Thomas Kemly
Columbia Bank

Since 2011, Kemly has served as president and CEO of Columbia Bank, a federally chartered savings bank headquartered in Fair Lawn. Over the past 14 years, he has led the bank on a steady growth trajectory that has included strategic acquisitions (Stewardship Bank in 2019, Freehold Bank in 2024) and an IPO in 2018.

Kemly is also credited with expanding the bank’s outreach initiative, “Team Columbia,” which encourages employees to volunteer their time and give back to those in need. He also grew the bank’s charitable foundations into one of the largest private giving organizations in the state.

After starting his career at Columbia Bank in 1982, Kemly went on to hold a number of positions – including chief financial officer and chief operating officer – before taking the helm. He’s also involved with Columbia Bank’s board of directors, the bank’s charitable foundation and its mid-tier stock holding company, Columbia Financial Inc.

As of March 31, the institution had assets of $10.6 billion, 69 full-service branch offices, and four regional lending centers offering traditional financial services to consumers and businesses.

Kemly’s background spans several leadership roles with groups like the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, New Jersey Bankers Association, Northern New Jersey Community Bankers, and the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey.

Douglas Kennedy
Peapack Private Bank & Trust

The president and chief executive officer of Bedminster-based Peapack Private Bank & Trust since 2012, Kennedy is responsible for developing and executing on a strategic vision to position the institution as an alternative to large banks throughout the New York City metropolitan area. He’s also in charge of its wealth, lending and deposit lines of business, along with branding, human capital, operations and technology functions.

Founded in 1921, Peapack Private Bank & Trust is a commercial bank that provides a client-centric approach to banking, providing high-quality products along with customized and innovative wealth management, investment banking, commercial and personal solutions. As of March 31, it had total assets of $7.121 billion and assets under management of $11.8 billion.

Kennedy’s 40-plus years in the industry include leadership positions at Capital One, North Fork Bank and Bank of America.

In his current role, Kennedy is focused on transforming Peapack Private Bank & Trust into a financial services powerhouse. As part of that effort, the institution recently rebranded from Peapack-Gladstone Bank to position itself more broadly in the region.

Jeffrey Knight
KPMG LLP

As the newly named office managing partner at KPMG LLP, Knight is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the firm’s practice in Short Hills.  Knight took on the role in March as Jennifer Shimek transitioned to a new leadership role in advisory at KPMG after five years leading the office.

A company veteran, Knight has almost 25 years of experience at KPMG providing financial statement audit and audit of internal control services to public and private companies in the industrial and consumer markets, retail, pharmaceutical, life science and biotechnology sectors.

As an audit partner, he has held numerous leadership and accredited roles within the office and business unit. Those include lead partner on public integrated audits, resource management, local office leader supporting the Northeast Commercial audit practice, DPP alumnus and SEC reviewing partner. Knight is also a recent member of the Lead Partner Academy and F500 Audit Lead Partner Summit.

He also completed a three-year rotation in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in New York, where he was a firm resource on various auditing and technical accounting topics including consolidations, leasing, revenue recognition, inventory, income taxes and SEC matters.

Anthony Labozzetta
Provident Bank

Appointed in 2022 as director, president and chief executive officer of Iselin-based Provident Bank and Provident Financial Services Inc., Labozzetta’s role encompasses defining the strategic goals and objectives of the company, overseeing organizational structure and management via the executive leadership team, managing operating results, fostering connections with stakeholders and engaging with the board.

Founded in Jersey City in 1839, Provident Bank is New Jersey’s oldest community-focused financial institution and was recently included in the inaugural NJBIZ In the Lead: Legacy Businesses feature.

Following its $1.3 billion merger with Lakeland Bank in May 2024, Provident now operates more than 140 branches across New Jersey and parts of New York and Pennsylvania. Provident reported assets of $24.22 billion as of March 31.

Labozzetta joined Provident in 2020, as part of the organization’s merger with SB One Bank, where he was president and CEO and led it through two mergers that expanded its footprint throughout New Jersey and New York. Before becoming Provident’s president and CEO, Labozzetta was director, president and COO. His three-decade plus career also includes leadership posts at TD Bank and Interchange Bank.  Over the years, Labozzetta has earned recognition from Forbes and American Banker, as well as NJBIZ.

