Advisory Board

Michele Ansbacher has been chair of the Advisory Board of the Feliciano School of Business since 2016 and is also an Executive-in-Residence. Her involvement with students includes teaching courses on leadership and ethics, guest lecturing, and mentoring. Over her long career at Prudential Financial, Michele built new and innovative teams and programs across multiple business groups and held senior positions including Vice President of Field Support, Vice President, Corporate Compliance, Corporate Chief Ethics Officer and Eastern Territory Vice President. 

Michele was named among the 2019 Top 25 Entrepreneurs/Intrapreneurs in New Jersey by Leading Women Entrepreneurs and was recognized with the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award for the Feliciano School of Business. In 2026 she was among the inaugural recipients of an NJBIZ Board Leadership Award.

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 partner at KPMG LLP in their State and Local Tax practice, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal specializing in global tax planning, interim management, and turnaround services, and a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. 

Throughout his career, Jim has advised Global 1000, middle market, and start-up clients in areas such as audit defense and appeal, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and property tax, and in various industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and utilities. 

Jim is a former member of the New Jersey Tax Director’s Advisory Council, and former Chairman of NJSCPA’s 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.

Kevin Bradley spent much of his career in executive management roles at major corporations, including Asset Management Officer at AT&T Capital, Chief Asset Management Officer for GE Capital Equipment Leasing, President of Terex Financial Services and Terex’s Crane and Port Equipment Division, SVP and CFO of Terex Corporation, and Executive Vice President and CFO of US Steel Corporation. 

In retirement, Kevin has been actively involved in Montclair State University.  In addition to his advisory role at the Feliciano School of Business, he regularly speaks to classes and mentors students, and serves as a Trustee on the University’s Foundation Board.  In 2021, Kevin helped launch a special needs nonprofit, Compassion Cafe, on Long Beach Island NJ, and served on their Board for several years.

Monty oversees Montclair Investment Partners, a team within UBS Private Wealth Management delivering comprehensive wealth management services.  Monty has over 40 years of experience in finance, including investment and merchant banking roles at JPMorgan, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers/Barclay’s and UBS. 

Monty has taught as Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Montclair State University School of Business, and regularly mentors business students. He served as an advisor for the State of New Jersey Investment Council and is an Advisory Board member of the Yale School of Management’s International Center for Finance.  

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

Elisa is a passionate advocate for inclusive community and small business development.  She began her career in real estate finance and spent 14 years at the Port Authority of NYNJ where she served as Lead Negotiator of Acquisitions and Operations for the WTC Redevelopment effort post 9/11, and in several governor-appointed roles, including the NJ Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, where she served as Vice Chair for four years.

In 2014, Elisa co-founded the non-profit Latina Surge National and subsequently created and runs EAC Business International LLC, an umbrella distribution, technology and consulting company.

In addition to her Feliciano School of Business association,  Elisa serves on a number of boards and associations including Essex County’s Planning Board. She is a graduate of NJIT, New York University and Columbia University with advanced degrees in Environmental Science, Real Estate Finance and International Finance and Business. 

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 including 12 years with Goldman Sachs and 3 years with JP Morgan. He also served as President of Carnegie’s U.S activities and was Global Head of Carnegie’s securities business. Most recently, Jim was 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.

Jim regularly reviews student participants’ performance in the Feliciano School’s Student Managed Investment Fund and counsels on strategic choices and presentation of results. He also advises Finance faculty on curriculum decisions and recommends areas of industry interest and need. 

Barat is Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations at ADP and a technology industry veteran, with 25+ years of experience in a number of organizations and roles including Vice President and General Manager of Unified Communications and Collaboration at Westcon-Comstor (Synnex Corp), and Vice President and General Manager of Avaya’s $1.6B Global Support Services business.

Barat has also dedicated much of his time to community service. In addition to his work on the Feliciano School Advisory Board, he has served on the Board of the College of Community Fellowship of New York, a non-profit organization that helps formerly incarcerated women earn college degrees.

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, overseeing Quest’s regional and enterprise operations, as well as the commercial organization and pathology business. She is also responsible for driving operational excellence through Invigorate, the company’s quality and efficiency initiative and Quest’s Women in Leadership Employee Business Network of which she is executive sponsor.  

Since joining Quest Diagnostics in 1990, Cathy has held a number of leadership roles including Senior Vice President, Group Executive – Clinical Franchise Solutions & Marketing, Senior Vice President, Physician Services Business, Vice President, Hospital Services, and VicePresident, 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. 

Mimi Feliciano is the 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. 

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

Awards and Honors: NJ Biz Power 100 List 2024; ROI NJ Influencers Women in Business 2022, 2023; 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; Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs 2014; Best 50 Women in Business, NJ BIZ 2014;  Montclair State University Carpe Diem Award 2012.

