Advisory Board

Michele Ansbacher is chair of the advisory board of the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University and holds the position of Executive-in-Residence. Her involvement with students includes teaching courses on leadership and ethics, guest lecturing, and mentoring.

Michele began her career at Prudential in the company’s prestigious Management Development Program. Over the years, she drove revenue in multiple business groups across the company and built many new and innovative programs. In her last role at Prudential Advisors, Michele was the Eastern Territory Vice President, overseeing the leading territory in the country in insurance sales and marketing initiatives.

Prior to her appointment as the Eastern Territory Vice President, she was Vice President, Corporate Compliance, and led the company’s global ethics program as the Corporate Chief Ethics Officer. Previously, she was Vice President of Field Support responsible for strategy, marketing, communications and financial planning to support advisors nationwide. She retired from Prudential Financial as a Corporate Vice President. Michele was named among the 2019 Top 25 Entrepreneurs/Intrapreneurs in New Jersey by Leading Women Entrepreneurs and was also recognized as the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient for the Feliciano School of Business.

Jim joined WithumSmith + Brown as a tax partner in 2019 and currently leads the National State and Local Tax practice. Prior to joining Withum, Jim was a tax partner at KPMG LLP in their State and Local Tax practice.  Prior to joining KPMG LLP, Jim served as managing director at a global professional services firm specializing in global tax planning, interim management, and turnaround services, where he was responsible for building and overseeing the firm’s New York metro sales and use tax practice. Previously, he spent nearly 17 years in the State and Local Tax Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the New York metro area.

During his more than 25 year career, Jim has gained extensive experience advising Global 1000, middle market, and start-up clients in the  areas  of  audit defense and appeal, ASC 450,  sales  and  use  tax refund claims, process automation, negotiation of voluntary compliance agreements, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, Sarbanes/Oxley requirements, state and local income tax, unclaimed property, credits and incentives, and property tax. Jim has gained extensive experience assisting clients with complex state and local tax planning and compliance issues in various industries, such as financial services, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail, technology, telecommunications, and utilities.

He has built a reputation as a leading sales and use tax specialist and developed trusted relationships with New Jersey and New York state government officials.

Jim is a former member of the New Jersey Tax Director’s Advisory Council, former Chairman of NJSCPA State and Local Tax and Sales/Use Tax committees.

Helane Becker is President of HRB Aviation Consultants and CFO of the non-profit Land of Lovies. After more than 45 years on Wall Street, Ms Becker retired from TD Cowen, where she covered airlines, air freight and aircraft leasing in the firm’s research department. During her long career, she was frequently ranked as a top analyst in multiple surveys. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University and an MBA from New York University. She is a member of the international honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma and is on the Advisory Board and the Executive Committee of the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State. Ms Becker is also responsible for the introduction of the CFA program at MSU.

Ellan Ben-Hayon is the Chief Financial Officer of Bansk Group LLC. Prior to joining Bansk, he was the Chief Financial Officer at two middle-market private equity firms, most recently at Lightyear Capital, and previously at Irving Place Capital. Prior to joining Irving Place Capital, Ellan held senior finance roles in the private equity group at Blackstone. Ellan began his career as an accountant at Everest Reinsurance Company and as an auditor at Rothstein Kass & Company.

Tom Blaser joined Cornerstone Holdings as its CFO in May of 2021. Prior to joining Cornerstone, he held several leadership positions in both public and privately-held multinational companies, including W.R. Grace, a global specialty chemical company, Arysta LifeScience Corporation and Honeywell International. He was also an audit manager for Price Waterhouse Coopers.

In these roles he expanded his skills beyond finance and accounting adding process improvement, strategy and business development and execution, organization effectiveness and investor relations, to name a few.

Blaser also serves on the Board of Directors for Fall Creek Farm, a global plant genetics company, advises early stage companies and is a mentor to students and professionals alike.

Blaser holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from Montclair State University and his M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University. He joined Montclair State University’s Business School Advisory Board in 2018.