Chris Maher
OceanFirst Financial

Maher leads one of the most prominent banks serving the Shore area. OceanFirst Financial, where Maher serves as chair and CEO, operates dozens of OceanFirst Bank locations from Monmouth County to Cape May. He has his finger on the pulse of what drives the economy in the region. And given OceanFirst’s five-state footprint, Maher also has a broad view of what’s going on in businesses across a variety of industries.

He joined the bank in 2013 as president and COO and has been a director since 2014. Maher was named CEO in 2015.

As befits a community banker, Maher is active in a variety of charitable endeavors, serving as a chair of the OceanFirst Foundation, a trustee and former chairman of Helen Keller Services for the Blind, and as the chairman of the Monmouth University board. In addition, Maher is a trustee and chair of Hackensack Meridian Ambulatory Care and sits on the board of Hackensack Meridian Health.

In the banking industry, the former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia also serves on the board of the New Jersey Bankers Association, including a recent stint as chair of that organization. Maher has also served on Federal Reserve Board of Governors; was president of the Community Depository Institution Advisory Council; and was a director of the Housing Development Fund Inc.

Chris McFadden
Union County Savings Bank

McFadden was announced as president and CEO of Union County Savings Bank in March 2025 after serving as CFO and executive vice president.

With nearly 40 years of banking experience – she joined Union County Savings in 2022 – she played a key role in improving the bank’s financial strategy and overseeing operations, according to the UCSB.

Before joining Union County Savings, McFadden was executive vice president and CFO for NVE Bank in Englewood. Her experience also includes serving as chief financial and chief administrative officer for Banco Popular North America.

“We are thrilled to have Chris take on the role of President and CEO,” Colin Neill, chairman of the board, Union County Savings Bank said when McFadden’s promotion was announced. “Her deep expertise and leadership in the banking industry makes her the ideal person to guide Union County Savings Bank into its next phase of growth.

UCSB is a 142-year-old community bank based in Elizabeth. It has $1.6 billion in assets and operates four branches in Union County.

Courtney Mitchell
Banking executive

During her 10-year-plus tenure at TD Bank, Mitchell rose to become retail market president, overseeing Pennsylvania and South Jersey. In that position, she led business development activities across the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area, taking on a variety of leadership roles, including product management, remediation, retail deposit and pricing, and leading retail teams in more than 120 stores.

She helped refine and implement market strategy that improved employee and customer experiences while promoting team collaboration and coordination across the region.

Mitchell also led the launch of TD Essential Banking — a low-cost, no-overdraft-fee deposit account aligned with the bank’s efforts to support unbanked and underbanked communities. And she served as an executive co-lead for TD Bank’s TD Disability Network as well as serves on the board of directors for Special People in the Northeast Inc.

Mitchell has been recognized as one of American Banker’s Most Influential Women in Payments, and The Philadelphia Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40. Earlier this month, Mitchell accepted a position with another financial institution.

Valerie Murray
Beacon Trust

As president at Beacon Trust, a company of Provident Bank, Murray is one of the highest ranking and most prominent women in the investment industry. Under her leadership – she was COO before her current role – the wealth management company has been a success, with assets under management growing to approximately $4 billion in recent years.

According to those she works with, Murray’s leadership style attracts and motivates key talent with a focus on customer commitment and service. Outside of Beacon Trust, Murray is secretary of the board of directors for JBWS, a Morristown nonprofit agency that provides safety, support and solutions for victims of abuse and domestic violence.

She also serves as chief wealth management officer for Provident Bank and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.

“I did not set out to become the president of a company,” she said in a 2019 interview. “I left a decent job in New York to pursue a new opportunity 6 miles from my house, leaving behind three hours of daily commute time.”

After that new opportunity led to the unexpected one to take on her current roles, Murray added she had learned good things come when you least expect them.

Sean O’Sullivan
SOSV

O’Sullivan is founding and managing general partner of the Princeton-based tech investor SOSV, which launched in 1995 and has grown into international prominence.

