Kessler PR Group CEO Karen Kessler, whose legendary 30-year career includes counseling high-profile clients around the world and mentoring professional women here at home to advance their careers, will be honored with the prestigious Caren Franzini Award at the 10th Annual New Jersey Women Business Leaders Forum.
The forum, sponsored by N.J. Business and Industry Association, will take place Sept. 25-26 in Atlantic City. (For more information or to register, click here.)
NJBIA also will honor two inspiring women whose careers in the nonprofit sector have made a profound impact in New Jersey.
Mary Gay Abbott-Young: She led the Rescue Mission of Trenton for more than 35 years until her retirement in June. She will receive the Legacy in Leadership Award for her life’s work feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and helping the disenfranchised access the programs and services that can help them rebuild their lives.
Kiran Handa Gaudioso: The CEO of United Way of Northern New Jersey & president, United for ALICE, she will receive the inaugural Women for Change Achievement Award for her mission-driven work to improve the lives of impoverished families. Gaudioso is a dedicated advocate for New Jersey’s 1.2 million ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), serving as their voice in Trenton to advance meaningful policy changes.
The annual Caren Franzini Award honors the legacy of the former longtime chief executive of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, who died in 2017. Franzini worked with seven governors from 1994-2012 to promote entrepreneurial development and economic growth, particularly in New Jersey’s largest cities.
After her tenure at the NJEDA, Franzini served on NJBIA’s Board of Trustees until her death at age 57.
“The Caren Franzini Award is an honor bestowed on individuals who by their quiet and behind the scenes ‘get things done’ way, inspire and empower others to achieve professional excellence,” NJBIA CEO Michele Siekerka said.
“Karen Kessler truly embodies the spirit of this award. She has built a hugely successful public relations business that is globally renowned for reputational management and crisis communications, she serves on numerous boards of directors, and she is a rock star when it comes to mentoring others wherever they are on the career path.” As the founding president and CEO of the Monmouth County-based Kessler PR Group, Kessler counsels clients and attorneys on sensitive issues including regulatory inquiries, personnel matters, business practices, and criminal and civil litigation. She represents high-profile celebrities and entities in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
Kessler is a member of the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct and in 2023 was appointed as Commissioner of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. She has served for 10 years as a director of Northfield Bank where she chairs the compliance and information technology committee. She also has served on the boards of public companies and leading nonprofits in finance, healthcare, and education.
Kessler is a sought-after speaker at conferences and events, including the New Jersey Women Business Leaders Forum, as well as the New Jersey Bar Association and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She has served as board chair of Atlantic Health and Rutgers University Business School Institute for Ethical Leadership and as a visiting Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
The NJBIA Women Business Leaders Forum is the largest professional conference for women in New Jersey, bringing together thousands of corporate and nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, students, and women just embarking on their professional path to learn, be inspired and become empowered.
The networking, TED-style talks, and breakout sessions led by experts are designed to help women forge successful careers, build businesses, and increase diversity in corporate leadership and boardrooms.