Dennis was the inaugural director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, located in the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University, from January 2013 to January 2018. He now serves as Executive-in-Residence for the Feliciano School of Business, and is a member of the advisory board for the school. Dennis also is an advisory board member for the Feliciano Center, which facilitates real-life entrepreneurial experiences for students of any major at the University. The Center has created an entrepreneurial ecosystem (entrepreneurs, investors, professional services) which will be leveraged to support the entrepreneurial education model.  Dennis also serves on the Board of the MSU Foundation.

Dennis retired in the summer of 2012 from Verizon New Jersey Inc., where he served as President & CEO for more than a dozen years. Dennis’ 33-year career at Verizon and its predecessor companies challenged him with numerous assignments and responsibilities across many organizations.  Beginning as an engineer with New Jersey Bell in 1979, he worked in a variety of jobs with increasing responsibilities in operations, regulatory, external affairs and public policy positions. Dennis was named President and CEO of Bell Atlantic West Virginia in 1995, where he served until his appointment as President and CEO of Verizon New Jersey in 2000. Overseeing one of the largest companies in the state, Dennis helped guide Verizon through unprecedented advances in telecommunications technologies, helping to transform the company from a predominately voice services company in 2000 to a potent voice, data and video services company today.

Outside of Verizon, Dennis has been influential in initiating positive growth within New Jersey’s business sector. He has been active in strengthening the state’s workforce system as Chairman of New Jersey’s State Employment and Training Commission and, in addition, serves on the Executive Committee of the National Governors Association Center of Best Practices for workforce development. He previously served as co-chairman on Gov. Chris Christie’s 2009 Economic Development Transition Team, which led to the formation of Choose New Jersey, with Dennis as founding Chairman. In addition, Dennis serves on the boards overseeing the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, the Newark Alliance, the Citizens Campaign and the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning. He previously served on the boards overseeing the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Liberty Science Center, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Aviation Research and Technology Park. Dennis served as the Chairman of the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce and formerly served as the chairman of the West Virginia State Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis’ leadership across New Jersey’s economic development and education sectors has garnered numerous awards and recognitions.  Included among them are being inducted into Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni, being selected to receive the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Conference on Diversity and being inducted into the New Jersey Business Hall of Fame.

Dennis is a graduate of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, with a BS degree in mathematics. He also holds an MBA in finance and economics from Rutgers University and a MS degree in counseling from Johns Hopkins University.  Dennis formerly held Secret and Top-Secret federal government clearances and he has been awarded four honorary doctorates.

Kevin P. Bradley spent the majority of his career within Executive Management for some of the largest companies in the world.   Positions included Asset Management Officer at AT&T Capital Corporation, Chief Asset Management Officer for GE Capital Equipment Leasing, President of Terex Financial Services, President of Terex’s Crane and Port Equipment Division and Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Terex Corporation.  Kevin completed his business career as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of US Steel Corporation.

In retirement, Kevin has been actively involved in Montclair State University where he lectures occasionally and mentors students.  Kevin serves on the Advisory Board of the Feliciano School and serves as a Trustee on the University’s Foundation Board.  Kevin also helped to launch a Special needs nonprofit called Compassion Cafe located on Long Beach Island NJ and served on their Board for several years.

Monty Cerf oversees Montclair Investment Partners, a team within UBS Private Wealth Management dedicated to delivering comprehensive and insightful solutions to help navigate investments, planning, risk and tax management, and wealth transfer challenges related to needs of high net worth individuals, family offices, foundations and endowments. He is individually ranked by Forbes as one of the top advisors in New York State and his team is also ranked amongst the top teams in New York State..

Monty has over 40 years of experience in finance. He spent 21 years in investment and merchant banking, where, amongst other global capital market functions, he directed top ranked private equity placement groups, for both JPMorgan and Bear Stearns. Then, transitioning from merchant banking at JP Morgan as well as at his own firm, he joined JPMorgan’s Private Bank, then Lehman Brothers as an Investment Representative within the Wealth and Investment Management division, which was then acquired by Barclays. When Barclays sold that business, he joined UBS Private Wealth Management in 2015.

Monty has also served as an advisor on the Investment Committee for the State of New Jersey Investment Council overseeing its $85 billion pension portfolio. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Yale School of Management’s International Center for Finance and is an occasional lecturer there.  He has served as Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Montclair State University School of Business, where he also sits on the MSU Business Board of Advisors and regularly mentors students.  As an outdoor enthusiast, he also serves as a board member the Cornell Outdoor Education Program.

