As the chairman of Amtrak, influential partner at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, and adviser to a whole host of government and business officials at all levels, Tony Coscia has one of most distinguished careers in New Jersey business.
On Wednesday night, during the inaugural ROI-NJ Champions of the C-Suite event, Coscia was quick to give recognition to the two other honorees in the prestigious chairman category: The Hampshire Cos.’ Jon Hanson and Cooper University Health Care’s George Norcross.
He did so in a moving tribute.
“I really want to say something about my co-honorees in this category, because it is truly an honor for me to be in the same category as the two of them,” Coscia told the crowd of nearly 250. “Jon Hanson is the model for people who want to be involved at the intersection of the public and private sector. Jon is the person who you look to.
“(When) people in high political office, corporate CEOs had to get something done, some problem had to get solved, some issue had to be resolved — who do we get to develop the kind of consensus that most people think is not possible? Jon Hanson.
“He’s clearly somebody who we all have benefited from. There’s so many things in this state that have been built, have been accomplished because Jon had the ability to bring people together and apply a smart, thoughtful way of accomplishing things.”
Coscia then described how Norcross’ impact on the state goes well beyond his connections to the high and mighty.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the state of New Jersey who has any authority at all, no matter how you measure it, who doesn’t know who George Norcross is,” he said. “But that’s not the reason why George should be honored here tonight.
“The reason George should be honored is because of the thousands of people who probably have no idea who George Norcross is. It’s people who are patients at Cooper, citizens of Camden, building trades employees. I grew up in this world and I can tell you that there are people out there whose lives have been dramatically improved because George Norcross got it done. He was able to bring things together in a way where so many people benefit.
“So, the true measure of a great person is someone who touches the lives of so many who never even know he existed, but whose lives have been irrevocably changed because of it.”
The thoughts of Coscia, Hanson and Norcross were the highlight of an evening where 34 C-suite executives were honored at the Bridgewater Manor. (Read more about their remarks in our Editor’s Desk column.)
A complete list of the honorees:
CEO (Large Companies):
- Rolando E. Acosta, CEO and president, JAG Cos. Inc.;
- Kevin S. Corbett, CEO and president, New Jersey Transit;
- John Gallucci Jr., CEO, JAG-ONE Physical Therapy;
- Robert Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health;
- Kimberley Gillespie, CEO and president, Economic Project Solutions;
- Michael Maron, CEO and president, Holy Name Medical Center;
- Barry H. Ostrowsky, CEO and president, RWJBarnabas Health;
- Carlos Rodriguez, CEO, ADP;
- John Schreiber, CEO and president, New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
CEO (Small Companies):
- Douglas Forrester, chairman and CEO, Integrity Health;
- Lara Nikola, president, Smart Sips Coffee;
- Suuchi Ramesh, founder and CEO, Suuchi Inc.;
- David Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO, AeroFarms;
- Lydia Sarfati, founder, CEO and president, Repêchage;
- Debra L. Wentz, CEO and president, New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies.
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Revenue Officer:
- Joseph Budd, CFO, Prevenio;
- Lynore DeSantis, CFO, New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program;
- John Doll, executive vice president and CFO, RWJBarnabas Health;
- Dino Iuliano, CRO, Planned Companies;
- Charlene Wingfield, CFO, DSM.
Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer:
- Robert C. Cohen, vice president, global R&D, and CTO, orthopedics, Stryker Corp.;
- Luis Diaz, co-founder and managing principal, Vision-E;
- David Reis, executive vice president and CIO, Hackensack Meridian Health.
Chief Marketing Officer:
- Marc Oshima, co-founder and CMO, AeroFarms;
- Randy Stodard, vice president and CMO, Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc.;
- Rafael Toro, director of public relations, Goya Foods Inc.
Chief Diversity Officer/Chief Human Resources Officer:
- Alison Banks-Moore, CDO, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey;
- Nancy Corcoran-Davidoff, executive vice president, chief experience and human resources officer, Hackensack Meridian Health;
- Robert L. Johnson, CDO, Gibbons P.C.;
- Trina Parks, senior vice president, corporate chief diversity and inclusion officer, RWJBarnabas Health;
- Arlene Quinones Perez, partner, Decotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Giblin LLP.
Chairman:
- Anthony Coscia, chairman of the board, chairman of the Audit & Finance Committee, Amtrak;
- Jon F. Hanson, founder and chairman, The Hampshire Cos.;
- George E. Norcross III, executive chairman, Conner Strong & Buckelew, and chairman, Cooper University Health Care.
