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JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The (NJCU) Foundation Board of Directors has announced its newly elected slate of four officers. Peter Hernandez, the Senior Vice President—Managed Finance for , Inc., has been re-elected as chairman of the foundation board. Each of the officers will serve three-year terms.

Hernandez joined the Foundation on June 13, 2013 and was elected to his first term as chair on June 20, 2018.

Additionally, Ed O’Connor, previously the NJCU Foundation Board treasurer, has been elected as the newest vice chair. O’Connor is the Founder and Principal Partner of . Previously, he was Managing Director and Head of Workplace and Retirement Plans at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and an adjunct professor at NJCU. O’Connor was originally appointed to the Board in January 2014.

Stephen Hess, Senior Banker and Managing Director for the Northeast Region of the , was elected treasurer. Hess has served on the Board since September 2018.

Meanwhile, Andrea Ducas, Senior Program Officer at the , was elected secretary of the Foundation Board. She has served on the Board since June 2019.

“I am excited about my next term as Chair of the Foundation Board and the incredible talent at the executive and Foundation Board positions,” said Hernandez. “My first term as Chair was about rebuilding and growing engagement. During this term, we developed our mission, value, and vision statements, strengthening our compliance through governance and board assessments, attracted five new board members, and continued to communicate and share our passion to raise funds to enrich and further the lives of our students, allowing them to enter to learn and exit to serve.”

“With many of the key building blocks in place,” Hernandez continued, “our attention during my second term will focus on the fundraising efforts for the Guarini Performing Arts Center’s $10 million campaign; developing a comprehensive mentoring program through our partnership with the Board of Trustees and Advisory Boards to match as many students as possible with a mentor; and growing our scholarship funding to minimize the financial burden our students face and in turn, help them graduate with little to no debt.”

Dr. Sue Henderson, President of ��è�ƽ��, said: “NJCU’s critical goal of enhancing student success will continue to be realized thanks to the commitment and leadership of our Foundation Board, and we are grateful for the leadership of Peter, Ed, Stephen and Andrea. Their vision, experience, and result-oriented goals will be vital for the Foundation to build upon its previously successful philanthropic efforts.”

��è�ƽ�� NJCU
��è�ƽ�� is an institution of higher learning with an audacious goal: the development of our students, our city, our communities, our state, and the world beyond. We are a game-changing force for our students and their families. Whether our students are enrolled in one of our 50 undergraduate, 28 graduate or three doctoral programs, NJCU provides an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty—all of which prepares them to be critical thinkers in a global landscape.

We’re also changing the game for our city, our communities, and our state. As the educational anchor institution in Jersey City, we’ve established partnerships to ensure the area’s growth directly benefits our students and community members. We seek to improve the lives of everyone in the Garden State, whether creating a home for the arts, bringing educational programs to K-12 students, offering bachelor’s degrees in partnership with community colleges, or providing professional development opportunities for adults.

At NJCU, we’re not just educating minds, we’re nourishing souls and lifting communities. We’re changing the game.

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Contact:
Ira Thor, Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301