SOSV now has 10 general partners operating globally with offices in San Francisco, New York, Newark, Cork, Pune and Singapore. The firm also has staff in more than seven states; as well as in China, the U.K. and Portugal.

Last April, SOSV closed its $306 million SOSV V fund – the firm’s largest to date. The fund focuses on deep tech startups in human and planetary health with an emphasis on the intertwined imperatives of decarbonization and re-industrialization, as well as a mandate to “reinvent the means of production.”

“This new fund will enable an enormous amount of positive change for humanity,” said O’Sullivan.

Later that month, the ribbon was cut on HAX in Newark, a startup development program targeting pre-seed hard tech companies that SOSV operates with the State of New Jersey as a partner in the venture.

“It is the perfect location – not the least because SOSV with NJEDA’s backing, has been able to build an incredibly well-equipped and staffed facility that is attracting exactly the type of founder we want to back,” O’Sullivan said.

Ira Robbins
Valley Bank

As CEO and chairman of Morristown-based Valley Bank, Robbins is leading the financial institution into the future while adhering to the its roots as a local bank. In an ever-evolving digital and mobile world, Robbins strives to create a stronger, faster, more efficient and more responsive organization.

His vision for success is building a purpose-driven organization, which includes embracing innovation, being customer-centric, promoting social responsibility and empowering Valley’s associates.

Since assuming the role of president in 2017, the bank has grown from $29 billion in assets to $62 billion. It now employs about 3,800 people and operates 200 branches and commercial banking offices around the country. Valley also boasts $50 billion in deposits and $49 billion in loans.

Those results have been accomplished through organic growth as well as by acquisitions of Oritani Financial Corp., Bank Leumi USA and Westchester Bank.

Robbins serves on the board of Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, the New Jersey Bankers Association, the New York Bankers Association and the Jewish Vocational Service of MetroWest NJ. He is also on the Morris Habitat for Humanity Leadership Council.

Lori Roth
Prager Metis

Roth is global managing partner of Top 50 accounting and advisory firm Prager Metis, a member of Prager Metis International Group. She has held that role since 2021. This year, Roth was recognized as one of the NJBIZ Leaders in Finance during an awards ceremony in April.

In her role at Prager, Roth oversees daily operations, as well as provides guidance and oversight to office managing partners and service line leaders across all 23 offices. As part of the firm’s leadership team, Roth plays a key role in developing strategic goals and policies, monitoring performance and driving business growth.

A 40-year veteran of the accounting industry, Roth, who is based in the firm’s Basking Ridge office, has been included on several NJBIZ Accounting Power 50 lists, including No. 5 in 2023 and No. 7 in 2020.

Over the course of her career, Roth has focused on audit and assurance services, litigation support and business valuations working with clients across a variety of industries, including closely held businesses, real estate, and the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign banks and corporations.

Patrick Ryan
First Bank

As president, CEO and director of First Bank, Ryan is responsible for the strategic direction and overall performance of the company. He joined the bank in 2008, when he led its recapitalization.

Ryan presided over a successful $23 million initial public offering for First Bank and the stock is now traded on the NASDAQ Global Market. In April 2015, he finalized a $22 million subordinated debt offering that significantly enhanced the bank’s capital position.  In 2016, the bank raised an additional $13.7 million in new capital. In 2017, the bank raised $40 million in a public, common-equity capital raise and closed on the acquisition of Bucks County Bank. In 2020, First Bank refinanced $22 million in subordinated notes and raised an additional $8 million bringing the bank’s total subordinated debt total to $30 million. The bank has $3.8 billion in assets with 26 branches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Before joining First Bank, Ryan was an investment banker, starting with Goldman Sachs in 1997. At Goldman, he worked in the Financial Institutions Group in New York and in the Advisory Group in London. He has wide experience in bank M&A, including the merger of Nations Bank and Bank of America in 1999.

After leaving Goldman in 2000, Ryan spent a year working in corporate development for an internet company called Medsite.

Renata Serban
Highly Elevated CPA

As founder and chief executive officer of Highly Elevated CPA, Serban specializes in accounting and fractional controller services for cannabis operators in New Jersey and New York.

