Join A Women's March - Saturday, October 2nd!
Join A Women’s March
Saturday, October 2nd
We must MOBILIZE and DEFEND
our Reproductive Rights!
Basking Ridge
10:00am Downtown Basking Ridge.
Corner of Finley and Allen Basking Ridge NJ 07920
Haddon Heights
11:00am Haddon Heights Park.
328 8th Ave Haddon Heights NJ 08035
Hoboken
2:00pm Walk and posters.
Washington street Hoboken NJ 07030
Hunterdon Historic Court House
11:00am-1:00pm
71 Main St., Flemington NJ 08822
Montclair
10:00am March outside of Montclair's Municipal Building.
205 Claremont Ave. MONTCLAIR NJ 07042
Red Bank
12:45pm Red Bank.
Bridge Ave &, Monmouth St Red Bank NJ 07701
Springfield
10:00am Springfield Town Hall Lawn.
100 Mountain Ave. Springfield NJ 07081
Toms River
2:00pm Huddy Park.
39 E Water Street Toms River NJ 08753
Warren Twp
10:00am
Warren Township Municipal Complex.
46 Mountain blvd Warren NJ 07059
Willingboro
1:00pm John F. Kennedy Center.
429 John F. Kennedy Way Willingboro NJ 08046
Contact Congress Today - Help Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act!
Women's Political Caucus of New Jersey Announces Endorsement of 45 Senate & Assembly Candidates for 2021 Election
Trenton, NJ – The Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey (WPCNJ) proudly endorses 45 Senate and Assembly women candidates for the November General Election. The endorsed candidates embrace and are dedicated to upholding WPCNJ’s mission to increase the number of women in elected and appointed office, protect reproductive freedom and achieve equal rights for all women.
Now, more than ever, it is critical that we encourage New Jersey residents to vote and to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms women and their families care deeply about - especially a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. It is vital that we support and advance elected and appointed officials that are equally committed to upholding these rights.
“We must continue to fight against attacks on women by promoting leaders who understand and represent women through elected and appointed positions of power. We must remain vigilant. Elections have consequences, we can never assume women’s rights are safe” said Shari Weiner, Chair of the Political Resource Committee.
The Women's Political Caucus of New Jersey Political Action Committee has made significant contributions to candidates in the 2021 election cycle. The WPCNJ PAC supports pro-choice candidates that align with the mission of the Women’s Political Caucus.
Candidates Receiving Endorsement of Women's Political Caucus of NJ
*signifies incumbent
Caren Fitzpatrick (D) – District 2, Assembly
Gabriela Mosquera (D)* – District 4, Assembly
Nilsa Cruz Perez (D)* - District 5, Senate
Pamela Lampitt (D)* – District 6, Assembly
Carol Murphy (D)* – District 7, Assembly
Allison Eckel (D) – District 8, Assembly
Dawn Addiego (D)* – District 8, Senate
Mary Sharon Quilter (D) – District 10, Assembly
Emma Mammano (D) – District 10, Senate
Joann Downey (D)* – District 11, Assembly
Allison Friedman (D) – District 13, Assembly
Vicky Flynn (R) – District 13, Assembly
Linda Greenstein (D)* - District 14 Senate
Verlina Reynolds Jackson (D)* – District 15, Assembly
Shirley Turner (D)* – District 15, Senate
Sadaf Jaffer (D) – District 16, Assembly
Yvonne Lopez (D)* – District 19, Assembly
Annette Quijano (D)* – District 20, Assembly
Anjali Mehrotra (D) – District 21, Assembly
Nancy Munoz (R)* – District 21, Assembly
Linda Carter (D)* – District 22, Assembly
Hope Kaufman (D) – District 23, Assembly
Denise King (D) – District 23, Senate
Lauren Barnett (D) – District 25, Assembly
Patricia Veres (D) – District 25, Assembly
Melissa Brown Blaeuer (D) – District 26, Assembly
Pamela Fadden (D) – District 26, Assembly
Christine Clarke (D) – District 26, Senate
Mila Jasey (D)* – District 27, Assembly
Cleopatra Tucker (D)* – District 28, Assembly
Eliana Pintor Marin (D)* – District 29, Assembly
Shanique Speight (D)* – District 29, Assembly
M. Teresa Ruiz (D)* – District 29, Senate
Angela McKnight (D)* – District 31, Assembly
Sandra Cunningham (D)* - District 31, Senate
Angelica Jimenez (D)* – District 32, Assembly
Annette Chaparro (D)* – District 33, Assembly
Britnee Timberlake (D)* – District 34, Assembly
Nia Gill (D)* - District 34, Senate
Shavonda Sumter (D)* – District 35, Assembly
Nellie Pou (D)* - District 35, Senate
Lisa Swain (D)* – District 38, Assembly
Holly Schepisi (R)* – District 39, Senate
Genevieve Allard (D) – District 40, Assembly
Nicole McNamara (D) – District 40, Assembly
WPCNJ PAC to Honor Patricia Egan Jones Recipient of the Spotlight Award
Patricia “Pat” Egan Jones began her political journey working in her community to establish safety programs and a preschool program, which after more than 40 years is still in existence. This work led to a 47-year career, including serving as Chief of Staff for Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and Legislative & Administrative Director to the late New Jersey State Senator Walter Rand.