He received his BA in Government, with High Honors, from Cornell University, has an MS from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from Yale University.  Monty also has served as a Volunteer for the Peace Corps in Africa.

Elisa Charters is a seasoned executive strategist with over 30 years of public-sector finance and transactional experience, specializing in the negotiations of major economic development and regional infrastructure. Her highlights include leading valuation of the Port Authority of NY & NJ’s 23 million sq. ft. of mixed-use portfolio, managing acquisitions in the redevelopment of One World Trade Center post 9/11 and assessing revenue programs as Assistant Comptroller of Port Commerce.

Elisa’s experience in government led to appointments by three consecutive governors in the State of New Jersey, including Vice Chair of the NJ Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, and the NJIT Board of Trustees. She was appointed to Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team in late 2025. Specifically, she serves on the “Driving New Jersey Forward” policy action team, focusing on economic development for the administration.

Elisa emerged from the government sector following her interests in entrepreneurship and service. In 2009, she founded EAC Business International LLC, a consultancy focused on LATAM wholesale imports, multi-national industrial technical sales, and government contracting. In 2023, she added Juegos AI Lab, a start-up effort on SMS/RCS communication innovations, mobile applications, SaaS platforms, and agentic human-centered AI modeling.

Elisa is an alumna of NJIT (BS-CSLA ’92, MS-NCE ’93) holding dual degrees in Environmental Science. She also pursued her graduate degree in International Finance and Business from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA).

Geoff Chellis is an Advisory Board member and Executive in Residence at Montclair State University, where he founded the global Flash Consulting program. Designed from his decades of launch experience, the program gives MBA students hands-on experience solving real client challenges, moving beyond theory to practical, execution focused decision-making under tight timelines – key qualities that make our business graduates stand out in the job market.

Geoff is Founder and President of Expedia Consulting Group and has advised more than 100 pharmaceutical and biotech launch teams, including Pfizer, Novartis, and Lilly. He previously held senior marketing roles at American Express, Fidelity, and JP Morgan. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University and is featured as the “Launch Master” in The Change Maker’s Playbook by Amy J. Radin.

Jim has 40 years of experience in the securities sales and trading business with such firms as Goldman Sachs (12 years) and JP Morgan (3 years). From 2001 to 2006, he was the President of Carnegie’s U.S activities and subsequently from 2006 to 2009 he was the Global Head of Carnegie’s securities business. Most recently, Jim was the CEO and CCO of Olivetree Securities, a start-up brokerage firm. He joined DNB Markets in 2012 as Head of Equity/ Fixed Income Sales & Trading.  Jim earned his business degree at Cornell University, the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, and his undergraduate degree at Tufts University.

Irv is a retired Global Client Service Partner with Ernst & Young LLP. After a 37-year career with EY, he was nominated by the President of the United States, and confirmed by the Senate, to serve as the CFO of U.S. Department of HUD. After HUD, Irv became a Board member of Cypress Mortgage Capital and a founding Board member and Treasurer of American Cornerstone Institute.

At HUD, Irv served as the principal advisor to the Secretary on financial management and the senior departmental official responsible for establishing and implementing policies to govern all aspects of financial management in the Department. He led a financial and digital transformation, which resulted in the first unqualified audit opinion in eight years. For his transformational leadership, Irv was the recipient of several awards including the 2020 Donald L. Scantlebury Memorial Award, the 2020 Federal 100 Award and the AGA’s 2021 Accomplishment of the Year Award. He was also awarded the 2020 Secretary’s Award for his distinguished public service.

As a Global Client Service Assurance Partner with EY, Irv served as the global coordinating audit partner for some of EY’s flagship clients including several S&P 500 EY companies, including Cardinal Health, Abbott Labs and McDonalds. He has extensive experience in advising public company boards, audit committees and C-suite executives on matters such as corporate governance, finance transformations, complex business processes, internal controls, financial reporting, and M&A activities. At EY, Irv held several leadership positions, including serving as the Area Knowledge Leader and Controls and Methodology Leader in several Regions. He also served on several EY’s Task Forces including the Work Force of the Future and the Center for Board Matters Task Force advising on corporate governance thought leadership materials targeted for Boards of Directors.

