New Brunswick-based New Jersey Community Capital is welcoming Evan Weiss, CEO and president of the Newark Alliance, to its board of directors and Vanessa Quijano as director of communications, according to a Monday announcement.
Weiss is currently head of the Newark Alliance, which drives inclusive economic growth for New Jersey’s largest city.
Weiss joins seven existing board members, including executives from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, BlackRock Alternative Investors, M&T Bank, Hudson County Economic Development Corp. and St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society of Camden.
“We’re excited Evan is joining our board, as we know he will bring tremendous policy insight that will bolster economic opportunities for the businesses that we serve,” Bernel Hall, CEO and president of New Jersey Community Capital, said. “Evan’s experience crafting innovative solutions to issues that plague urban communities adds an invaluable perspective to our diverse board.”
Prior to joining the Newark Alliance last year, Weiss was senior adviser for finance and major projects to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.  Before the governor’s administration, Weiss served as director at the Pennsylvania Economy League and HJA Strategies, where he specialized in developing and implementing turnaround strategies for distressed cities and school districts, including for the city of Newark, Newark Public Schools, Scranton, Atlantic City and Trenton.
Meanwhile, Quijano joins NJCC from Invest Newark, where she served as senior vice president of business development. In this role, she led the organization in serving small businesses and entrepreneurs of the city of Newark with access to technical assistance, training and access to capital. She also successfully managed the communications and public relations of Invest Newark, elevating the brand and promoting campaigns such as the launch of the Newark Land Bank, the Section 8 Homeownership Conversion Program, Newark Restaurant Week and business development training programs such as Language of Capital, Newark Tech Expo and MWBE Certification Expo.
Additionally, Quijano managed the growth of the Newark Fiber program, the high-speed, low-cost internet service provider based on the city’s fiber infrastructure, and oversaw Smart City initiatives.
Prior to Invest Newark, Quijano led the Small Business Services division at the Jersey City Economic Development Corp., where she counseled entrepreneurs and small business owners on every aspect of starting, owning and managing a business. Previously, she managed the corporate brand of BASF – the Chemical Co. in North America and worked at Engelhard Corp., where she practiced internal communications, marketing communications and public relations as well as produced six award-winning annual reports.
