J&J adds exec to connect with NJ communities

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Johnson & Johnson has been based in New Jersey for more than a century. Last week, it announced a new team member to help strengthen its ties to local communities.

Adam Taliaferro has been named director of State and Community Engagement for the New Brunswick-based health care giant, representing the company externally within the Garden State.

According to a J&J spokesperson, the new role allows the company to expand its existing New Jersey engagement team.

Taliaferro will collaborate, develop and implement state-based initiatives that strengthen and bolster the company’s commitment at the community level.

For the past 10 years, Taliaferro has served in external facing roles across Government Affairs, Policy, Strategy and Operations, Alliance Development and Patient Advocacy at Bristol Myers Squibb. During his time there, Taliaferro also served in the New Jersey Assembly from 2015-2022, representing Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties in the Third Legislative District.

Inspired by his own journey, Taliaferro is also honorary chairman of the Adam Taliaferro Foundation, which he and his family have run for more than two decades, according to J&J.

As a star football player at Penn State University, Taliaferro suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury that paralyzed him. Faced with a 3% chance of walking again, Taliaferro was able to recover and join his team to walk out onto the field a year later. The foundation provides emotional, financial and educational support to individuals who suffer catastrophic spinal cord injuries and their families in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware, according to its website, as well as educational and financial support related to the research, prevention and care of such injuries.

Throughout his work with the foundation and as a motivational speaker, Taliaferro has been recognized with multiple humanitarian awards, J&J said.

“I am genuinely thrilled to become part of the exceptional team and work alongside incredible people at Johnson & Johnson in this exciting role of State and Community Engagement here in New Jersey,” Taliaferro said of the new position. “Together, we have an opportunity to make a significant impact on our local communities, and I’m eager to contribute to our shared mission of improving lives and fostering positive change.”

The new addition comes of the heels of the health care company’s recent reveal of an updated look, marking its “next era.”