Irv became a published author with his book “Transforming a Federal Agency: Management Lessons from HUD’s Financial Reconstruction”. The book was published by John Wiley & Sons and includes a forward by Dr. Ben Carson. The book discusses his journey from the private sector into public service and how he executed a successful, and needed, technology and financial transformation at a large federal cabinet-level agency.

Irv graduated from Montclair State University in 1981 and was the recipient of the Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a board member of the Feliciano Business School. He visits the University often to lecture business students.

Irv serves on various philanthropic not-for-profit boards including New Albany Community Foundation and New Albany Symphony Orchestra. Irv resides in New Albany, OH and Washington, DC.

Barat Dickman is Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations at ADP.  In his role on the Worldwide Strategic Operations Team, he proudly leads this world-class organization, comprising over 500 associates.

Prior to joining ADP, Barat was the Vice President and General Manager of Unified Communications and Collaboration at Westcon-Comstor (Synnex Corp), where he oversaw a $500M business and was responsible for product management, engineering, field sales, inside sales, business development, marketing, operations, and services.

Before joining Westcon-Comstor, Barat served in a variety of roles at Avaya, from Director to Vice President and General Manager of its $1.6B Global Support Services business. During this time, he led a team of program managers and strategists who oversaw the award-winning Avaya Connect worldwide channel program, and he personally supervised its global launch.

With 25+ years of experience in the technology industry, Barat has a track record of accelerating revenue growth, delivering operational improvement, and building high performance teams on a global scale. Having held multiple global roles in consulting, sales and sales management, M&A and business development, product management, sales operations and ultimately general management, he brings a wealth of experience and insight to help transform businesses to achieve their maximum potential.

Barat has also dedicated much of his time to community service, including serving on the Advisory Board for the Feliciano School of Business, and volunteering on the Board of the College of Community Fellowship of New York, a non-profit organization that helps formerly incarcerated women achieve their college degrees.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Barat received his Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Michigan.

Cathy Doherty is Executive Vice President, Regional Businesses. She oversees Quest’s regional and enterprise operations, as well as the commercial organization and Quest’s pathology business. She is also responsible for driving operational excellence, including Invigorate, the company’s quality and efficiency initiative. In addition, Cathy is Executive Sponsor of Quest’s Women in Leadership Employee Business Network.

Cathy joined Quest Diagnostics in 1990 and most recently was Senior Vice President, Group Executive – Clinical Franchise Solutions & Marketing. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President, Physician Services Business. Prior to that, she served as Vice President, Hospital Services, and as Vice President, Office of the Chairman.

A certified public accountant, Cathy holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Montclair State University, where she serves on the advisory board of the Feliciano School of Business.

Mimi is the Founder and CEO of Connect for Freedom, a non-profit opened in 2023, whose mission is to keep communities safe by providing human trafficking awareness and online safety information to education stakeholders in K-12 schools and communities for the prevention of human trafficking and online enticement.

Mimi Feliciano is the Co-Founder and CEO of FEM Real Estate, a real estate investment company based in Montville, New Jersey which develops, owns and manages commercial real estate nationwide. She most recently completed her passion project, South Beach at Long Branch, in 2020, receiving 39 awards for an ultra-contemporary oceanfront 42-unit condominium development that introduces a luxurious live, work and play lifestyle to the Jersey Shore.

Entrepreneurship has been a continuing trend in Mimi’s career. At age 19, she became a partner of a health club and banquet facility, which she managed for 14 years with great membership success. She then spent 12 years as the Owner and CEO of Lincoln Park Healthcare, the largest nursing home complex in New Jersey. Mimi took over and expanded this second-generation family business by building JDT Medical Rehab & JDT Medical Villa, two visionary state-of-the-art buildings for sub-acute, short-term care within a luxury, hotel-like environment. Subsequently, Mimi and her husband invested in residential real estate, acquiring and managing apartment units.