In 1996, Pat was sworn in as a Barrington Council Member and served until elected as a Camden County Commissioner. As Commissioner, Pat was instrumental in locating the Battleship New Jersey in Camden. She believed that Camden, across from the Philadelphia Navy Yard where the Battleship was built, was the perfect location. After numerous meetings and a lengthy application process, the Navy decided to give the Battleship to the Home Port Alliance to be located in Camden. Opened to the public since October 14, 2001, the ship has been a viable part of the Camden City's Waterfront for the past 20 years.
From Commissioner, Pat was elected Camden County Surrogate, where she served 15 years. As Surrogate, she established an outstanding Adoption Program, redefined and educated Guardians with workshops, and held financial programs for young adults about how to get resources that were held in trusts.
She then took an unexpired seat in the General Assembly and was elected to serve two additional terms. Working in the General Assembly, Pat is proud to say she was part of the effort to pass Equal Pay legislation, Sick Time legislation and to establish a higher living wage for all New Jersey workers.
Pat helped improve funding for the Arts and Cultural and Heritage Programs. She served on the Transportation and Budget Committee and also served on the Joint Committee on Public Schools and Higher Education Committee.
Along the way, Pat managed many other activities and today continues to actively serve on the Board of Volunteers of America Delaware, Larc School, The Walter Reed Institute at Rutgers Camden, Coopers Ferry Partnership and the Board of the Battleship New Jersey.
Currently, Pat serves as Outreach Director for the Camden County Veterans’ Affairs Office, a rewarding position that allows her to give thanks to all the people who have made all of the above happen.
COALITION OF WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP TO FUND STUDY OF GENDER, ETHNIC DIVERSITY
Today the Women’s Political Caucus of NJ, LUPEPAC, PAM’s List, a coalition of African American women leaders, the Democratic Task Force of the Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments announced their collaboration with Senator Loretta Weinberg, Senator Nellie Pou and the NJ Legislative Latino Caucus, and Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter and the NJ Legislative Black Caucus in an effort to secure landmark appropriations to study the gender and ethnic diversity of those appointed to state boards and commissions, as well as all publicly elected officials.
These organizations have been working collaboratively for years in an attempt to develop ways to address the lack of diverse representation in our state’s elected offices, as well as appointed positions on boards and commissions. It is clear that a key element missing from this effort is availability of current, transparent data that is public-facing, searchable and easily downloadable for data visualization and analysis by researchers. For ongoing analysis, it is also crucial to ensure consistent and ongoing access to the data.
“For too long now, our appointed boards have been dominated by white men. It is difficult to achieve gender parity or appropriate representation on these boards when it is unclear who is serving and when their terms end. I am hopeful that this transparency will make the nomination and appointment process more equitable for the diverse communities we represent. I appreciate the Governor and Senate President’s willingness to help in this endeavor.” said Senator Loretta Weinberg.
"Nearly one in five New Jerseyans are a member of the Hispanic community, and as the Latino Caucus, a top priority is to ensure there is proper representation from our community in all levels of government. In order to accomplish this goal, we need to ensure we are armed with the most accurate and current data. Those elected to serve in office, as well as those on public boards and commissions, should reflect the diversity of our state." said Senator Nellie Pou, Chair of the Legislative Latino Caucus
“We must be intentional to ensure gender equity and diversity is represented in all spaces. This database is an essential tool needed to guarantee that a conscious effort is established in this endeavor. I would like to thank all of the partners for their strong alliance and support with these necessary inclusion initiatives.” said Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus.
