Longtime NJ Alliance for Action President Announces Plans to Retire

Philip Beachem, longtime president of the New Jersey Alliance for Action, has announced plans to retire at the conclusion of this calendar year. Jerry Keenan, the organization’s executive vice president has been appointed to succeed Beachem as president.

Philip Beachem

Beachem, who has been with the organization for 33 years, said that he delayed his initial plan to retire earlier this year to see the organization through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beachem had a lengthy career in government prior to joining the Alliance in 1987 including serving ten years as a Councilman and two stints as Mayor in his hometown of Franklin Township (Somerset County). He has worked with every Governor and their administration since 1978.

Keenan has held a variety of executive positions during his 23-year tenure with the organization. He becomes only the third President of the Alliance since its founding in 1974. Keenan currently serves as a member of Gov. Phil Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council and has served on other statewide boards including the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust (now the NJ Infrastructure Bank).

Alliance for Action Chairman Mike Della Rocca said that Beachem and Keenan have been able to successfully lead the Alliance through the pandemic by developing innovative virtual programs that have attracted large participation by the organization’s membership.

Beachem thanked the Alliance for Action board as well as the many business, labor and professional members for giving him the flexibility to work on their behalf in a non-partisan way. He congratulated incoming president Keenan and thanked the Alliance for Action staff for their diligent work on behalf of the membership.

Jerry Keenan

Keenan stated that he was “honored to be named the Alliance’s president and pledged to continue the path set by our founding president Ellis Vieser and my mentor Phil Beachem.”

The New Jersey Alliance for Action is a non-partisan and non-profit association of business, labor, government and professionals dedicated to creating jobs and improving the economy through the development of environmentally-friendly infrastructure improvements and capital construction.

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