Mimi’s affiliations include The Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair State University, Senior Advisor; The Mimi & Edwin Feliciano School of Business, Board Member; Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, Board Member; and Federal Homeland Security Foundation, Board Member.

Awards and Honors: BINJE Top 100 Women in Business, 2026; ROI NJ Influencers Women in Business 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025; NJ Biz In the Lead Multi-Generational Leader 2024; NJ Biz Power 100 List 2024; Women of Influence Executives Power List 2021;  NJ BIZ Real Estate Power List 2020; NJ BIZ Top 50 CRE Power List 2019; New Jersey Business Hall of Fame Laureate 2016; Endowed the Mimi & Edwin Feliciano Healing Garden at Chilton Memorial Hospital 2016; Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs 2014; Best 50 Women in Business, NJ BIZ 2014; Honoree For Chilton Memorial Hospital Gala 2013; Recipient of Montclair State University Carpe Diem Award 2012

Rusty Giglio is an accomplished business leader with more than 20 years of experience guiding strategic transformation for global organizations. He brings expertise in enterprise solution development, competitive market positioning, financial oversight, and complex contract management.

In his current role, Rusty leads a team focused on addressing critical business challenges through observability, security, and AI-powered search solutions. He works closely with clients to align technology investments with business outcomes, improve operational performance, and drive innovation.

Rusty has held senior leadership positions across marketing, sales, and business development within the Financial Services and Technology sectors. He has worked with leading organizations including Elastic, IBM, Veritas, and Cisco, where he has consistently contributed to growth initiatives and long-term value creation.

He holds a degree in Finance from Montclair State University, where he graduated with honors, and earned IBM’s highest certification for sales executives through a joint IBM–Harvard University program. Rusty has served on the advisory board of the Montclair State University School of Business since 2009, providing guidance on curriculum development and industry alignment.

As Chief Risk Officer at UNFCU, Keisha Hutchinson oversees enterprise-wide risk management for the Credit Union. She provides strategic leadership and vision for the organization’s risk framework, including the design and implementation of an integrated, enterprise risk management program across all business units. In addition to her risk leadership responsibilities, Keisha serves as executive sponsor for UNFCU’s Black Business Resource Group and is an active mentor within the organization.

Keisha is a seasoned financial services executive with more than 20 years of experience in audit, finance, and risk management across a broad range of financial institutions, including commercial, regional, and community banks, as well as credit unions. She began her career at KPMG after earning her undergraduate degree from Montclair State University and ultimately advanced to Audit Partner.

At KPMG, Keisha led external audits for financial institutions in New Jersey and New York, with deep expertise in financial statement audits, internal controls, enterprise risk assessments, SEC and capital markets reporting, and regulatory compliance. She also completed a three-year rotation in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice, where she built strong relationships with professionals across the firm and contributed to firmwide technical and professional initiatives.

A strong advocate for mentorship and inclusion, Keisha understands the importance of support systems in the workplace. During her tenure at KPMG, she mentored numerous colleagues and held leadership roles within the KPMG Network of Women and the African Ancestry Business Resource Group.

James Merli graduated from Montclair State University in 1983 with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance and Marketing.

Mr. Merli launched his Wall Street career in 1983 at Shearson, prior to the Shearson / Lehman Brothers merger, and remained at Lehman Brothers Inc. for more than 25 years.  During that time, he rose to the role of Global Head of Fixed Income Syndicate. While at Lehman Brothers, Mr. Merli was a member of the Fixed Income Operating Committee, the Loan Participation Committee and the High Grade Credit Committee.

Mr. Merli subsequently joined Barclays Capital as Head of U.S Primary Market Syndication where he remained until 2010. In 2010 Mr. Merli joined Nomura Securities International as Global Head of Debt Syndication and Head of Global Finance for the Americas. While at Nomura, Mr. Merli was a member of the Executive Committee of Investment Banking, as well as the Executive Committee for Global Markets.

Since retiring from Nomura in 2015, he has become an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University and a member of the Advisory Board for the Feliciano School of Business.  He is an Executive-in-Residence at the School of Business and is also a member of the Foundation Board of Montclair State University Foundation. He and his wife Sandy have four adult children.

