Tuesday, October 8, 2019 - Pines Manor, Edison, NJ
Presented by Investors Bank 

Necessity is the Mother of Invention...

Even for Not-for-Profits!

New Jersey's not-for-profit organizations are continuously evolving in response to the shifting needs and fluctuating demands of the communities they serve.  When leaders and founders nurture a philosophy of innovation and transformation, they become game changers.  

Please join us at our 10th Annual Art of Thriving Not-for-Profit Conference at the Pines Manor on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 to meet four not-for-profit leaders that have been successful in addressing significant challenges by developing unique and distinctive solutions.  This group of visionaries truly understand the concept that "Necessity is the Mother of Invention...Even for Not-for-Profits!"   
You do NOT want to miss this conversation!
 
In support of the not-for-profits who contribute so much to the communities we serve, our 10th Annual New Jersey Art of Thriving Conference is free to attend.  

Attendance is recommended for Executive Directors, Development Staff, Board Members, and Volunteers within the not-for-profit industry.

This event will include:

 • Keynote Presentation from Michelle Siekerka, Esq.

 • Expert Panel Discussion on addressing challenges with innovative solutions
 • Networking opportunities
 • Access to Investors Bank staff
 • Great door prizes to wrap up the morning

Panel Discussion: Addressing Challenges with Innovative Solutions
Moderator: 
Sally Glick, MBA 
Principal and Chief Growth Strategist
Sobel & Co., LLC

Panelists: 
John E. Harmon, Sr.
Founder, President and CEO
African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
Jen Miller
Executive Director
Maplecrest Moves Charities
Mindy Scheier
Founder and CEO
Runway of Dreams Foundation
Nicole Whitfield
Founder and Executive Director
Special Parent Advocacy Group

Keynote Speaker Info:
Michele N. Siekerka, Esq
President and CEO
New Jersey Business and Industry Association 

Michele N. Siekerka, Esq., President and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, leads the nation’s largest, most influential employers’ organization, advocating on behalf of New Jersey’s large and small businesses for policies that will make New Jersey more affordable and regionally competitive.

Under Siekerka’s leadership, NJBIA’s award-winning research on outmigration documented the loss of $20.7 billion in wealth from New Jersey over 11 years and set the agenda in Trenton for the enactment of a series of important pro-business reforms, including the recent repeal of the estate tax, and the adjustment of the state income tax threshold for taxing retirement income.  

Siekerka has also been at the forefront of efforts to build more effective workforce development alliances in New Jersey between academia, business and government. The NJBIA Postsecondary Education Task Force’s yearlong study of New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation millennial outmigration produced a 13-point action plan in 2018 that is driving policymakers’ discussions on how to retain our future workforce by enticing more young adults to pursue education and careers in New Jersey.

Siekerka came to NJBIA in 2014 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, where she served in the critical position of Deputy Commissioner, following her service as Assistant Commissioner for Water Resources Management. During her time at DEP, Siekerka was a principal player in the state’s charge to restore New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy with the responsibility of coordinating funding, outreach and resources for rebuilding environmental infrastructure.

An attorney by trade, Siekerka’s background includes serving as the president and CEO of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, senior legal counsel and vice president of human resources with the Automobile Association of America, and as a partner in a Mercer County law firm. 

Siekerka is the co-founder and co-chair of Opportunity New Jersey. She also serves on the board of directors of Investors Bancorp; Choose New Jersey; the New Jersey Innovation Institute; Junior Achievement of New Jersey; Young Audiences of NJ; and Better Choices Better Care.  

Siekerka’s leadership has been recognized through her inclusion in Power and Policymaker list rankings by Insider NJ, Politicker NJ and NJ BIZ, as well as being cited as one of the 17 People to Watch in 2017 by the Bergen Record. She was also among NJ Biz’s 2015 Best 50 Women in Business.

 A Robbinsville resident, Siekerka earned a B.A. in Political Science and German from Rutgers University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.