OFFICERS
President
Joseph Gaj, W’04
About me: Regional Vice President, Ash Brokerage / Life Insurance specialist / Help advisors and clients with protection planning needs / Married high school sweetheart, 3 beautiful young children / enjoy outdoor activities, golf, gardening & carpentry.
President-Elect
Susan Goldsmith W'81
About me: Partner, McCarter & English, LLP | Trademark, copyright, e-commerce lawyer with special interest in start-ups and emerging growth companies | Wharton marketing degree | two grown kids in tech fields | endlessly curious with deep interests in both history and science fiction.
President Emeritus
Ken Drossman, W'71, WG'72
About me: President, Lakeview Business Consulting, LLC | Helping entrepreneurial owners to prepare their companies for sale, whether they’re for sale or not | consigliere to legitimate entrepreneurial owner/CEO | Married, 3 self-sufficient working children and 2 grandsons | Friends and business merge at WCNJ, which is the best thing about being a member.
Vice President - Membership
Sachin Jade, WG'12
About me: Growth Strategy, Innovation & Investments Advisor. Work with mid-market companies, Private Equity firms and corporate innovation for due-diligence, investments & growth strategy. Married with 2 kids; soccer enthusiast, passionate about improving health-care ecosystem and an amateur writer.
Vice President - Events
Neeta Mukerjee, WEV'10
About me: Life Sciences Business Consultant, helping to bring innovative biopharma research to market. Market opportunity assessment | Value proposition analysis | Customer discovery for commercialization | Partnership development. Enjoy music, cooking, gardening, traveling, nature and the four seasons.
Treasurer
Charlie Mangano, W'75
About me: Commercial banker for 30+ years | At Santander Bank, focusing on Government and Education | Middle market relationship banker | photographer & golfer | live with wife & mother-in-law in Short Hills, NJ | Twin sons | Board member & past President of Penn Club of Metro NJ | Active WCNJ member.
DIRECTORS
Director
Renie Carniol
About me: Director of the Grotta Fund and Director of Strategic Grant Initiatives, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ / Oversee grantmaking to non-profits that pursue programs and community improvements that will improve the lives of older adults and help them age in place /Match donor’s interests and passions with impactful philanthropy opportunities/Offer strategies and technical assistance to build collaborations and improve grant outcomes / Married, 3 beautiful and married adult children / enjoy bicycling, swimming, float boarding, yoga, travel & art.
Director
Samuel M. Guss, W'81
About me: President and Principal of Red Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, a commercial Real Estate investment banking firm founded in 2002. Red Oak provides advice and arranges capital for clients in the commercial real estate business – often guiding its clients through a multiple transaction strategy to help them reach their goals| Resident of Morristown, NJ | Enjoys outdoor activities including golf, hiking, biking and softball as well as travel.
Director
Kristina Kohl, WG'88
About me: Managing Principal HRComputes and Becoming Sustainable/ Human capital management technology optimization, selection, and implementation/ Corporate social responsibility strategy and stakeholder engagement/ live in Moorestown with husband/ 2 grown children/ Wharton MBA/ Bard MBA professor/interests include travel, gardening, and good novels.
Director
Jane Hindes Miller WG'84
About me: COO at Gold Mobile, which specializes in in-the-moment engagement for healthcare, food service & retail | enjoy baking and spending time with family at our vacation home in Vermont | increasingly involved with WCNJ because of the warmth and sense of community I feel.
Director
Dushyant Pandit, WG'77
About me: Founded DorchesterAdvisors – Investment advisory firm | Investor & Entrepreneur | Champion of simplification | Rock guitarist | Single Malt Scotch and Craft Beers | Flaneur when travelling | Married with two independent daughters | Summit, NJ resident.
Director
John Possumato, W'82
About me: Founder & CEO, DriveItAway Inc. (the risk free in-app way to drive a used car before you buy it, from your local car dealer). An incurable entrepreneur from my time at Wharton and Penn Law School, I enjoy using technology for problem solving in unexplored areas of business and building sustainable teams in start-ups...and anything that has chocolate. Blessed with a great family, great friends and a great Wharton Club.
Director
Alix Rubin, JD'96
About me: Founded Rubin Employment Law/Employment Attorney and Entrepreneur/Works with small to mid-sized businesses and high-level executives and professionals to prevent and resolve disputes/Hiker, biker, writer/Married with adult journalist son/West Caldwell, NJ resident.
Director
Roger Saks, W'92
About Me: Managing Director of Investments at Stifel | I provide comprehensive wealth management services to High Net Worth familes, with a focus on long term planning and investment strategies | Family Businesses and Financial Professionals make up a majority of clients | Married with 4 "almost grown" children | Avid downhill skier and enjoy outdoor activities, especially in the mountains.
Director
Judith Sheft, WG'83
About me: Executive Director New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology | Technology Commercialization and university licensing expert | Advisor to start up technology & life sciences companies | Advocate for growth and economic development in NJ urban centers | Enjoy international travel, murder mysteries and chocolate.
Director
Karthik Sriram, WG’19
About me: Strategy and Finance for Amicus Therapeutics, a biotechnology firm focused on helping patients with rare and ultra rare diseases. Financial modeling | Corporate Valuation | Operating Models & Strategy | I enjoy hiking, sports (playing and watching), and spending time with my family.
Director
Mark Ukrainskyj, W'88
About me: Senior Portfolio Manager & Principal at Covenant Asset Management | Trusted Advisor to busy professionals and small business owners | Married with two college age boys | Enjoy wine, sailing, golf and travel.
*denotes Founding Board Member
Updated May 2020