David Mudrick is currently President and CEO of Topcon America Corporation, based in Oakland, New Jersey. Topcon America’s parent is Topcon Corporation; a Japanese Nikkei based precision instrumentation company. He was promoted to his current position in 2006, becoming the first person of non-Japanese descent to hold this office in the company’s history. David has been with Topcon America since 1993, and became the company’s Chief Financial Officer in 1999 before being promoted to CEO. He is also a Senior Executive Officer of the Topcon Corporation parent company.

In addition to being on the Board of Directors of Topcon America and numerous other Topcon affiliated companies, he has previously been a board member of the The Russian American Chamber of Commerce and the Wyckoff (NJ) Education Foundation. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and periodically teaches as an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State. He is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma.

He is an active alumnus of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, NJ and was inducted into that school’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

David received his BS from Montclair State in 1986 and his MBA in Finance from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 1991. His previous work experience includes Ernst & Young’s New Jersey Tax Group in the late 1980s, and as Controller of DWJ Television, a Ridgewood, New Jersey Public Relations firm, in the early 1990s.

He and his wife, Maria (Cecere, MSU, ’89), are parents of Michaela and Connor (twin adults) and reside in Wyckoff, New Jersey, where they are involved in numerous community activities.

Chuck began his career by working his way through both HS and college at a local supermarket chain in Paterson, NJ. After graduating from Montclair State University with a BS degree in Marketing and Management, Chuck took a position at The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York in 1979 as a Route Salesman. He progressively advanced his career while there with promotions to District Sales Manager, Division Sales Manager, Director of Brand Management and Sales Center Manager. During this time Chuck also earned an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickenson University.

In 1991, Chuck took a position at The Seagram Beverage Company as Region Sales Director and, shortly after, assumed the role of National Sales Manager and finally as Vice-President/General Manager of their non-alcoholic division.

Chuck was appointed as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 2004 which, at the time, was the 4th largest African American owned company in the US. In 2009, Chuck was asked to lead the creation of a new entrepreneurial sales/commercial organization within Coca-Cola – Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) – as their Senior Vice-President.

In 2017 Chuck moved to California to join a startup company called Beyond Meat as their Chief Growth Officer. Under Chuck’s leadership the company rapidly grew Net Revenues from $16M in 2016 to over $450 in 2021 by expanding distribution into over 120,000 retail and foodservice outlets in more than 85 countries worldwide. Chuck retired from Beyond Meat in June 2021.

After retirement, Chuck continued to provide strategic growth consulting to entrepreneurial organizations. He served as an Operating Advisor at Ground Force Capital from 2021 to 2024 and as a Board Director at Vive Organics, Partake Foods, ZICO Rising and Miyoko’s Creamery until 2025. Chuck currently serves on the Business Advisory Board at Montclair State University.

Deborah Perelmuter spent nearly thirty years at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“Bank”). She retired as a Senior Vice President and Senior Financial Stability Advisor in the Bank’s Research and Statistics Group. Ms. Perelmuter was responsible for advising internal executive leadership on monetary policy issues and operations, central banking functions and financial markets.  She also actively provided the public with perspective on the Bank’s missions, operations, and challenges.

Much of Ms. Perelmuter’s tenure was within the Bank’s Markets Group. Her expertise ranges from financial market and policy analysis and operations to managing high-level external relationships. Her leadership positions included co-Head of Capital Markets Analysis and Trading, Head of Foreign Exchange and Fixed Income, and Senior Policy Advisor. She also had executive responsibility for numerous technology and analytic projects both within the Bank and as fiscal agent for the United States Treasury Department

Currently, Ms. Perelmuter speaks to university and business groups on economics, monetary policy, and crisis management, is a contributor to a leading survey on economics and policy and provides pro bono consulting to other central banks on operations and business processes.

Ms. Perelmuter holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Stern School, New York University.

Newman Rochester is the Vice President, Strategic Relationship Management in the Prudential US Insurance and Retirement Strategies channel at Prudential, covering key financial institutions. He dedicates his efforts to helping financial professionals and their clients plan for retirement.

Newman, has been in the financial services industry since 2000 and joined Prudential in 2012. He brings a wealth of knowledge to his business partners, along with actionable business building ideas and time-tested strategies.

