Senior Vice President, ESG and Organizational Effectiveness
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

 Pete Hernandez serves as senior vice president, ESG and Organizational Effectiveness at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, where he is responsible for leading the strategic direction and implementation of the company's environmental, social, and governance pillars focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; protecting human rights; sustainability; and philanthropy. Additionally, Pete oversees Wyndham University, managing team member and franchisee talent development and training.

Passionate about social responsibility, Pete has participated in several public speaking engagements related to key social responsibility topics, including the Tri-State Diversity Council Leadership Summit, diversity panels, and several Wyndham Affinity Business Group functions. He played a key role in the development of Wyndham Worldwide's Learning Empowerment and Development (LEAD) mentoring program with New Jersey City University (NJCU), where he currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the NJCU Foundation Board. He also serves as a board member for JBWS.

Prior to his current role, Pete served as senior vice president, Managed Finance, where he oversaw the finance operation for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' managed properties division. Prior to this, he served as group vice president, Social Responsibility, where he was responsible for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ social responsibility efforts.

Before joining Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Pete served as senior vice president and division controller for Wyndham Destinations, overseeing the hospitality services division's day-to-day accounting and financial activities. Earlier in his career, Pete held leadership positions in accounting and finance at Wyndham Vacation Ownership for more than 17 years while also serving as executive sponsor of the iFuerte! Affinity Business Group and the Wyndham Worldwide mentoring circle.

Pete is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

Managing Director and Head of Workplace and Retirement Plans
Morgan Stanley 

Mr. O’Connor is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. His current role is overseeing firm’s Workplace Wealth program. This includes delivering “financial wellness” content and solutions to participants within the firm’s institutional relationships. The service encompasses all wealth segments and is delivered through Financial Advisors and/or digitally. His previous roles included leading Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s retirement businesses and developing the firm’s strategic response to regulatory changes. Mr. O’Connor joined Morgan Stanley in 2010.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Wealth Management he led the retirement and institutional consulting businesses at UBS in the Americas. Ed also held leadership roles within the respective wealth management divisions of JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch.

He has a Masters in Business Administration, is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the series 7, 24, 65 & 66 securities licenses. In addition Ed is an adjunct professor at New Jersey City University.

Interim President, New Jersey City University

is a Hudson County native who grew up in Union City, N.J., and has maintained strong ties to the community. He is only the second Hispanic to serve as the leader of a four-year public institution in the state of New Jersey — following in the legacy of another NJCU leader, Dr. Carlos Hernandez, who led the institution as its 11th president from 1993-2012. Acebo is also the youngest known president to ever lead a public university in the State of New Jersey. 

Acebo was elevated to Executive Vice President and University Counsel in the midst of the announcement of the university’s current financial emergency on June 27, 2022. He also served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees and guided its government relations initiatives.

Since the announcement of the financial emergency, Acebo has demonstrated significant executive leadership. Facing a more than $20 million deficit, he collaborated with NJCU’s organized labor, stakeholders, and constituencies to reduce the deficit by more than 50 percent within 120 days, while leading with empathy and compassion about the mission of the university and those who serve it.

Acebo has worked diligently with NJCU’s other senior leaders, external stakeholders, and entities, including the bond rating agencies which has resulted in the removal of the University from the rating agency’s negative watch. His efforts with the senior leadership of NJCU’s academic affairs division has led to developing an academic rightsizing framework that honors collective bargaining rights and creates a pathway for reallocation of resources and an updated academic portfolio.

He also has worked with the Division of Academic Affairs to affirm NJCU’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation while working with Senator Menendez and our congressional delegation to identify significant future federal aid which will provide equitable access to high demand online nursing education.

Acebo, who recently completed a one-year fellowship program as part of the third annual cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo in Spring 2022, was one of just 25 fellows selected nationally.

He originally joined the university in February 2021 as a senior leader facilitating institutional planning, policy and program development and was responsible for facilitating effective decision-making and coordinating the execution of strategic initiatives, while providing close coordinative support to the President as an ongoing liaison for external governmental affairs issues. As Executive Vice President, he continued those critical contributions.

Acebo most recently served on the vetting and due diligence team for the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and Alliance for Latinx Leadership and Policy (ALLP) partnership to identify U.S. Department of Justice presidential nominees for the Biden/Harris transition.

In his private practice, Acebo has counseled and represented governmental entities, higher education institutions and public school districts, and closely-held corporations. His practice focused primarily on employment and labor, education law, and government/public entity law.

