Name

Title, Org

Bio

Roxanne Earley
Executive Director, Hoboken Business Alliance 

Roxanne Earley (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Hoboken Business Alliance, where she leads transformative initiatives to enhance Hoboken’s public spaces and support its local business community. With a background in urban planning, nonprofit leadership, and community advocacy, Roxanne focuses on sustainability, placemaking, and fostering equitable urban environments. An award-winning speaker and educator, she has shared her expertise at institutions like NYIT and Saint John’s University and has been recognized by the International Downtown Association and the American Planning Association for her innovative civic engagement strategies. Roxanne also serves on the boards of Downtown New Jersey and the Queens Collaborative.

Roxanne is a member of the Downtown New Jersey Board of Trustees

Luis O. De La Hoz
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey

Luis De La Hoz is the First Vice President and Regional Director of Community Lending NJ at Valley Bank, where he supports small and mid-sized businesses, with a focus on Latino and minority-led organizations. He serves as Chairman of the New Jersey Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber in the state, and holds leadership roles in various organizations, including Retire Ready NJ and the Hispanic Small Business Council. With prior experience at BCB Bank, The Intersect Fund, and MarMar, LLC, Luis has a long history of empowering underserved communities. A prominent media commentator and social media influencer, he frequently appears on Univision, NJTV, and radio programs to advocate for Hispanic businesses and communities.

Adenah Bayoh
Founder & CEO, Adenah Bayoh and Companies

Adenah Bayoh, a Liberian immigrant who escaped civil war at 13, is a celebrated entrepreneur and real estate developer in New Jersey. At 27, she opened her first IHOP in Irvington, becoming one of the youngest franchisees in the country, and now owns eight restaurants, including Cornbread, a farm-to-table soul food concept with locations in Newark, Brooklyn, and beyond, and Urban Vegan in Newark. As a real estate developer, she revitalizes urban communities with projects like transforming the former Irvington General Hospital site and developing Newark’s first 100% affordable 40-unit housing project by a Black woman. Despite her remarkable success, Adenah’s proudest role is being a mother to her two children.

Chris Bernardo
President, Commercial District Services

Chris Bernardo is a passionate advocate for downtown revitalization with three decades of experience. As the founder and president of CDS, he collaborates with diverse stakeholders to develop and implement impactful public space improvement programs. These programs focus on enhancing sanitation and maintenance, beautifying streetscapes, improving quality of life, and creating vibrant public spaces. Chris’s commitment to this work extends to his role on the board of Downtown New Jersey and as a volunteer with many neighborhood and property owner associations in the communities where he serves and collaborative work and fostering more robust connections with BID stakeholders.

Chris is a member of the Downtown New Jersey Board of Trustees

Francisco Cortes
President, NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce

Francisco Cortes is the CEO & Chairman of the global multicultural communications firm The Setroc Group, Inc and is also the Co-Founder and President of the NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce. He is a proud U.S. Army and National Guard veteran, having served at the elite National Training Center in Ft. Irwin California. Mr. Cortes is a seasoned media executive with over two decades of broadcast and digital journalism experience.

John Harmon
Founder, President & CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey

Harmon has served as the Founder, President, and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ), since 2007. In this role he has the responsibility of establishing, implementing, and executing the mission, as well as the fiduciary oversight and governance of AACCNJ in accordance with its Bylaws. In addition, he works to identify strategic partnerships in both the public and private sector to connect AACCNJ members and supporters to resources and opportunities to grow and sustain their goals and objectives. Moreover, Harmon serves as an advocate on behalf of the 1.2 million African American residents and the over 88,000 Black owned businesses statewide to ensure that policy at the municipal, county, and federal level provides fairness, equity and access to a level playing field in the marketplace. Harmon hosts the Gold Telly Award winning – AACCNJ monthly television show “Pathway to Success” as well as the Chamber’s weekly radio show “The Empowerment Hour.”

