Payne to serve as keynote speaker at State of Black NJ Economic Summit

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. will serve as the keynote speaker for the State of Black NJ 2024 Economic Summit, to be held April 17 at the Crowne Plaza Princeton-Conference Center in Plainsboro.

The annual African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey summit serves as a platform for dialogue on public policies and the economic impact on Black New Jerseyans and Black businesses in New Jersey as it relates to education, health, workforce readiness and attaining an equitable share of economic opportunities within the public and private sectors of the state.

The 2024 Economic Summit is themed “Accountability, & Reciprocity.” It will feature two panels, moderated by chamber CEO John Harmon and Pure Genesis CEO Faye Coleman.

Panel I: Economic development

Panelists:

• Samantha DeAlmeida Roman, president, Associated Builders & Contractors;
• Bruce Crawley, principal owner & president, Millennium 3 Mgt. Inc.;
• Monique Nelson, executive chair, UniWorld Group Inc.;
• Keith Wright, business diversity operations, Office of DEI, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Panel II: Honoring equity partners

Panelists:

• Jim Fakult, president, Jersey Central Power & Light;
• Ralph LaRossa, chair and CEO, Public Service Enterprise Group;
• Mike Reagan, senior vice president, CGI.

Harmon said the event aims to bring the Black business community together with key leaders in the state.

“Please join us for a day of thoughtful discussion and the recognition of a select group of distinguished corporate leaders that have kept their word, coalesced strategies and advanced resources to perpetuate the success of AACCNJ,” he said. “The State of Black NJ conference serves as a best practice of how to build bridges towards mutual success with an overarching goal of improving the competitiveness of our state.”

Payne (D-10^th Dist.) said he’s thrilled to be there.

“The summit is an opportunity to highlight the many successful African American business owners and connect African American entrepreneurs with the mentors and resources to help them launch and grow their businesses. In addition, it fosters conversations about how to improve economic equity in New Jersey and create more opportunities for African Americans statewide,” he said.

You can register here.