Acebo has been recognized as a Rising Star by New Jersey Super Lawyers, a Top Latino Lawyer by Latino Leaders Magazine, a Top Lawyer under 40 by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and as a Diverse Attorney of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal. In Fall 2022, he was recognized as a 2022 “Latinos 40 Under 40” award recipient by Negocios Now, in recognition of leadership by young Latinos in the New York metropolitan area. This fall, Acebo was also honored by the Boys Scouts of America-North Jersey Council with the 2022 Good Scout Award, in reflection of his service to his community.

He currently serves as a Deputy Regional President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and Chair of the Special Committee on Cuba. He serves on the board of the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership and Education (CAALE) — a non-profit board that serves first-generation students in the NJCU community.

Furthermore, Acebo serves on the board of the North Hudson Community Action Foundation, which helps underserved members of Hudson County with equitable access to healthcare and social services.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Acebo lives the NJCU mission every day, as a first-generation college student, who has a similar life story as many of our current students. His family story began nearly 60 years ago when his father fled Cuba for freedom, and his path to NJCU was recently depicted in a feature in Hispanic Executive and in an NJ.com Op-Ed entitled “A father’s story and a son’s promise.”

Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. He is a proud product of Union City public schools in Hudson County. He resides in North Jersey with his wife — an NJCU alumnae — and three children.

Director, U.S. Corporate Responsibility
Novartis

Ashley L. Atkins, Ph.D. is Director, US Corporate Responsibility at Novartis where she is responsible for the company’s community engagement strategy in the US, including corporate giving, the Novartis U.S. Foundation and employee engagement efforts. She joined Novartis in 2018 following 16-years at Johnson & Johnson as part of the company’s Global Community Impact Team, where she led local community-based partnerships related to education, food security, urban green space, arts & culture, and community health. Ashley is committed to driving social change through a collaborative systems approach.

Ashley holds degrees from Duke University, University of Massachusetts, and Rutgers University, where she received a Ph.D. in art history. She recently published the white paper “Arts, Health, and Well-being Across the Military Continuum: White Paper 2.0 – 2020 and Beyond” for Americans for the Arts. The paper chronicles the achievements of the National Initiative for the Arts & Health in the Military and articulates the need for an increased focus on how to serve the most underserved military-connected communities, using arts interventions to create better health outcomes. She lives in Central NJ with her husband and 2 sons.

Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs
Fidelity Investments

 Ms. Natalie Brathwaite is the Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest financial services providers.  In this role, she is responsible for Fidelity’s government relations, community investing and civic efforts for New Jersey and New York and leads the firm’s advocacy and engagement efforts on a wide range of state-level issues related to investment advice. 

Prior to joining Fidelity in 2017, Ms. Brathwaite spent a decade working in the public sector. Her past roles in both the nonprofit and government sectors in the United States and Canada included work in external affairs, community engagement, grant-making and public policy analysis. 

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Ms. Brathwaite received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees from the University of Toronto. Ms. Brathwaite currently resides in Jersey City. She is active in her community and proudly serves on the boards of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, the Hudson County Community College Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, the Jersey City Arts Council and Saint Peter’s University Board of Regents.

Partner, PwC

Will is a Trust Solutions Partner at PwC with several years of experience serving financial services organizations by helping them achieve their financial and regulatory reporting needs. He specializes in risk and controls functions spanning business operations and technology at asset managers, private wealth managers, broker-dealers and domestic and global banks.

Will has spent his entire career at PwC, serving U.S. and global clients. Will is a dynamic leader focused on building inclusive, trust-based teams to solve challenging and important issues. He currently serves as the lead Human Resources and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion partner for his New York practice. While based out of the New York office, Will has extensive experience working across the global PwC network and spent three years on tour in the PwC London office from 2009 – 2012.

Will is a Queens, NY native and received his B.S. from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in New York and New Jersey, a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a member of various professional organizations (e.g., AICPA, NJCPA, NYSSCPA, ISACA, NABA). Will serves on the board of St. Peter's Orphanage and is an active, lifetime member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Will resides in New Jersey with his wife and young son. He also enjoys active outdoor activities (e.g., golf, running, skiing), travel and food.

Chairman
HGM Group

Dr. Kim is an international investment backer with projects throughout the world. His interests include real estate, alternative energy projects, and international trade.

Dr. Kim is chairman of the HGM Group and former member of the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission. In his tenure as commissioner and board member, he has overseen a department that is responsible for the development of over 470,000 jobs in the state. The commission also promotes and develops New Jersey’s tourism industry which is responsible for revenue of over $36 billion dollars per year. 

