The president of utility provider Jersey Central Power & Light, James Fakult, was elected chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, the nonprofit announced on June 8.
His term began June 3 and will last two years, the state chamber said. He’ll succeed outgoing PNC Bank New Jersey Regional President Linda Bowden.
“The state has come through tough times and there are exciting but pivotal years ahead,” Fakult, who started as JCP&L’s president in 2013, said in a prepared June 8 statement.
He was one of dozens of business executives across the state last year named to Gov. Phil Murphy’s “Restart and Recovery Commission,” meant to chart the course for the state’s economic recovery coming out of the COVID-19 recession and closures. Fakult’s subcommittee assignment was focused specifically on transportation and infrastructure.
Fakult
“The New Jersey Chamber will continue to serve as the champion of the New Jersey business community so the state remains a prominent and inclusive place to do business, and to succeed,” Fakult continued.
The Chamber is one of the two largest business advocacy groups in the state, and has offered key advice on how businesses should operate amid pandemic closures and ensuing restrictions.
Now with restrictions on businesses mostly lifted, employers have set their sights on getting operations back to pre-pandemic levels.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Jim’s leadership at this crucial time,” said Tom Bracken, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer.