Members of these organizations have partnered with legislators to develop two resolutions. The first will fund a deep dive into the racial and gender makeup of all the seats on New Jersey’s more than 500 public boards. Data will be collected by Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics, and the public-facing database will be jointly housed by Eagleton and the Governor’s office. The regular updating of this database would be codified via legislation to ensure that future administrations continue to make the appointments process transparent and equitable.
The second appropriation would accelerate achieving the goal of P.L.2019, c.377, signed in January of 2020, collecting the race and gender of every elected public official currently in office at the municipal, county and state levels. It is important that the public have this data as soon as possible so that voters can make informed decisions about diversity in representation when entering the voting booth.
“For fifty years the Center for American Women and Politics has been tracking and monitoring the number of women candidates and officeholders nationwide. This has taught us that you can’t solve the problem of underrepresentation until you define the problem and you can’t define the problem without the data. This appropriation will finally allow us all to fully understand the status of women and people of color in New Jersey State government and develop effective strategies to make sure that the diversity of our state is reflected in our government.” said Debbie Walsh, Director of the Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
WPCNJ PAC to Honor Jeanette Hoffman Recipient of the Carol Murphy Award
Jeanette Hoffman is an experienced public affairs consultant and statewide media spokesperson specializing in strategic messaging, marketing, crisis communications and public affairs campaigns. As president of a public affairs firm that services a broad range of corporate and non-profit clients, she has over two decades of experience in issues advocacy, politics, policy, and state government.
Hoffman is also a media commentator who can be seen on national and New Jersey television and radio stations discussing politics and public policy. She is regularly featured as a political strategist for media outlets such as Fox, My9, Newsmax, NJTV, CBS News, News 12 New Jersey, Gannett Newspapers, Ebru TV, National Public Radio, WNYC radio and New Jersey 101.5.
Jeanette has been named to ROI’s Influencers List Women in Business 2021, NJBIZ’s prestigious “Forty Under 40” list and Fox’s “Chasing News” Power List. Since 2012, State Senator Loretta Weinberg has consistently featured Jeanette on her New Jersey Women of Power List. She’s also been named one of Observer/PolitickerNJ’s top political operatives several times, and one of Save Jersey’s “Right 40 Women to Watch.” She is a regular speaker at Center for American Women and Politics “Ready to Run” campaign leadership training for women, and has served as a Faculty in Residence for CAWP’s New Leadership program.
Jeanette has served as a senior vice president at one of the state’s top ten lobbying firms and Vice President of the Commerce Industry Association of New Jersey, representing more than 900 businesses. A former Executive Director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, Hoffman was the Party’s primary media spokesperson throughout several campaign cycles. Jeanette began her career in state government working for Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and later worked for Assembly Speaker Jack Collins and Congressman Bob Franks.
A proud graduate of The College of New Jersey, Jeanette has served on the College’s Alumni Executive Board. She is active with the Jersey Shore Partnership and an avid marathon runner and a former fitness instructor. Jeanette resides in Monmouth County with her husband and four children.
WPCNJ PAC to Honor Kelly Stewart Maer Recipient of the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award
As an executive with over 30 years of industry experience, Kelly Stewart Maer has an extensive network in federal, state, and local government, including working for a U.S. Senator, NJ Senate President, and NJ House Speaker, and five NJ State Governors.
Currently, as the Director of Public Affairs, State and Federal for Capital Health System, Kelly oversees all Public and Government Affairs functions for the growing hospital system as it expands in Bucks County, PA. In this capacity, she works directly with senior management, the CEO and Board of Trustees, on key initiatives. Kelly has received a series of awards and recognitions for her efforts to date, as well as a position as a Board Member of Drumthwacket Foundation and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s Healthcare Policy Transition Team.
Kelly has been ranked among the 100 most powerful political players in New Jersey on Insider NJ’s 2016-2020 Power Lists as well as PolitickerNJ’s “Women of Power Lists” for 2015 to 2020
Kelly earned her MA in Corporate Communications from Rowan University and her BA in Communications from the University of South Carolina. She is a past and present Board Member of multiple organizations, and her involvement in volunteer activities stems from a sincere desire to give back to her community and the state of New Jersey.
