January 15, 2026

New Jersey Leadership summit highlights on state’s future development

Key points:

• New Jersey leaders emphasized cross-sector collaboration as essential to sustaining economic growth.

• Healthcare innovation, real estate investment, and workforce-focused education emerged as priority drivers.

• The summit highlighted relationship-building and adaptability as critical to the state’s long-term competitiveness.

New_Jersey January 2026 — New Jersey’s business and civic leadership came together Wednesday morning, Jan. 14, for a forward-looking dialogue at the Invest: New Jersey Leadership Summit. Hosted by caa at Maritime Parc in Jersey City, the event convened key decision-makers to examine the state’s evolving economic landscape.

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The summit welcomed more than 200 executives, educators, and public-sector leaders for in-depth discussions centered on sustaining growth, advancing innovation, and supporting development across New Jersey’s core industries.

Opening the day

caa Founder and CEO Abby Lindenberg opened the program by reflecting on the company’s history and the importance of relationships for business and progress.

“When I look across this room, I don’t see titles, I don’t see companies. I see relationships. I see people who are builders, and who believe like me that business is done better together,” she said. “We think nationally, but we execute locally, because inside only reflects real people and real communities, like the one I am looking at today.”

Smart Health, Stronger Communities

The morning’s first panel, “Smart Health, Stronger Communities: Building an accessible future for New Jersey patients,” focused on how digital health, AI, and how collaboration can expand equitable, accessible care and strengthen outcomes across New Jersey communities.

Moderator Bob Rossilli of Kedrion Biopharma opened by noting that “New Jersey healthcare and life sciences is considered to be a powerhouse in this area, a powerhouse of patient care, research manufacturing, health and innovation.”

Kenneth Sable from Acute Care Hospital Division Hackensack Meridian Health mentioned the need to change care delivery models through technology and innovation, to take out inefficiencies from the healthcare sector.

“As the baby boomer population maxes out in terms of age, we’re gonna have significant challenges meeting client demand for clinicians, physicians and providers,” he said. “With technology we will be able to make our system more efficient, keeping people working at the top of their license.”

Amy Murtha from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School complemented this by emphasizing listening to communities to better serve patient needs.

“As we develop technologies and identify potential opportunities to better serve those communities, we have to actually engage in conversations,” she said. “We could potentially put things at risk if we’re not careful about how we use some of the new technologies that come out, it is a tricky balance.”

University Hospital New Jersey President and CEO Carole Johnson highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in building trust with the communities to help develop solutions and new technologies for the industry.

“That is what a public-private partnership could look like going forward, empowering our communities by being at the table, being shared product developers and being part of the solution.”

The panelists also shared their metrics for healthcare success in the Garden State in the next five years — from people not needing to move to other states to seek the highest level of care, to seeing people getting less sick and getting more preventive and accessible services into their communities.

Creating Value for Relationships and Adapting to Change

Fred Castrovinci, regional president of New Jersey commercial and business banking at Valley Bank gave a special address on how leaders can help people adapt to change by building trust, embracing innovation, and creating long-term value through authentic, cross-industry relationships.

“Having local feedback loops with your leaders is very important today, so you can come to a conclusion where you support your people and you put them in a place where they are going to innovate, change and grow,” Castrovinci said.

He engaged with the audience by sharing ways to create deeper levels of trust while finding opportunities through feedback and discipline. “If you embrace everything as an opportunity, you’re going to build new skills, new relationships, and you’re gonna grow,” he added.

Real Estate, Real Returns

The second panel, “Real Estate, Real Returns: Financing growth and community renewal in New Jersey,” examined how developers and lenders can align real estate financing with long-term returns while driving responsible growth, affordability, and community renewal across New Jersey.

Bill Fink from Provident Bank opened the conversation setting the current landscape for the New Jersey real estate sector.

“Our core focus as an institution is in three asset classes, number one multifamily residential, number two we look at grocery anchored retail,” Fink said. “And then last but not least, changed with the e commerce economy, we focus on industrial and warehouse.”

Steven Bush from Apple Bank set the ground on the relevance for affordable housing in the region.

“The New York situation has had a lot of attention, because of the red regulation, we will see how that ultimately unfolds, but affordable housing is a big chunk of what is being asked for,” he stated.

Panelist Edwin Cohen discussed the need for developers to come up with innovative solutions to deliver impactful projects.

“There is a greater need for developers to provide more amenities for people, in both the residential or commercial. More open space, more community involvement, more live-work-play; an overused terminology, but it is a fact of life,” he shared.

Future-Ready New Jersey

The third panel, “Future-Ready New Jersey: How education is driving the Garden State’s competitive edge,” examined how New Jersey’s education institutions are innovating to build an adaptable workforce, close access gaps, and strengthen the state’s long-term economic competitiveness.

David Birdsell from Kean University started the conversation by speaking about the balance needed between degrees and general education curriculum.

“It can’t only be about what people learn in college, it has to be about how they learn in college. So elevating student inquiry, making sure that we have a general education curriculum, to elevate inquiry, place and experience in every student’s college career so that they are asking questions; they are learning how to frame and answer the difficult problems that they are all going to address throughout their lives and carry into their majors., he stated.

Panelist Mark McCormick emphasized on the importance of community colleges for first generation students.

“In New Jersey, especially in the public higher end, our focus on transforming lives and the community college world has a focus on helping students who come from first generation backgrounds,” he said. “Graduation is important.”

Francine Conway from Rutgers University provided the meaning for social mobility.

“What social mobility means, is a metric that actually looks at if the individual’s life is better and if their financial circumstances are better than when they came into college,” she added.

Augustine Boakye from Essex County College shared that success comes from the lives that they change through education.

“I’m coming from Newark and our college is uniquely positioned because the students that we graduate every year is not necessary tying into the graduation rate, but the many people we take from the street give them education and be able to take care of themselves and take care of their families, and contribute to the state as a whole,” he said.

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About caa & Invest: New Jersey

caa is an integrated media platform that produces in-depth business intelligence through its annual print and digital economic reviews, high-impact conferences and events, and top-level interviews via its video platform, Invest:Insights.

Invest: New Jersey is an in-depth economic review of the key issues facing the New Jersey economy, featuring the exclusive insights of prominent regional leaders. Invest: New Jersey is produced with two goals in mind: 1) to provide comprehensive investment knowledge on the region for local, national, and international investors, and 2) to promote the region as a place to invest and do business.

The report conducts a deep dive into the top economic sectors in the region, including technology, real estate and construction, infrastructure, banking and finance, healthcare, education, and tourism. The publication is compiled from insights collected from more than 200 economic leaders, sector insiders, political leaders, and heads of important institutions. It analyzes the leading challenges facing the market and uncovers emerging opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

For more information, please contact:

Ana Karen Gonzalez

Executive Director

267-817-7281