From 1986 to 2004, Dr. Kim served as Chairman of the Educational Opportunity Fund Board, The Commission on Higher Education State of New Jersey.  This board represents the 58 colleges and public universities throughout the State of New Jersey. First appointed by Governor Thomas Kean in 1986, he served on the EOF Board under five successive governors, a rare record of achievement in New Jersey.

In addition, Dr. Kim is a member of the Board of Governors of Saint Joseph’s University HAUB Graduate School of Business and MBA Program in Pennsylvania and Board of Regents of the Saint Peter’s University.

Educated in Korea, Israel and the United States, Dr. Kim received a Doctorate in political science from Korea and Doctorate in Diplomacy from Saint Joseph’s University. He successfully completed the Harvard Law School Civil Rights Project Seminarian course, as well as, the Minority diversity Program at the same institution.

Dr. Kim is also the former chairman and chief executive of the Jersey City Economic Development Commission, where he served between 1986 and 1995. His accomplishments in that position include the planning of the Hudson River development project for the City of Jersey City.

He is the former chairman of the Human Rights Commission in Jersey City. In 1988, he received the Whitney Young Award from the New Jersey Urban League. In 1994, Dr. Kim received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the highest civilian honor bestowed to an immigrant citizen in the United States.

Further, Dr. Kim has received many other civilian awards and honors, too numerous to mention here.  He is the author of “Young Pioneer", a treatise about South Korea’s economic miracle (1972) and “IMF” about the negatives, as well as, salutary effects of IMF interventions in Asia (2001).

Dr. Kim was appointed by Governor Brendan Byrne as “New Jersey Ambassador at Large to Korea and Asia”.

(headshot and bio forthcoming)

Executive Vice President, and Head of Branch Banking, PNC Bank

Jeffrey (Jeff) Martinez is Executive Vice President and Head of Branch Banking at PNC Bank. In his current role, Jeff is responsible for more than 2,400 branches, and nearly 16,000 employees, through PNC’s coast to coast footprint. He also serves as a Chair for PNC’s Military Advisory Council and is the Executive Sponsor of PNC’s Latino and Multicultural Employee Business Resource Group.

Martinez joined PNC in 2014 and adds more than 20 years of retail banking experience to PNC’s senior leadership team. Prior to PNC, he held various roles at JPMorgan Chase for more than 10 years, including responsibilities as a First Vice President, District Manager. Martinez also served the country for nine years in the U.S. Army National Guard. He deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and has been awarded three Army Commendation Medals and New Jersey’s Distinguished Service Medal.

Martinez is passionate about giving back to the communities where he lives and works and is involved with several non-profit organizations. He is the Treasurer of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, a LatinoJustice PRLDEF Board Member, and a Member of the NJCU Foundation Board and the Hudson County Community
College Employer Advisory Board. Martinez is also an executive advisor to CAALE, whose mission is centered on supporting education within our community and he works with the Association of Latino Professionals for America to educate students and professionals through informative presentations hosted at New Jersey and New York universities.

Martinez earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Rutgers University and completed the CBA Executive Banking School Program at Furman University.

Joseph Abuga Nyamwange is a notable financial strategist, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist that credits his current success to his humble beginnings in Jersey City, New Jersey. Born to Kenyan parents who migrated to this country in the 1980s for better opportunities, Joe has learned that with grit, hard work, and faith, all things are possible.

Growing up in Jersey City, Joe experienced firsthand that being black in America comes with specific challenges unique to our culture. However, from an early age, he was committed to excellence despite the limitations that society tried to put on him. He has developed a burning passion for helping people of color overcome the racial and economic disparities that have kept them far behind their respective counterparts for centuries. The Nyamwange Foundation was founded because of this desire to be a catalyst for systemic change in the Black community. Nyamwange Foundation’s focus is on building a generation of leaders who positively influence others with empathy and advocacy. The foundation’s goal is to enroll 1,000 students in the Nyamwange Leadership Academy, provide 60 Nyamwange Scholarships, and send 50 students to Birthright Afrika Trip.

Joseph Nyamwange has also had the privilege of building a professional career in the technology sector as an Enterprise Account Executive. Over the last 15 years he has worked for fortune 100 companies which include Amazon, Microsoft, and Dell.

Joe’s greatest joy is marrying his best friend, Sasha Wilson, and being the father of his children, Jade, Nia, and Wilson.

