- Gov. Chris
Christie « Press Release from Office of the Governor
Governor Christie Announces New Jersey Delegation For Trade Mission To Mexico
Trenton, NJ – Governor
Christie will travel to Mexico for a trade mission from September 3rd –
5th to promote increased relationship, job creation and higher
education opportunities. While in Mexico Governor Christie will meet
with foreign dignitaries and government officials, including Mexican
President Enrique Pena Nieto, tour local companies and meet with
Mexican business leaders and experience Mexican culture and community.
Governor
Christie will be joined by a group of business and community leaders
from New Jersey to Mexico. These individuals will be attending
different components of the trip's itinerary. The members of the
delegation are (with more in-depth bios below):
- Greg Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Motorola Solutions Inc; Chair of Board of Governors, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Laurence M. Downes, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Resources; Director, Choose New Jersey, Inc. Board
- Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.
- Clifford Sobel, Valor Capital Group
- Leo Cervantes, Owner, Chilango Restaurant
- Pedro Matar, Owner, El Aguila Restaurants in NY and NJ
- Al Zapanta, President & CEO, the United States–Mexico Chamber of Commerce
- Mauricio Doehner, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Enterprise Risk Management, CEMEX
- Rev. Fermin Garcia, President, NHCLC/CONELA Mexico
- Martin Perez, President, Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey
- Raul Rendon Ponce, Founder and Director of Bioplastic Solutions
- Rich Bagger, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Market Access, Celgene Corporation
- Robert Grady, Managing Director, Cheyenne Capital Fund
- Michele Brown, Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
- Tracye McDaniel, President and CEO, Choose New Jersey, Inc.
Governor Christie will also be joined by Ambassador Sandra
Fuentes and many of the events will be attended by U.S. Ambassador Tony
Wayne.
Bios for the
Delegation members:
Greg
Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Motorola Solutions Inc;
Chair of Board of Governors, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Greg
Brown is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Motorola Solutions,
Inc. He joined Motorola in January 2003 and was elected to the
company's Board of Directors in 2007. He became CEO of Motorola in
January 2008 and led the successful spin-off of the consumer-focused
Motorola Mobility in 2011. Prior to joining Motorola, he was Chairman
and CEO of Micromuse Inc. from 1999 to 2003. Brown serves as Deputy
Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and is a member of the
Executive Committee of the Business Roundtable. Additionally,
Brown is
a board member of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Big Shoulders
Fund, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, World
Business Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Council
on Global Affairs. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and an
honorary doctorate in humane letters from Rutgers University, and also
serves as chair of the university’s Board of Governors.
Laurence
M. Downes, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, New
Jersey Resources; Director, Choose New Jersey, Inc. Board
Laurence
M. Downes is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
New Jersey Resources (NJR), and its principal subsidiary, New Jersey
Natural Gas Company (NJNG). Mr. Downes joined NJR in March 1985
and
has served as CEO since July 1995. He is a director and past chairman
of the American Gas Association and the Natural Gas Council, as well as
a trustee of the American Gas Foundation. Mr. Downes also chairs the
Finance Council of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, and serves as a
member of the boards of the new Jersey Economic Development Authority,
Choose New Jersey and the Drumthwacket Foundation. Additionally, he is
a member of the board of Questar Corporation. A
graduate of Iona
College, Mr. Downes holds a bachelor’s degree in business
administration in finance and a master’s degree in business
administration in financial management.
Ralph Izzo, Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group,
Inc.
Ralph
Izzo was elected chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service
Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) in April 2007. He was named as the
company’s president and chief operating officer and a member of the
board of directors of PSEG in October 2006. Previously, Mr. Izzo was
president and chief operating officer of Public Service Electric and
Gas Company (PSE&G). Since joining PSE&G in 1992 Mr. Izzo
was
elected to several executive positions within PSEG’s family of
companies, including PSE&G senior vice president utility
operations, PSE&G vice president - appliance service,
PSEG vice
president - corporate planning, and PSE&G vice president - electric
ventures. In these capacities he broadened his experience in the areas
of general management, strategic planning and finance. Mr. Izzo
is a
well-known leader within the utility industry, as well as the public
policy arena. He is frequently asked to testify before Congress and
speak to organizations on matters pertaining to national energy policy.
Mr. Izzo serves as chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and on
the Rutgers University Board of Governors, the board of directors for
The Williams Companies, the New Jersey Utilities Association, the
Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI),
the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University (CASA), and The Center for Energy Workforce Development. He
is also a member of the Columbia University School of Engineering Board
of Visitors and the Princeton University Adlinger Center for Energy and
the Environment Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Visiting
Committee for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at MIT.