A certified public accountant and certified management accountant, Serban has more than 15 years of experience serving various industries, including the highly regulated cannabis sector. At her firm, Serban aims to build trust through transparency of accounting records and excellence in financial management to ensure businesses are more likely to succeed long term.

Before establishing Highly Elevated, Serban was a manager of business advisory and cannabis advisory services at Citrin Cooperman. She’s also held positions at firms including BDO USA LLP and Gildea & Ivanis LLP.

In addition, she chairs the Cannabis Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs, as well as serves as an instructor at cannabis training programs with both New York Office of Cannabis Management and New Jersey Business Action Center.

Named as an NJBIZ 2024 Leaders in Finance honoree, Serban has several other recognitions, including the 2023 Green Market Report Women’s in Cannabis Leadership Award and the Emerging Leader Award by NYSSCPA.

Angela Snyder
Fulton Financial Corp.

Snyder is president of Fulton Financial Corp., a $32 billion bank holding company, and Fulton Bank, which operates more than 200 financial centers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

She provides leadership for commercial and consumer banking, wealth management, operations and marketing.

Besides guiding Fulton Bank, Snyder shares the knowledge she’s gained during decades of banking leadership roles, serving on the board of a variety of organizations. She currently serves as a board member of Crown Holdings Inc., and previously served as a board member of Our Lady of Lourdes Health Care Services Inc., and as chairwoman and board member of New Jersey Bankers Association. She is also a past chairwoman and board member of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey; and past member of the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council for The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Snyder has earned several honors and awards due to her extensive business experience, leadership and community involvement. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from St. Joseph’s University.

Alan Sobel
CLA

In 2023, NJBIZ named Sobel as the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Honoree at that year’s Leaders in Finance awards program, just to set the stage regarding the stature he holds in the industry and state.

Now managing principal of CLA’s New Jersey offices, he and more than 200 SobelCo team members moved to the top 10 accounting firm via merger, also in 2023. With more than 40 years’ experience serving private business owners, Sobel’s primary client focus has been advising business owners and high net worth individuals on tax, succession, mergers/acquisitions, financial reporting and business strategy.  Sobel is also a past president of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. He received the Lifetime Leader Award from that organization in 2022. Speaking with NJBIZ on the occasion of NJCPA’s 125th anniversary, Sobel said, “I joined the Society because you were supposed to join the Society. And then it became – kind of a lesson that I have learned in life. Which is that you are supposed to give back to your profession.”

Sobel also uses his financial acumen to give back outside of his profession, serving on the board of Monmouth Junction-based CytoSorbents Corp.

According to his LinkedIn profile, the role with the immunotherapy company underscores his “commitment to ethical leadership and … passion for using financial expertise to drive health care innovations and enhance community well-being.”

Frank Sorrentino III
ConnectOneBank

Sorrentino is chairman, CEO and founder of ConnectOneBank, which very recently expanded, completing a $284 million merger with First National Bank of Long Island to start June.

Commenting on the deal’s closing, Sorrentino described it as a “complementary, financially savvy transaction” that expands the Englewood Cliffs-based bank’s mission.

The combined company bears the ConnectOne banner and now boasts a retail network with more than 60 locations across New Jersey, New York and Southeast Florida. It has nearly $14 billion in total assets, $11 billion in deposits and $11 billion in total loans. In 2020, the bank acquired Bancorp of New Jersey in a $113 million acquisition.

Founded in 2005, ConnectOne has delivered strong growth and performance metrics while developing its unique model for serving middle-market clients.

No stranger to building for the long haul, before launching ConnectOne Bank, Sorrentino served as president of FSS Construction Inc., a New Jersey-based, family-owned construction business that specialized in custom-built homes. Among his other achievements at the helm of the financial institution is completing the first bank IPO since the Great Recession in 2016, according to ConnectOne.

Sean Stein Smith
City University of New York – Lehman College

He may work on the other side of the Hudson River – as an associate professor of accounting at City University of New York – Lehman College – but Smith continues to reside in and make his mark on the New Jersey accounting and finance scene as an engaged participant and thought leader.

A recognized expert in blockchain and cryptoassets, Smith has developed and taught the first courses on these topics at Lehman College since 2021.

