Lozano to Leave Choose New Jersey

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On Dec 2, 2021

Choose New Jersey President and CEO Jose Lozano announced today that he will be leaving the state’s privately funded economic development organization at the end of the year to become senior vice president, strategic partnerships and business opportunities, at Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH). Prior to joining Choose New Jersey, Lozano was chief of staff and vice president for corporate services and governance at HMH.

“It has been an honor to serve as President and CEO of Choose New Jersey,” Lozano said. “I am so proud of how Choose New Jersey has helped strengthen New Jersey’s economy by attracting new businesses, which created or retained thousands of good-paying jobs and produced billions in private investment.”

Lozano joined Choose New Jersey on June 1, 2018. Interviewed earlier this year by New Jersey Business magazine regarding the 10-year anniversary of the agency, Lozano said one of the things he was most proud of during his time there was helping the agency “find its voice.”

That voice is global.

“When I first arrived at the organization, 25% of our pipeline was international. Today, it is 77% international. We have a really good story to tell as to why you should move to New Jersey, and it has resonated so well with international audiences,” Lozano said.

As an example of that international effort, the agency recently concluded its fourth successful economic mission to Israel, further strengthening the longstanding relationship between New Jersey and the Middle Eastern country. The Choose New Jersey-led delegation participated in Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Letter of Intent (LOI) signings that will help bolster economic ties, cultivate further investment opportunities, and deepen cultural connections between New Jersey and Israel.

During his time at the agency, Lozano also led, or joined Gov. Phil Murphy in leading additional trade missions to India, Ireland, Israel and Germany.

Lozano also helped lead several groundbreaking initiatives during his tenure, including: relocating Choose New Jersey’s headquarters to Newark, an urban-centric location near one of the largest markets in the world; managing, the State of Innovation Marketing Campaign, a $10 million global marketing initiative to promote New Jersey globally; and establishing global marketing partnerships with leading brands such as United Airlines, the New York Giants, the New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center in Newark.

Overall, under Lozano’s leadership, Choose New Jersey recruited or retained tens of thousands of jobs to the Garden State, resulting in billions of dollars in new investment.

“New Jersey has made great strides economically and Choose New Jersey has been a consequential partner in that effort thanks to Jose Lozano’s leadership,” said Ralph LaRossa, chairman of Choose New Jersey and Chief Operating Officer of PSEG. “Since Jose joined the economic development organization in 2018, Choose New Jersey has helped strengthen New Jersey’s economy by assisting more than 150 companies in relocating or expanding to New Jersey, creating or retaining 12,000 jobs.”

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Choose New Jersey, with Lozano’s oversight, assisted 33 companies that relocated or expanded in New Jersey, helped retain and create 1,455 jobs, and generated more than $607 million in capital investments.

Additionally, Lozano was appointed by Murphy to serve as co-chair of the Restart & Recovery Council, bringing together more than 200 leaders from various industries, community organizations and higher education institutions to help New Jersey rebound from the economic hardships created by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

As chief of staff and vice president for corporate services and governance at HMH, Lozano managed several critical executive office functions including corporate relations, strategy development, operations, board relations, public relations and communications.

Before joining HMH, Lozano served in the Obama administration as deputy chief of staff and homeland security advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, leading an immediate staff of over 100 in the development and implementation of the agency’s environmental agenda domestically and abroad.

Lozano serves on the boards of several institutions and organizations, including the boards of trustees of Richard Stockton University, New Jersey Future and NAIOP New Jersey, the National Advisory Board of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and the board of directors of the NJ Innovation Institute.

Choose New Jersey has not yet named a successor to Lozano.

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