Clifford Sobel, Valor
Capital Group
Clifford
Sobel is presently managing partner of Valor Capital Group, which is a
diversified investment group investing in Brazil. He served as U.S.
ambassador to the Netherlands from 2001 until 2005 and U.S. ambassador
to Brazil from July 2006 until August 2009. Sobel serves on advisory
boards to the American Military Commander of Europe and NATO, as well
as the Command for American Forces for Central and South America. He
has also joined the board of directors for Diamond Offshore Drilling
(DO) and serves on the board of Council of the Americas and Christie’s
advisory board for the Americas. He also serves on the business
advisory board to Fundacao Dom Cabral Brazil (FDC), which is a leading
school for executive educational programs.
Leo Cervantes, Owner,
Chilango Restaurant
Leo
Cervantes is the owner of Chilango, an authentic Mexican restaurant and
bar. He also joined the private company Seastreak boat to open a
Tiki
Bar that will give life to a part of the Beach Highlands, which seats
2,500 people. Cervantes has received recognition and full
articles in
major newspapers such as The New York Times andwon the
America's Most Prestigious Guide to Dinning ZAGAT SURVEY award for five
consecutive years and the first prize of the 2nd annual Battle of the
chefs Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011.
Pedro Matar, Owner,
El Aguila Restaurants in NY and NJ
Pedro Matar is one of six co-owners of El Aguila and president of El
Barrio Mexican Chamber of Commerce.
Al Zapanta, President
& CEO, the United States–Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Al
Zapanta was born in Los Angeles, Calif., and attended local schools and
college in the Los Angeles area. He received an Associate of Arts from
East Los Angeles College, a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Psychology,
a Master of Arts in Public Administration and completed course work for
his Ph.D. in International Political Economics from the University of
Southern California. He graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of
Business and the Inter-American Defense College, the National War
College, in Washington, D.C. He speaks Spanish fluently and has an
elementary knowledge of French. In the private sector, he worked as an
industrial engineer for Bethlehem Steel, and as Director of
Governmental Affairs for ARCO until his retirement in 1993 after 18
years of service as a senior executive. During his time with ARCO, Al
was responsible for negotiations with Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) on
oil and gas matters and the copper mines owned by Anaconda, an
acquisition of ARCO. He was also the company's representative to local,
state and federal governments on oil and gas legislation, environmental
regulation, transportation-related issues (pipelines, ocean tankers,
tanker trucks and rail tank cars) and public affairs. Presently, Al is
the President and CEO of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
and is responsible for operations in eight regional offices in the
United States and nine in Mexico.
Mauricio Doehner,
Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Enterprise Risk
Management, CEMEX
Mauricio
Doehner joined CEMEX in 1996 and has held several executive positions
in areas such as Strategic Planning and Enterprise Risk Management for
Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Mexico. He is
currently in charge of Corporate Affairs and Enterprise Risk
Management. Mauricio has also worked in the public sector within the
Mexican Presidency. Mauricio earned his BA in Economics from
Tecnologico de Monterrey and has an MBA from IESE/IPADE. He also has a
Professional Certification in Competitive Intelligence from the FULD
Academy of Competitive Intelligence in Boston, Massachusetts.
Rev. Fermin Garcia,
President, NHCLC/CONELA Mexico
Fermin
Garcia is pastor at Unity Church Group in Tijuana, in Mexico; NHCLC
director; activist; entrepreneur; and director of INSTE Mexico. Garcia
has had tremendous Christian ministry success in Mexico. A native of
San Antonio, Texas, Garcia is an activist against pornography and has
served as the senior pastor of Grupo Unidad Cristiana de Mexico
(Christian Unity Group of Mexico) since 2006. With an active
membership of 7,000-plus, Grupo Unidad has become one of the most
influential representations of the evangelical movement in North West
Mexico. Garcia has been also instrumental in promoting the first
anti-porn law in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico and is now working at the
federal level to make it nationwide. He also serves as national
director of INSTE Bible College, a distance education program.
Martin Perez,
President, Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey
Martin
Perez currently serves as the President of the Latino Leadership
Alliance of New Jersey, a statewide umbrella Latino advocacy
organization. In May 2011, he was appointed by Governor Christie to the
Rutgers University Board of Governors, the first Hispanic appointment
by a governor. He previously served as a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options
(HCREO) and Excellent Education for Everyone. Perez graduated from
Seton Hall University with a masters degree in secondary education and
Rutgers University Law School with a juris doctor degree.
