“Our health system is one of the largest employers and purchasers in New Jersey, and we are dedicated to investing those dollars back into the communities we serve," said system President Mark Manigan. BuyLocal aims to do that by looping businesses into the products and services supply chain.

Recognizing a shared mission to diversify the commercial real estate industry, the retail giant will also help to enhance the organization's presence in two additional cities in the U.S., and serve as a presenter for its online academy with the Urban Land Institute.

The honorees will be celebrated during a Nov. 10 gala at the Pines Manor in Edison.

Jayné Johnson will lead the newly created unit in the governor’s office, which will aim to dismantle inequity within state government based on race, ethnicity and other protected characteristic, and to expand opportunities for communities of color and other underserved New Jerseyans.

Fewer than 10% of New Jersey’s public expenditures goes to diverse businesses, according to New Jersey Office of Diversity and Inclusion Chief Diversity Officer Hester Agudosi. The number comes from a disparity study her office is currently working on and was shared while she moderated the virtual NJBIZ Diversity in the Workplace panel on Aug. 31.

Members will actively contribute to the professional growth and personal development of executive-level African American and Black employees of the health care system and its affiliates.

Experts weighed in during NJBIZ's virtual discussion on Diversity in the Workplace as to how companies in New Jersey – the fourth most diverse state in the nation and one of its most densely populated – can strengthen their diversity, equity and inclusion focus and initiatives.

Nicole Cokley Dunlap will oversee the strategy and execution of the retailer's goals, as well as build relationships with customer communities and diverse business vendors.

Wesley McWhite III will lead the Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s office in charge of establishing and administering practices and procedures to bring socially and economically disadvantaged New Jerseyans into the state's medical and adult use cannabis industries.

The DEI Portfolio Investment Steering Committee will govern future investments and evaluate funds based on specific factors including diversity of fund management ownership, diversity of the portfolio management team and impact of the investment strategy on diverse populations.

Barbara Lawrence will lead the Mercer County-based college's strategic direction as it relates to inclusive excellence.

According to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., the number of women and minorities in the wealth management field is growing nationally, as of the end of 2020: But the organization, which sets standards for financial planning and administers the CFP certification, also noted that women represent less than a quarter of CFPs, while fewer than 5% of CFPs are Black or Latino.