to Mary Pat Angelini, P.O. Box 517, Oakhurst, N.J. 07755.

The Ocean County ELC is sponsored by Holman Frenia Allison, PC; New Jersey Natural Gas, and NorthStar Strategies in partnership with the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.

About ELC: Employer Legislative Committees: The ELCs, established by NJBIA in 1959, are independent, local organizations representing all 21 counties. At each meeting, legislators, cabinet members or local officials will discuss important issues pertinent to business. Attendees also receive a briefing from one of NJBIA’s government affairs experts on legislative and regulatory issues affecting employers.   About NJBIA: The New Jersey Business & Industry Association, Trenton, N.J., provides information, services and advocacy to its member companies in order to build a more prosperous New Jersey. NJBIA is the nation’s largest statewide employer association. Its members, as a group, employ more than one million people and represents every industry in the state, including contractors, manufacturers, retail and wholesale businesses, and service providers of every kind. Visit www.njbia.org for more information.

About Melanie Willoughby: Melanie Willoughby served as the Chief Government Affairs Officer of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), the nation’s largest state-level business association representing more than 19,000 member companies that collectively employ more than 1 million people. A seasoned government relations strategist, Willoughby has worked with state and local levels of government as an advocate for businesses of all sizes.

Prior to joining NJBIA, she served as the president and CEO of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, a statewide retail business organization representing over 3,500 stores. She also served in Governor Brendan Byrne’s administration as director of State and Federal Government Affairs for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

An active participant in many community and civic organizations, Willoughby serves on the Board of the Rutgers University John Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, the Board of Isles, a Trenton economic empowerment organization, and the Board of the Rowan University South Jersey Technology Park. She is a Rutgers University Eagleton Institute Visiting Fellow,serving as a mentor to Eagleton students.

She holds a B.A. from Rutgers College, where she was in the first class of women to graduate from the college. She was the first woman to be elected president of the Rutgers Student Government Association, and the first woman to be president of the Rutgers College Alumni Association. She also served on the Rutgers University Board of Trustees, representing Rutgers College.

Willoughby is the recipient of many honors, including the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni Award, the Executive Women of New Jersey Leadership Award, NJ Association of Women Business Owners Leadership Award, the Girl Scout Council Woman of Achievement Award, NJ Women’s Political Caucus Women in Leadership Award and the Loyal Daughter of Rutgers College Meritorious Service Award. ELC meetings, open to the public, are designed to inform the business community about important legislation, provide face-to-face opportunities with key government officials, and encourage dialogue between business and government.

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