Rusty has over 20 years of experience in enterprise solution development, competitive market positioning, financial oversight, and complex contract management, delivered across the technology and financial services sectors.  He is currently Global Client Director at Elastic, leading a team of experts in delivering consulting services and on-premise and cloud solutions for enterprise search, observability and security.  Prior to Elastic he held senior positions at IBM, Veritas, and Cisco working with global Fortune 500 clients. 

He holds a degree in Finance from Montclair State University. He earned IBM’s highest certification for sales executives through a joint IBM–Harvard University program. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Montclair State University School of Business since 2009, providing guidance on curriculum development, industry alignment and corporate partnerships.

As Chief Risk Officer at the United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU), Keisha Hutchinson oversees enterprise-wide risk management and serves as executive sponsor for UNFCU’s Black Business Resource Group.

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. She began her career at KPMG where she advanced to Audit Partner, providing deep expertise in internal controls, enterprise risk assessments, SEC and capital markets reporting, and regulatory compliance. 

Keisha graduated from Montclair State’s School of Business with a Degree in Accounting and Finance. A strong advocate for mentorship and inclusion, she has mentored numerous colleagues as well as students, and has also served on Feliciano’s Accounting Advisory Board. 

Jim Merli launched his Wall Street career in 1983 at Shearson (Lehman Brothers) where he spent 25 years, rising to the role of Global Head of Fixed Income Syndicate. He subsequently joined Barclays Capital as Head of U.S Primary Market Syndication and in 2010 became Nomura Securities’ Global Head of Debt Syndication and Head of Global Finance for the Americas. 

Since retiring from Nomura in 2015, he has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University 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. 

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

Chuck began his post-graduate career at The Coca-Cola Bottling Company as a Route Salesman. He advanced to become Director of Brand Management and Sales Center Manager and in 1991, joined the Seagram Beverage Company, rising to Vice-President/General Manager. He subsequently returned to Coca-Cola where he led the creation of a new organization, Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB), as iSenior Vice-President.

In 2017, Chuck joined Beyond Meat as their Chief Growth Officer and took its products into 120,000+ retail and foodservice outlets in more than 85 countries worldwide before he retired in 2021. 

Chuck continues to provide strategic consulting to entrepreneurial organizations and advice to Montclair students and administrators. In 2022, he established a museum and education center at Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium, which is operated by the Montclair State University..

Chuck graduated from Montclair State with a degree in Business and earned an MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson 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. She was responsible for advising internal executive leadership on monetary policy issues and operations, central banking functions and financial markets. She spent much of her career in the Markets Group managing the analysis and transactions across foreign and domestic financial markets in support of the FOMC, U.S. Treasury, and foreign central banks.

Currently, Deborah speaks to university and business groups on economics, monetary policy, and crisis management 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 Vice President, Strategic Relationship Management in Prudential Financial’s US Insurance and Retirement Strategies channel, covering key financial institutions. In his 15+ years at Prudential he has led various teams and initiatives with a focus on transformative business development through fintech-driven innovation.  Prior to Prudential, Newman held senior sales positions at Citi and MetLife.

In addition to serving on the FelicianoSchool of Business Advisory Board, Newman served as Vice Chair of the Advisory Board School of Education and Human Services, from 2020-2022. 

Newman graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy. He also holds an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut . He holds an Advanced Business Certificate in International Business (UConn), and MIT’s  Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation. 

Fred Smagorinsky has been the CEO of several equity-backed companies, including GenServe,LLC, Rapid Displays, Arctic Glacier Holdings, Inc., and Marcal Manufacturing and has partnered with a number of financial sponsors in orchestrating successful exits.  Earlier roles included VP and Managing Director, Sealed Air and consultant at McKinsey & Company.  He currently is an advisor to private equity firms and serves on the Board of GenServe, a portfolio company of Aurora Capital Partners. . 

Fred has an undergraduate degree in engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Abstract Ice, an Adjunct Professor at the Feliciano School of Business and  an Advisory Board member and former Board Chair of Jazz House Kids, a Montclair, NJ-based non-profit. 

Kent Sluyter is an executive leader and non-profit board director with a track record of driving positive, scalable change. He retired from Prudential Financial after a 39-year career where he served as President of Prudential Annuities. Prior to that role, Kent held a variety of executive positions including, Chief Executive Officer of Individual Insurance and Prudential Advisors, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Actuary of Individual Insurance.

Kent currently serves as Chair of the Montclair State University board as well as a member of the Feliciano School of Business Advisory Board where he advises on strategy and corporate partnerships

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®. 

Fred Smagorinsky has been the CEO of several private equity-backed companies, including GenServe, Rapid Displays, Arctic Glacier and Marcal Manufacturing and has partnered with a number of financial sponsors in orchestrating successful exits.  Earlier roles included VP and Managing Director at Sealed Air and consultant at McKinsey & Company. He currently is an advisor to private equity firms and serves on the boards of four PE-backed portfolio companies.

Fred has an undergraduate degree in engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Abstract Ice, an Adjunct Professor at the Feliciano School of Business and an Advisory Board member and former Board Chair of Jazz House Kids, a Montclair, NJ-based non-profit.