Raul Rendon Ponce,
Founder and Director of Bioplastic Solutions
Raul
Rendon Ponce is the Founder and Director of Bioplastic Solutions. He
received his MBA on International Executive Management at Universidad
Iberoamericana. He also earned his General Management Certificate at
Harvard Business School and is an active member of the National
Committee of Grupo Unidad Cristiana, in Tijuana Mexico. Ponce also
serves as a member of the NHCLC Mexico and Administrative External
Consultant of the Orphanage “Casa de la Esperanza” in Tijuana, Mexico.
Rich Bagger, Senior
Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Market Access, Celgene
Corporation
Rich
Bagger is senior vice president of corporate affairs and market access
for Celgene Corporation, a multinational biopharmaceutical company
focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of
treatments for cancer and severe, immune-inflammatory conditions.
A
member of Celgene’s management committee, Rich is responsible for
advancing patient access to Celgene therapies and driving recognition
of the value of Celgene innovation through government relations, public
policy, communications, patient advocacy and market access activities
around the world. Rich most recently served for two years as chief of
staff for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, responsible for managing
implementation of the governor’s policy agenda and priorities. After
leaving state government, Rich was appointed by Governor Christie to be
a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where
he serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee. Previously, Rich
was
employed by Pfizer Inc. From 2006 to 2009, he served on Pfizer’s senior
most management team as Senior Vice President, worldwide public affairs
and policy. He received an A.B. degree from Princeton University’s
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a J.D.
degree from Rutgers University Law School.
Robert Grady,
Managing Director, Cheyenne Capital Fund
Robert
Grady joined Cheyenne Capital in 2009. He is based in Jackson, Wyoming.
Mr. Grady also serves as Chairman of the New Jersey State Investment
Council, which oversees the state's $73 billion pension system. Prior
to joining Cheyenne Capital, Mr. Grady was a Partner and member of the
Management Committee at The Carlyle Group for nine years. At Carlyle,
he served as the global coordinator of venture and growth capital
(which had $5 billion in assets under management), Chairman and Fund
Head of Carlyle Venture Partners I, II, and III; on the investment
committees of Carlyle Venture Partners, Carlyle Asia Growth Partners,
and Carlyle Europe Technology Partners; and as a Director of multiple
Carlyle portfolio companies. Mr. Grady also served as a Director and
was Chairman in 2006-2007 of the National Venture Capital Association
(NVCA). Mr. Grady received an A.B. from Harvard College, and a M.B.A.
from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he later served on
the faculty from 1993-2004 as a Lecturer in Public Management.
Michele Brown, Chief
Executive Officer, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Michele
Brown was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New Jersey
Economic Development Authority (EDA) in October 2012 following a
distinguished legal career as a federal prosecutor and as Acting First
Assistant US Attorney, District of New Jersey. During her tenure as a
prosecutor, she specialized in white collar crimes and as Acting First
Assistant US Attorney she was responsible for the management and
operation of a 300 employee office and at different times, held direct
supervisory responsibility for each of the major prosecuting divisions.
Prior to becoming the CEO of the EDA, Ms. Brown served as Appointments
Counsel for Governor Christie. In this senior staff position, she
provided strategic and legal guidance to the Governor and Cabinet and
worked closely with the Legislature to fill key posts, including
Cabinet level, senior executives, judicial and prosecutorial nominees,
and volunteer board, commission and authority members. Ms. Brown,
a
native of Trenton, N.J., earned her law degree, magna cum laude, from
Georgetown University Law Center. She received a B.A. degree, also
magna cum laude, from Drew University. Her outstanding contributions in
the legal arena were recognized by the President’s Council on Integrity
and Efficiency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Tracye McDaniel,
President and CEO, Choose New Jersey, Inc.
Tracye
McDaniel is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of
Choose New Jersey, Inc., an independently funded and operated 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, whose mission is to encourage and nurture
economic growth throughout the state of New Jersey – including a focus
on making New Jersey's most distressed cities engines for growth and
opportunity. Choose New Jersey leads global promotion, lead
generation
and project management for economic growth and job creation in the
Garden State and is part of the state’s award-winning economic
development organization: The New Jersey Partnership for Action (PFA).
Ms. McDaniel has more than 29 years of state and regional level
experience as a widely recognized strategist in all facets of economic
development, including public relations, tourism and international
business development. She has led successful economic development
organizations in Texas. In 2007, Ms. McDaniel served as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Houston
Partnership (GHP), Houston, TX, regarded as a top global location for
business. McDaniel has been appointed by Governor Chris Christie to
both the Council on Innovation and the New Jersey Military installation
Growth and Development Task Force. A graduate of the University of
Texas at Austin, Ms. McDaniel is also a Ford Foundation Regional
Sustainable Development (RSD) Fellow, a program of American Chamber of
Commerce Executives (ACCE).
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