Kelly grew up getting involved in politics as her Grandfather was a prominent figure and her father was NJ State Assemblyman. They fostered her love of campaigns and fueled her drive to work on the 1992 Clinton – Gore race – where she worked alongside Barbara’s son, Stephen Sigmund. She also worked on the 2008 US Senate and Presidential races, 2016 Hilary Clinton campaign and numerous state and federal races throughout her career.
A lifelong New Jerseyan she lives in Monmouth County with her husband, daughter and their rescue pup. She cherishes the friends she’s made serving on the Board of the WPCNJ for the past eight years.
2021 WPCNJ Annual Meeting Featuring Lisa Jackson
Lisa P. Jackson is Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, and served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2009 to 2013.
At Apple, Lisa leads the company’s environmental initiatives, global community education programs, product accessibility efforts, corporate giving, and worldwide government affairs. She is also the head of Apple’s newly announced Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
Since Lisa’s arrival in 2013, Apple has transformed its environmental footprint. Under her leadership, the company reached its goal of powering its operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and is now implementing its industry-‐leading supplier clean energy program —responsible for adding over 5 gigawatts of new clean energy around the world — to drive the transition to renewable energy with Apple’s manufacturing partners. In addition, Lisa spearheads Apple’s circular economy programs, grounded in the company’s ambition to one day make its products using only recycled or renewable materials.
President Barack Obama appointed Lisa as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 — the first African-‐American to hold the position. As Administrator, she focused on reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination, and achieving environmental justice by expanding environmental outreach to underserved communities and communities of color.
In 2002, Lisa joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as Assistant Commissioner. GovernorJon Corzine appointed her the Commissioner of Environmental Protection in 2006. Lisa also briefly served as Corzine's Chief of Staff.
Lisa has been recognized as a leader in business and sustainability in a number of leading publications including Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Vogue’s Game Changers, InStyle’s Badass Women, Newsweek’s Most Important People, TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (2010 & 2011) and Ebony’s Power 100 lists. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including Princeton’s James Madison Medal, Tulane University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Environmental Law Institute’s Environmental Achievement Award, the Corporate EcoForum’s C.K. Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Business Leadership and The Captain Planet Foundation’s Protector of the Earth Award.
She serves on the boardsof Tulane University, SF Film,The American Film Institute,Conservation International and Emily’s List, and is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Thank You to the 2021 Passion * Power * Progress Sponsors
Thank You to the 2021 Passion * Power * Progress Sponsors
Leader
Kivvit
Visionary
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Benefactor
Comcast
Fairview Insurance Agency Association
Hackensack Meridian Health
Orsted
PSE&G
RWJBarnabas Health
Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli
Partner
Advocacy & Management Group
Anbaric
Anheuser Busch
AT&T
Assemblyman Daniel Benson
Capital Impact Group
Speaker Craig Coughlin
Fair Share Hospitals Collaborative
Fox Rothschild LLP
Genova Burns LLC
Senator Vin Gopal
Amy Mansue
Middlesex County Democratic Organization
New Jersey Business & Industry Association
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey Natural Gas
New Jersey Realtors
New Jersey Utilities Association
Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ
Princeton Public Affairs Group
Reynolds American
Riker Danzig
River Crossing Strategy Group LLC
Senate President Stephen Sweeney
Somerset County Democratic Committee
South Jersey Industries
Taft Communications
Thomas Edison State University
Utility & Transportation Contractors Association
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP
Friend
ARH Associates
Bayshore Recycling
Bevan, Mosca & Giuditta, P.C.
Marcia W. Brown, Esq.
Laurie Clark
Eileen DellaVolle
Edison Democratic Organization
Dennis Enright
Sharon Shinkle Gardner
Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald
GTB Partners
Hoagland Longo
Jefferson Health New Jersey
Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak
MBI-GluckShaw
McCarter & English LLP
Elizabeth Murray
Congressman Frank Pallone
Stark & Stark
Senator Joseph Vitale
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg
Shari Weiner, Esq.
Supporter
AECOM
Rosemary Bernardi
Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey
Jennifer H. Chuang, MD, MS, FAAP
Zulima Farber
Jeanne Fox
Assemblyman Thomas Giblin
Impact NJ
Katz Government Affairs
Eileen Kean, Esq.
Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt
Lawrence Law
NAIOP New Jersey
NJ Food Council
Assemblywoman Annette Quijano
Melanie Willoughby
Trish Zita
Thank you again for sharing our commitment to increase women’s participation in the political process.