Outside of his day job, Smith currently serves on the board of trustees of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, is a NJCPA-PAC board member and has served on the Content Advisory board of the NJCPA for a decade.

Last year, the organization honored Smith with an Ovation Award for Impact. The recognition highlighted his efforts to promote the accounting profession and educate NJCPA members, as well as illustrating opportunities afforded by emerging technologies, such as blockchain, cryptoassets and AI.

Stein Smith also shares his expertise in other ways, and via additional platforms. He has presented both in-person and online for the NJCPA and various institutions of higher education in New Jersey. In 2024, he was part of a joint Rutgers-NJCPA conference on AI. Smith has also served on the board of governors at his alma mater, Fairleigh Dickinson University. A widely sought media guest, Smith pens a weekly column at Forbes.

Sandy Suchoff
Lefstein-Suchoff CPA & Associates LLC (The Canna CPAs)

Suchoff is founder and principal of Lefstein-Suchoff CPA & Associates LLC, which does business as The Canna CPAs.

As you maybe guessed, the Fair Law firm – which dates to 1997 – specializes in cannabis and hemp accounting and tax for cultivators, processors and retailers. The team advises owners, managers and investors nationwide in states where cannabis is legal.

Suchoff was inspired to start The Canna CPAs after seeing how cannabis was able to help improve a family member’s medical condition.

Suchoff herself is also a noted industry resource. She has participated in numerous expert discussions nationwide (including a previous NJBIZ panel discussion), penned articles for publications such as The National Marijuana News, and was even interviewed for Snoop Dog’s Merry Jane website.

Additionally, Suchoff is co-author of “Write-offs to the Rescue,” penning a chapter devoted to cannabis tax strategy. Her latest book, “How to Run a Profitable Cannabis Business” published in 2023.

The Canna CPAs maintains an active blog presence on its website, offering insights and information ranging from “How Cannabis CFOs Help Navigate Complex Tax Challenges” to industry best accounting practices, mistakes to avoid and more.

Chris Sugden
Edison Partners

As managing partner and chairperson of the investment committee, Sugden guides a people-first strategy at Edison Partners. He brings more than 30 years’ experience in operating and investing to the role.

Going on four decades, the leading growth equity firm has closed 11 funds. It boasts over $1.7 billion in assets under management and more than 40 portfolio companies. Under Sugden’s leadership, the firm has completed more than 75 new investments. Additionally, he has led over 45 financings, 25 of them new investments; and served as a director of 25 companies.

Sugden launched the firm’s fintech team, where he also leads investments. In addition, Edison Partners targets high growth health care IT and enterprise software companies located outside of Silicon Valley.

So far in 2025, the firm has made three major exits, from MoneyLion; a minority stake sale of healthtech provider Zelis; and RapidDeploy – the leading provider of cloud-native next-gen 911 mapping, mobile and analytics solutions – to Motorola Solutions.

Also this year, BluWave named Edison Partners a 2025 Top Private Equity Innovator. The recognition honors the top 2% of PE firms in North America; the firm was selected from more than 6,000 candidates.

In April 2024, Edison Partners expanded its footprint with a second office in Nashville where it plans to expand its presence.

Gina Tedesco
Amala Ventures

Active investor and serial entrepreneur Tedesco serves as managing member of Amala Ventures. That firm invests in early-stage companies here in the U.S. as well as in Brazil.

She’s also managing director and New Jersey chapter lead for Golden Seeds. The national network of angel investors is dedicated to supporting early-stage companies founded and led by women.

Throughout its 20 years, Golden Seeds has invested more than $185 million, reaching over 257 companies. Celebrating the milestone anniversary locally last year, the group said nearly $10 million has been invested into female-led companies since Golden Seeds arrived on the scene.

Established in partnership with the NJEDA and launched along with First Lady Tammy Murphy in 2020, Golden Seeds in N.J. offers angel investments ranging from $250,000 to $2 million; mentorship opportunities funded by the organization; and that singular focus on women-led ventures. Support also comes via office hours, during which entrepreneurs can register to receive one-on-one guidance.

