EWNJ Gala celebrates the female leaders of today – and tomorrow

Group’s biennial event details the journey and the road ahead for women in workforce

Ruthi Zinn Byrne, during a delightful fireside chat with Jeannie LaRue Tuesday night, entertained the crowd with a story about the first time she entered a room as a board member.

“There were 12 white guys, all 6 feet tall – they all looked exactly the same,” she started. “When I got to the first meeting, they didn’t quite know where I should go: Where should Ruthi sit? Should she sit here, should she sit there? It’s like they didn’t have mothers and daughters and wives.”

Byrne told the story at the biennial Salute to the Policymakers Gala held by Executive Women of New Jersey at the Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains.

Interestingly enough, seating came up at the event, too. Simply put, so many people attended the event – nearly 500, a credit to the event and the organization – that making sure everyone had a seat was a challenge they eagerly took on.

Of course, getting a seat at the table – in the board room, that is – has been a signature issue for EWNJ for more than a decade.

The numbers are improving – women now make up 30% of board seats in N.J. and the number of companies that do not have a single woman on their board has dropped from a shamefully high of 30% in 2013 to a still-not-right 3% in 2023.

(Really? In 2024, board members can go into meetings and still feel the company they represent is better off without having any females on the board – even though all studies overwhelmingly show that to have diversity on your board improves your bottom line?)

That’s what makes events such as the EWNJ Gala so important.

The 57 honorees (listed below) not only are leaders in the state, but the proverbial tip of the iceberg of talent in the state. They deserve to be recognized. And they deserve to be paid (even though all studies show women, particularly women of color, are not paid equally).

They are not imposters.

That’s a lesson LaRue told the crowd she learned early in her career – an epiphany that occurred during a break at yet another meeting where she was the only fill-in-the-blank (woman, person of color, LGBTQ) in the room.

She realized everyone else put their pants on and brushed their teeth the same way she did, she said.

EWNJ President Courtney McCormick of PSEG and EWNJ President-elect and event chair Susan Dromsky-Reed of Brach Eichler thanked Byrne and LaRue and all the women who have helped pave the way for the night’s honorees – an incredible group.

“These trailblazers are not only last shattering games in their organizations; they are also changemakers who are ensuring other talented women can join them at the leadership tables,” McCormick said. “These women are superstars. They are visionaries, mentors and fighters.”

They are also inspiring the next generation of leaders. That was on display, too.

EWNJ is the largest provider of scholarships to women who are non-traditional graduate students in the state of New Jersey, awarding more than $1.4 million in scholarships.

Alexis Libert, a fourth-year counseling psychology doctoral student at Felician University researching eating disorders – someone selected to earn a scholarship in both 2020 and 2023 – spoke to the crowd the importance of EWNJ’s assistance.

“The financial support that this organization provided to me, allowed me to pursue academic and professional development opportunities that I would not have been able to do otherwise,” she said.

“I’ve been able to attend conferences to present my research, extend my external research fellowship, strengthen my training and pursuing academic accomplishments that otherwise would not (be possible).”

All of this was so pleasing to McCormick and Dromsky-Reed.

“This evening completely exceeded my expectations,” McCormick said.

She said she saw first-hand the impact the gala will have for years to come.

During the networking portion of the event, she was called away to be interviewed by a group of young student-journalists from the International Girls Academy in Newark.

“They were very professional,” she said. “They sat me down, gave me a microphone, and asked me great questions. They were very prepared.”

And they may not have been much older than 10 or 12, McCormick estimated.

A defining moment, McCormick shared.

“By the end, I was almost crying,” she said. “This may sound corny but it’s not just the results, it’s the journey.

“To be able to look back and see how you’ve impacted people positively – and that’s what EWNJ does – is just so rewarding.”

***

A look at the honorees:

  • Onome Adejemilua, McCarter & English
  • Carolyn Andress, HUB International Northeast
  • Helen Archontou, YWCA Northern New Jersey
  • Mia Batista, Seyfarth Shaw
  • Adenah Bayoh, Adenah Bayoh & Companies
  • Valerie Blau, NJPAC
  • Megan Brozowski, Mariner Wealth Advisors
  • Chrissy Buteas, HealthCare Institute of New Jersey
  • Linda Czipo, New Jersey Center for NonProfits
  • Ann Edattel, Deloitte
  • Rosa Estrella, Astellas Pharma
  • Princess Shinnique Fils-Aime, KIPP NJ & KIPP Miami
  • Sue Garcia, WebMD
  • Eva Gardow, Electrical Power Research Institute
  • Aisha Glover, Audible
  • Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth, Hackensack Meridian Health
  • Carin Hep, Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut
  • Kimya Jackson, West Orange School District
  • Rippi Karda, Verizon
  • Celia King, Leadership Newark
  • Francelina Perdomo Klukosky, Saul Ewing
  • Suzanne Kunis, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Cristal Reyes Lambert, ETS
  • Jill Lebowitz, Coughlin Midlige & Garland
  • Eboneé Lewis, BD
  • Julia López, Reed Smith
  • ·Andrea McElroy, Veolia
  • Daysi María Mejía, Citibank
  • Maggie Moran, Moxie Strategies
  • Deborah Morris, Verisk
  • Jodi Moskowitz, PSEG,
  • Cheryl Norton, American Water
  • Jacqueline Peña, Bowman and Brooke
  • Beth Perrone, Merck
  • Marjorie Perry, MZM Construction & Management
  • Lillian Plata, Conifer Realty
  • Nuris Portuondo, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
  • Lori Rabinowitz, The Green Jade Group at Morgan Stanley
  • Mary Rizzuti, EisnerAmper
  • Suzette Rodriguez, Demant
  • Veronica Rodriguez, TelevisaUnivision
  • Lisa Roettger, Manasquan Bank
  • Debra Rosen, Archer & Greiner
  • Rana Shanawani, Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Jacqueline Shea, New Jersey Resources
  • Maisha Simmons, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Christine Ann Soto, Essex County College
  • Suzanne Spernal, RWJBarnabas Health
  • Rose Suriano, Brach Eichler
  • Sheea Sybblis, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
  • Debra Tantleff, TANTUM Real Estate
  • Nelida Valentin, Princeton Area Community Foundation
  • Eileen Vega-Lamboy, Beacon Hill
  • Charlene Vickers, Johnson & Johnson
  • Mariekarl Vilceus-Talty, Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey
  • Lori Wolf, Cole Schotz
  • Talia Young, Newark Symphony Hall