Partner 
Debevoise & Plimpton

Kevin Schmidt is a corporate partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Co-Chair of the firm's Private Equity Group at the international law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.   Debevoise operates in nine offices across three continents, with over 800 lawyers working with clients in integrated global practices.

Mr. Schmidt has worked extensively on acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and strategic investments, including cross-border transactions for both private equity and corporate clients.  He has spoken at a variety of seminars regarding recurring M&A issues and is a regular speaker at the International Bar Association’s Annual M&A Conference in New York.. He is also the author of various articles on M&A issues in M&A Lawyer, The Deal and The Corporate Governance Advisor.

He is recognized as a leading lawyer for mergers and acquisitions in the private equity sector by Chambers USA, where he has drawn praise for his “candid feedback and negotiating prowess” and as “a great negotiator” who is “pragmatic” and gets “right to the point.    The Legal 500 US  noted that his clients observed that he “stands out in his peer group” for his “responsive, commercially minded approach” and as someone “clients look to for leadership.”

Mr. Schmidt’s clients and transactions while at Debevoise have included:

• Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in numerous transactions, including the acquisition of Epicor Software, a global provider of cloud-based, industry-specific software, and the acquisition of The Hertz Corporation from Ford, a transaction valued at $15 billion.
• Elliott Management in numerous transactions, including the restructurings of Windstream, a leading communications and software company, the sale of Emergent Cold Storage for over $1 billion, and the equity rights offering of NYSE listed Roadrunner Transportation, resulting in Elliott acquiring 90% of the company.
• General Electric in its repurchase of Vivendi’s interest in NBC Universal and NBC in its earlier purchase of U.S. entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal, including Universal Studios and multiple cable properties and theme parks.
• The sale and subsequent reacquisition of The Jim Henson Company and the subsequent sale of the Muppets characters to The Walt Disney Company.
• The Rank Group in a series of M&A transactions in the automotive and packaging sectors, including its $2.7 billion purchase of Alcoa’s packaging and consumer businesses, its acquisition of the beverage packaging division of International Paper, and its acquisition of Honeywell's automotive consumer products group.
• Verizon Communications in multiple spin-off and sale transactions involving the separation of its wireline business conducted across 18 states.

Mr. Schmidt has spoken at a variety of seminars regarding recurring M&A issues and is a regular speaker at the International Bar Association’s Annual M&A Conference in New York.  He is also the author of various articles on M&A issues in M&A Lawyer, The Deal and The Corporate Governance Advisor.

Prior to his legal career, Mr. Schmidt worked in the film industry, including in a project development role at Batfilm Productions, headed by the executive producers of the Batman film franchise, Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan.   He was an associate producer on the animated series, “Swamp Thing” as well as production associate on the live-action USA Network series of the same name. 

Mr. Schmidt received his J.D. with high honors from Rutgers School of Law in 1994, where he was Order of the Coif, and his B.A. summa cum laude from Jersey City State College in 1989, with a major in media arts.

Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
AMC Network

As AMC Networks’ first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Aisha Thomas-Petit is charged with building on and advancing the company’s DEI goals and foundation. As a key member of the senior leadership team reporting directly to President & CEO, Josh Sapan, Thomas-Petit is responsible for setting the strategy, roadmap and measures of success to develop, bolster, and retain a diverse and inclusive community both within the company’s workforce, as well as in front of and behind the camera across AMC Networks’ portfolio of entertainment brands. Additionally, Thomas-Petit plays an integral role in advancing the company’s commitment to telling original stories that entertain with vivid characters, stories, and worlds that show the full spectrum of human experiences. 

Before joining AMC Networks, Thomas-Petit served as Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at ADP. A seasoned DEI executive, she also held various leadership roles in Human Resources including Division Vice President of the company’s Major Accounts and Canada division during her seven years at ADP.

Previously, Thomas-Petit spent over seven years at Barclays Capital (including over two years at Lehman Brothers before it was purchased by Barclays), where she ultimately became the HR Director for Global Operations, driving people strategy for over 4000 employees globally, and partnering with the Global Head of Investment Bank Operations to drive talent and performance management, development and compensation. Prior to Barclays, Thomas-Petit spent eight years at JP Morgan Chase, where she held several roles including Vice President, HR for Shared Technology & Operations and Investment Bank Operations, leading people strategy for a newly merged global organization of 2400 employees. 

Thomas-Petit holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Business Strategy from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Syracuse University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. 

She resides in New Jersey with her family.

Chairman 
DiversityInc.