Newman has been recognized as a leader within Prudential’s sales organization and has achieved Pinnacle status one time.

Newman graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. He also holds an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut where he also received an Advanced Business Certificate in International Business, MIT Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation and studied the insurance marketplace in China and Argentina.

Newman lives in Newtown, CT with his wife and their four children. In his spare time, Newman enjoys coaching youth in all aspects of their lives.

Frank Savino is President and CEO of United Fire Protection Corporation, Kenilworth, New Jersey.

United Fire is acknowledged as the industry leader in the mission critical data center fire protection industry in the New York Metro area. Clients include major financial institutions, utilities, transportation, government agencies, and hospitals. Frank currently serves on the State of New Jersey Fire Equipment Contractors Advisory committee. He holds a B.S. in business from Montclair State College.

He is active in many professional fire protection associations and has served in the capacity of director or officer in most of the associations. He is considered an expert in specialized fire detection and extinguishing agent systems for high asset value facilities.

Frank is married with four children. He enjoys family time and is active in youth sports.

Kent Sluyter is an innovative executive leader and not-for-profit board director with a proven track record of driving scalable change that enhances revenue and relevancy in a changing global marketplace. He leverages more than 30 years of expertise in both technical and P&L roles in the insurance and investment industry, where he developed a passion for helping others improve their lives.

An analytical and articulate board member who influences and empowers to drive consensus, Kent currently serves as Chair of the Montclair State University board as well as a member of the Feliciano School of Business advisory board. An authentic and approachable leader and mentor, he builds, engages, and integrates dynamic teams through fostering a strong culture of creativity and continual learning.

Kent retired from Prudential after a 39 year career where he served as President of Prudential Annuities. Prior to that role, Kent held a variety of executive positions with Prudential including, Chief Executive Officer of Individual Insurance and Prudential Advisors, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Actuary of Individual Insurance.

Kent received a BS in Mathematics from Lafayette College and is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst and a Chartered Life Underwriter®. He credits Prudential for helping inspire a purpose in him to improve the lives of others and enjoys making an immediate impact in his community as a volunteer for various organizations.

Fred Smagorinsky is President & CEO of GenServe LLC, a portfolio company of GenNx360 Capital Partners. GenServe is the largest independent provider of scheduled and emergency power generator maintenance, repair and sales in the North Atlantic region serving primarily commercial customers in a variety of industries. The company’s extensive service platform positions it as a one-stop-shop for all generator needs. Established in 1990, the Company has the largest team of Electrical Generating Systems Association certified technicians in the Northeast. GenServe is headquartered in Plainview, NY with additional branch offices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and Illinois.

He joined GenServe after serving as CEO of Rapid Displays, a Gemspring Capital portfolio company and manufacturer of custom retail displays, store fixtures, and kiosk merchandising and provider of end-to-end visual merchandising solutions. Prior to Rapid Displays, he served as CEO of Arctic Glacier Holdings, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of packaged ice in North America. Mr. Smagorinsky originally joined Arctic Glacier when it was under the ownership of HIG Capital, which ultimately sold this business to Carlyle Global Partners.

He joined Arctic Glacier after working with an affiliate of Highland Capital Management (HCM) as Operations Managing Director, assisting HCM’s investment team with operational issues within its private equity portfolio. HCM had previously hired Mr. Smagorinsky as CEO of Marcal Manufacturing, a producer of 100% recycled consumer household products, which was subsequently sold to Atlas Holdings LLC.
Prior to Marcal, Mr. Smagorinsky was CEO of Schofield Stone, a building supplies portfolio company of Kildare Enterprises; COO of Management Leadership Tomorrow, a NYC-based nonprofit; had a 14-year stint at Sealed Air, a global packaging business in a wide range of senior executive roles including VP, Corporate Sales & Marketing and Managing Director, Sealed Air Australia; and was a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Mr. Smagorinsky has an undergraduate degree in engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management, is a long-standing member of the Advisory Board of the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University and is a former Board Chair and member of the Executive Committee of Jazz House Kids, a Montclair, NJ-based non-profit. He and his wife have lived in Montclair, NJ since 1992.