“Although I’ve traveled and lived around the world …I am a ‘Jersey Girl’ born and bred,” Tedesco commented during an anniversary celebration. “So, it is immensely rewarding to play even a small part in helping to create this world-class partnership to increase access to capital for all the incredible women-led companies in New Jersey – my own backyard.”

Robert Traphagen
Traphagen CPAs

Traphagen leads Oradell-based Traphagen CPAs as managing partner, a firm that has offered accounting, tax and wealth management services in Bergen County for 55 years. Beyond guiding the firm’s overall strategic direction, in his practice Traphagen specializes in negotiations, mergers & acquisitions, financing and audits.

Traphagen focuses his efforts on financial reporting standards, financial literacy and issues affecting the CPA profession. In 2023, he penned a piece for NJCPA highlighting the integral role of Generation Z in the success and sustainability of the profession — along with pointers for how to attract and retain the “entrepreneurial” cohort.

He is a Chartered Global Management Accountant, a designation awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He also holds a designation of Peer Reviewer under the American Institute of CPAs Peer Review Program. Traphagen serves as an advisory board member for several banking institutions and is a past president of the Oradell Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Program.

Traphagen was the 88th president of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and has served on the board of trustees. He also previously served on the AICPA Council.

Jeffrey Tucker
Wells Fargo Advisors

Closing out 2024, Tucker left Morgan Stanley after seven years to join Wells Fargo Advisors. Based in Short Hills, he now serves as New Jersey market leader for that institution.

As a financial advisor, Tucker offers and oversees a team providing a range of services — from individual investments to retirement planning and more. He holds 55 state licenses and three Financial Industry Regulatory Authority registrations, according to BrokerCheck by FINRA. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, Tucker specializes in financial planning, portfolio management for individuals or small businesses, and pension consulting services.

Active on LinkedIn, the leader celebrates team wins in the market he manages, including repeat recognitions this year from Forbes for monthly Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams from New Jersey, as well as achievements from Linwood Wealth Management Group, named a 2025 Barron’s Top 250 Private Wealth Management Team.

Prior to leaving Morgan Stanley, Tucker spent nine months as managing director, market executive-Northern New Jersey. For more than five years before that, he served as managing director, head of financial advisory trainee sourcing & development.

Matthew Vamvakis
J.P. Morgan Private Bank

As managing director, senior banker and US head of passions and pursuits advisory for J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Vamvakis’ responsibilities include both client coverage as well as business leadership duties.

In addition to continuing to guide its strategic direction, he helped formally establish the Passions and Pursuits practice in 2021. The group helps clients by offering guidance about “passion assets,” such as art, watches or automobiles. And according to the company, its creation has helped increase regional and national revenue along with headcounts.

He manages a multibillion-dollar book of client assets and leads a team of professionals who share responsibility for advising ultra-high net worth families, senior executives, private business owners, foundations and endowments.

As a member of the firm’s New Jersey market leadership team, Vamvakis contributes to strategic planning with regard to serving the state’s business, civic and nonprofit sectors.

He has also shared his expertise on larger platforms as a media resource, including Fortune. In May, he was a featured speaker as part of a panel discussion at BioNJ’s 15th Annual BioPartnering Conference in Jersey City.

Bruce Van Saun
Citizens Financial

Citizens Financial may be based in Providence, R.I., but since acquiring HSBC’s East Coast branches and national online deposit business in 2021, and then Investors Bancorp Inc. here in 2022, the financial institution has been busy making a play to expand its presence in New Jersey.

Overseeing that growth since 2013 is Chairman and CEO Van Saun, who brings Garden State cred to the helm as a self-professed ninth generation Van Saun in New Jersey. Within the state, Citizens has also established partnerships with longstanding institutions. It serves as Official Bank for both the New York Giants and the Prudential Center/New Jersey Devils.

As presenting partner of Devils hockey in Newark, the work also extends beyond the ice to help enrich and support local communities. To support local businesses, when the collaborators announced the opening of applications for the Jersey Shops program earlier in 2025, they noted that new for this year, Citizens would award four selected companies $5,000.

Those projects mirror Citizens’ work. The bank’s employees are committed to volunteering in the places they work.

