Choose New Jersey’s Michele Brown to Step Down as CEO

On Apr 19, 2018

Choose New Jersey, Inc. announced that Michele Brown will be stepping down as its president and chief executive officer. Brown will continue to provide strategic advice to the board during the transition.

“Under Michele Brown’s leadership, we have seen impressive growth in Choose New Jersey as a premier economic development organization with global reach,” said Ralph LaRossa, Chairman of the Board of Choose New Jersey and President and Chief Operating Officer of PSEG Power, noting that during her three year tenure, the organization advanced 116 economic development projects, which created or retained more than 14,600 jobs and spurred over $1 billion in private investment in our State.

“Choose New Jersey was designed by the business community in 2010 to be a sustainable, privately-funded economic development partner to New Jersey regardless of changes in State leadership,” said LaRossa. “We are in a position for the second time since inception to bring in a new executive to lead the organization, and the Board will undertake our process to do so thoughtfully and in accordance with our bylaws. Choose New Jersey will continue its work to promote our state, and, as intended by its founding members, the organization will remain on course despite changes in government leadership. We are very encouraged by Governor Phil Murphy’s support of our efforts and we are looking forward to working with his Administration to advance his economic development priorities.”

During her tenure, Brown represented and coordinated three State delegations to the BIO International Convention held throughout the country, oversaw comprehensive marketing campaigns to promote New Jersey while partnering with mega-brands such as Goya and Arizona Beverages, and advanced multiple international business recruitment trips focused on life sciences and other key industries.

“Working with the Choose New Jersey Board and our amazing staff has been an incredible experience,” said Michele Brown. “It has been an honor to work so closely with our Board to tout all of the reasons why New Jersey is a great place to grow business. I have the deepest appreciation for being given the opportunity to advocate for our State, including the tremendous successes realized in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Business Action Center. I am truly proud of our achievements together.”

LaRossa added, “As an economic development leader, Michele has a keen sense of emerging trends and how best to leverage industry growth which has served Choose New Jersey well. For example, upon her arrival in 2015, the food industry was not an area widely recognized publicly as a place for growth in New Jersey. Thanks to Michele’s foresight and her team’s aggressive marketing and business development outreach, the food industry now accounts for 30 percent of Choose New Jersey’s business activity, leading national and international news outlets to reference New Jersey as the ‘Food Capital of the World.’”

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