Over the course of his entrepreneurial career, Mr. Visconti has positioned himself as an expert on diversity management.  Mr. Visconti is the founder and Chairman of Diversitylnc., which he launched as a website in 1997 and went on to become the leading print and online publication focused on issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. He further grew the company into a successful benchmarking consulting business and produces diversity conference events, including the coveted annual Diversitylnc Top 50 competition, now in its 18th year.

In 2016, the competition welcomed more than 1,800 participants. Using the data collected from the Diversitylnc Top 50 survey, Luke created Diversitylnc’s Consulting and Benchmarking practice, which currently boosts over 70 corporate clients, many among the Fortune 500.

A longtime philanthropist, Mr. Visconti founded the Diversitylnc Foundation in 2006. Using four percent of gross revenues from Diversitylnc as its funding source, the Diversitylnc Foundation provides scholarships at Rutgers University, New Jersey City University and Bennett College. Mr. Visconti holds or has held board seats at all three institutions.

In spring 2020, Mr. Visconti was appointed to the Board of Trustees at New Jersey City University where he serves as Vice Chair.

Before launching his career in corporate diversity, Mr. Visconti received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University. After completing his undergraduate studies, he went on to serve eight years of active duty as a Naval Aviator and another eight months in the reserves. A member of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel, he is occasionally called upon to help Chiefs of Naval Operations address diversity issues.

In recent years, Mr. Visconti received an honorary doctorate from New Jersey City University, and in 2015 received an honorary doctorate from Bennett College.  The New Jersey City University Foundation, which aims to support academic programs without increasing tuition, elected  Luke as chair of its board of directors in August 2013 for a three-year term. He became a board member of the National Organization on Disability in March 2015, and was elected vice chair in 2016.

Vice President 
River Crossing Strategy Group
Public Affairs, Government Relations and Communications

Mr. White, Vice President with River Crossing Strategy Group (RCSG), is a veteran New Jersey public affairs executive. He specializes in managing comprehensive issue advocacy campaigns and regulatory approval initiatives for real estate development and public utility projects. He is well respected for his work on issues related to education reform, technology regulation and cannabis legalization/regulation. 

Prior to joining RCSG, Tim founded and led the public affairs practice at Beckerman, served as Vice President at MWW Group and was a political consultant, communications director and campaign manager for several statewide, legislative, county and municipal campaigns for elected office. He served as Special Assistant to Bergen County Executive William “Pat” Schuber, as Special Assistant to Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham, as Political Director for the New Jersey Republican State Committee in 2004 and served on Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s transition team in 2013. 

Tim manages public affairs and communications for the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association and serves on the board of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association. He is the vice-chair of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Paramus Golf Commission. Tim was recently appointed to serve on the NJCU foundation Board of Directors.

Tim earned a bachelor’s degree from New Jersey City University (’99) and a master’s degree from the Public Administration Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

Retired Director of Development and Community Services
Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation

Mrs. Lipka Wodynski has more than 28 years of professional experience working in the areas of Fundraising and Alumni Relations. She is now semi-retired and runs a fundraising consultancy that concentrates on working with small non-profits, in the areas of board and staff development, best practices in fundraising, strategic planning, program assessment, and campaign design in Nantucket, Massachusetts.  

Prior to joining the Foundation Board, she was the Director of Development and Community Relations for the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation in Leesburg Virginia. Her duties included: membership, publications, public relations, special events, development and auxiliary services.  Responsibilities included working with the Board of Trustees, being the liaison to the Development and Events Committees, and overseeing the running of the Equestrian Program and the Museum Education Program.  

Previously as the Director of External Relations at the Nantucket Historical Association her duties included membership, publications and public relations, special events, development and auxiliary services.  Responsibilities included working with the Board of Trustees, and being the liaison to the Development, Marketing, and Past Trustees Relations Committees and sitting on the Finance and Housing Committees.

Before this Mrs. Lipka Wodynski spent 24 years in Higher Education and Independent Schools. Judith has worked at New Jersey City University twice, Drexel University, The College of New Jersey and Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child.  Judith serves on the New Jersey City Foundation Board in the capacity of Secretary.

Mrs. Lipka Wodynski earned her bachelor’s and master’s from NJCU and in 1957 was in the Laboratory School on the NJCU campus from Kindergarten through sixth grade. She is married to Michael Wodynski who also has his BA and MA from NJCU.

Judith and Michael have been married since 1982, now live full time on Nantucket Island, and are members of the Royal Knight Society.  They enjoy traveling and have been around the world on the Queen Mary 2.