And, Van Saun noted to NJBIZ last summer, “We’re also establishing strong ties to all the key community partners that focus on workforce development, in providing economic opportunities to people. That’s like a force multiplier.”

Patrick Walsh
Withum

After being appointed as managing partner and CEO of Withum in 2023, Walsh leads one of the country’s top 25 advisory, accounting and tax firms.

Before taking the post, Walsh spent six years on the firm’s management committee, where he spearheaded numerous strategic initiatives around best practices, client experience and technology.  He also helmed the firm’s national tax practice strategy and oversaw the corporate tax services practice, as well as served as executive sponsor of Withum’s overseas expansion in opening and growing an India office.

Founded 51 years ago as a six-person practice based in Milltown, Withum now has a global footprint of over 2,400 employees across 26 offices. Over the past year, Withum has moved forward on several M&A deals, including Philadelphia-based boutique firm BBD in April 2024, Chicago area firm CTM CPAs & Business Advisors in May 2025 and Houston-headquartered Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas in June 2025.

Because of his dedication and contributions to the profession, Walsh was named to the inaugural Forbes Top 200 CPAs list in 2024 and its subsequent Best-in-State CPA list in 2025, as well as being named as one of NJBIZ’s Leaders in Finance and Accounting Power 50 honorees.

Walsh also remains passionate about assisting those in at-risk communities and underserved youth.

Diane Wasser
Eisner Advisory Group

With over 30 years of experience in public accounting, Wasser serves as the partner-in-charge of New Jersey and managing partner of regions at Eisner Advisory Group.

At the firm, she is responsible for New Jersey office stewardship and growth, client service initiatives, talent maximization, and day-to-day operations and administration – as well as the fostering of a consistent firm culture among all the firm’s offices.

Her work has particularly focused on audits of employee benefit plans – founding the Pension Services Group within EisnerAmper in the early 1990s – and has been responsible for building up that practice, which now serves more than 450 clients annually and is seen as a recognized industry leader.

Earlier this month, Wasser was elected treasurer of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

“It is an honor to be elected Board Treasurer,” said Wasser. “I look forward to working with Chamber staff and the other board officers in advancing the organization’s work of ensuring that New Jersey remains a desirable state to operate a business providing good-paying jobs to employees.”

John Wessling III
Haven Savings Bank

A recipient of the New Jersey Bankers Association 2025 Excellence in Banking Award, Wessling began his career at Haven Savings Bank in 1976 and served 22 years as president and CEO before transitioning to his current role as chairman of the board.

He’s also been credited with combining the New Jersey Bankers Association in Princeton and New Jersey League of Community Bankers in Cranford, which created a unified voice in the state for the financial services industry. A Drake University alumni, Wessling has served as a board member of various well-known institutions, including Hoboken University Medical Center Foundation and the Montclair Foundation. He is also a former president of the Hoboken-North Hudson YMCA.

Originally founded in 1938, Haven Savings Bank provides retail and commercial services to customers at its nine branch locations across North and Central Jersey. As of May 23, it has total assets of $1.036 million.

Earlier this year, Wessling passed the baton to Lisa Franconeri, who was the Hoboken-based community bank’s senior vice president and community reinvestment act officer. The bank also announced the promotion of senior vice president and CFO Paul Deponte to chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Douglas Zehner
Holy Name Medical Center

After joining Holy Name Medical Center earlier this year as its new chief financial officer, Zehner is focused on ensuring the Teaneck-based system remains fiscally strong while supporting strategic growth and operational excellence as it turns 100 years old.

With a 30-plus year career that includes financial and operational leadership positions at some of the country’s most prestigious health care systems, such as Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health and Newark Beth Israel, his background also includes CFO jobs at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.

In naming the new CFO, Holy Name President and CEO Mike Maron said Zehner’s “ability to drive strategic and operational results and his financial acumen and collaborative approach will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission and ensuring continued financial strength and growth for our health system.”

He added, “His appointment emphasizes our commitment to excellence in financial management and patient care.”

Holy Name, the state’s only independent Catholic health system, is comprised of a 361-bed acute care hospital, renowned cancer center, state-of-the-art fitness center, residential hospice, nursing school and extensive physician network.

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