Lew Kimble
Executive Director, Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce

Lew Kimble has served as the Executive Director of the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce (GWACC) since 2023, bringing over 40 years of global leadership experience in the athletic industry. A retired CEO of Foot Locker International, Lew has extensive expertise in overseeing operations across multiple continents. Before joining GWACC, he was the Chairman of the Downtown Westfield Corporation, where he contributed to enhancing the local business district. Lew’s vast professional experience and dedication to community development make him a dynamic leader in fostering economic growth and collaboration in the Westfield area.

Arthur Linfante
Managing Director, Integra Realty Resources – Northern New Jersey

Arthur Linfante, Managing Director of Integra Northern New Jersey, has been actively engaged in real estate since 1986 and a principal of the firm since 1998. With extensive expertise in asset valuation and advisory services, he has worked on a wide range of properties, from office and industrial spaces to complex sites like redevelopment projects, hotels, and marine terminals. Art is recognized for his consulting work on real estate taxes, lease negotiations, Brownfield redevelopment, and eminent domain, serving major municipalities and corporate clients in northern New Jersey. Currently, his focus is on urban revitalization, acting as a financial advisor for developers and municipalities on fiscal impact studies and PILOT negotiations. An experienced trial consultant and certified instructor for the Appraisal Institute, he has also lectured at institutions like Rutgers University and the Wharton School of Business

David Placek
CEO, BDP Holdings

Mr. Placek is the Founder and CEO of BDP Holdings, with over 20 years of experience in real estate investment and development, involving more than $4 billion in properties across 30 states. His expertise spans acquiring and developing millions of square feet of commercial property and over 30,000 residential units, with a focus on mixed-use, retail, office, industrial, and multifamily projects, including those with environmental, legal, or tax complexities. He previously led Shopoff Realty Investments’ East Coast development and national commercial investment platforms and served as a Director at DRA Advisors, chairing its Valuation Committee. Beginning his career at Ernst & Young, Mr. Placek worked in offices in California, Australia, and New York. A Montclair, NJ resident, he is active in community educational and arts initiatives.

Ana Torres
Artist, Hoboken Business Alliance

Ana Milena Torres is a muralist and community-focused artist passionate about creating vibrant public art that connects people and places. With extensive experience collaborating on projects that celebrate diversity and local culture, Ana’s recent work, Hoboken Kaleidoscope, highlights her dedication to fostering creativity and community engagement.

Luis Quinones
CEO, Community Lifestyle

Louis Quinones is a dedicated nonprofit leader with 24 years of experience and the founder of Community Lifestyle, established in 2017. Focused on serving youth and teens, the organization offers free programs promoting literacy, leadership, and personal growth. Under Louis’s leadership, Community Lifestyle has become a vital resource in Hoboken, recently opening a youth and teen center that serves over 100 kids weekly. Louis is passionate about empowering underserved communities and creating equitable opportunities for the next generation.

Bob Zuckerman
Executive Director, Red Bank RiverCenter

Bob is currently the Executive Director of the Red Bank RiverCenter, a position which he has served in since June 2022. From 2020 through 2022, Bob was the Executive Director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation and prior to that he served as E.D. of the South Orange Village Center Alliance (“SOVCA”) from 2013-2019. Bob was also a member of the South Orange Board of Trustees, having been elected in May of 2019 and serving through September 2022. Bob is serving his third year as President of Downtown New Jersey.

Bob had numerous accomplishments during his tenure in Westfield, including recruiting and overseeing the opening of numerous new businesses and securing over $200,000 in grant funding.  As Executive Director of the South Orange Village Center Alliance, Bob presided over the opening of over two-dozen new businesses and personally recruited many of those businesses, including Pet Wants SOMA which he co-founded.

Prior to leading SOVCA, Bob served as Executive Director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District in New York City, where he led that organization’s efforts to attract more shoppers, diners, businesses, and investment in one of New York’s most rapidly changing neighborhoods. Bob is a graduate of Livingston High School, received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University and a law degree from American University. He recently moved to Asbury Park, where he resides with his husband Grant Neumann and their two rescue cats, Willie and Zoey.

Bob is the Vice President of the Downtown New Jersey Board of Trustees.