Christie Announces Nominations for Newly Created Council of Economic Advisors, Department of Treasury, Economic Development Authority, Department of Banking and Insurance, and Reappointments for Department of Human Services and Department of Military and Veteran Affairs
By Robert A. Ortiz, Jr.
Governor - Elect Chris Christie has announced the appointments of Bob Grady as Chair of the newly created Council of Economic Advisors, Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff as Commissioner of the Department of Treasury, Al Koeppe as Chair of the Economic Development Authority, and Thomas B. Considine as Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance. Additionally, Christie announced the reappointments of Jennifer Velez as Commissioner of the Department of Human Services and Major Glenn Rieth as the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.
Continuing the work of the Transition Committee’s Budget and Tax Taskforce, the newly created Council of Economic Advisers will develop recommendations to address the fiscal deficit and respond to the shortfall in the current year’s budget. The Council will be created by executive order under the new administration and will provide a unique viewpoint from experts with experience outside of government. The Council will collaborate with the Governor’s office, Department of Treasury, the Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Partnership for Action to provide guidance and counsel on tax and fiscal policy.
Under Governor Kean, Bob Grady served as Director of Communications, as Chief of Staff to former U.S. Representative Millicent Fenwick, and as Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Associate Director of OMB under form President George H.W. Bush. As a partner with the Carlyle Group, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, he was in charge of venture capital investing. Grady also served as Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association and as a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff is currently a private investor and tax consultant who has formerly served as a Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and previously as the Deputy Executive Commissioner. He served as the New York City Comissioner of Finance and a three-time elected New York City Councilman. Additionally, Mr. Sidamon-Eristoff as legislative counsel in the New York State Senate.
In recent years, Mr. Sidamon-Eristoff has performed a series of short-term consulting assignments for Chemonics International, an international development consulting firm. He also executed a Business Climate Reform Project in the Republic of Georgia for the U.S. States Agency for International Development.
Mr. Sidamon-Eristoff is currently a member of the International Revenue Service’s Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee and is a trustee of several non-profit organizations including Scenic Hudson, the St. Bernard’s School, the New York League of Conservative Voters Education Fund, and the Hudson Highlands Land Trust. He is also a former President of the North Eastern States Tax Officials Association and board member of the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Al Koeppe is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company, New Jersey’s largest utility company and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Newark Alliance. He also held the position of Chief Operating Officer of Bell Atlantic - New Jersey.
Mr. Koeppe was a trial attorney for the New Jersey Department of the Public Defender and for AT&T in the Department of Justice antitrust case. He has chaired such institutions as the New Jersey Higher Education Commission, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Additionally, at the request of Acting Governor Richard Codey, he assumed the chairmanship of the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation with a mandate to restore its financial integrity. Mr. Koeppe is also a trustee for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and for St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark. He is a member of the board of Horizon Blue Cross / Blue Sheild of New Jersey and of the New Jersey Resources Corporation.
Thomas B. Considine currently serves as Vice President of Government Relations Counsel to MetLife, where he is responsible for a broad range of state government relations and public policy issues for both the financial services and auto and home companies nationally. He manages a staff of state lobbyists, attorneys and public policy analysts in the Government and Industry Relations Department for the Company. He also manages government relations issues before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He coordinated MetLife’s integration effort to secure approvals for its $11Billion corporate acquisition of the Travelers life and health insurance companies.
He currently serves on the Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Board of Directors in New Jersey, where he is Board Treasurer, and on the Board of Directors of the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Associations, the Texas Association of Life and Health Insurers’ Board of Directors and that trade’s Legislative Policy Committee, and is an immediate past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Tort Reform Association.
Reappointments
Jennifer Velez, an attorney with an extensive background in social services issues in New Jersey, was nominated to be Commissioner of the Department of Human Services by Governor Jon S. Corzine in February, 2007, and was confirmed and sworn in on June 21, 2007. Governor-Elect Christie has reappointed Velez to this position.
Major Glenn Rieth, was confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate as the 30th Adjutant General of New Jersey on March 4, 2002. Governor-Elect Christie has reappointed Major Rieth to this position. General Reith commands more than 9,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the New Jersey Army and National Guard.
Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader partner, Rob Ortiz, commented on the Governor-Elect’s most recent appointments and reappointments, “It is clear that Chris Christie is working to assemble a highly experienced, bipartisan cabinet with a strong commitment to putting the state’s finances in order. In a time of severe fiscal crisis, these nominees will bring a most valuable professional perspective to the table in the form of years of experience and successful execution.”
GUBERNATORIAL TRANSITION UPDATE, JANUARY 2010
Christie Announces Nominations for Department of Education and Department of Environmental Protection
(Click here to view e-newsletter)
GUBERNATORIAL TRANSITION UPDATE, JANUARY 2010
Christie Announces Nominations for Key Transportation Positions
(Click here to view e-newsletter)
GUBERNATORIAL TRANSITION UPDATE, DECEMBER 2009
Governor-Elect Chris Christie Names Former State Senator Richard H. Bagger as Chief of Staff, Former Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Chiesa as Chief Counsel to the Governor
(Click here to view e-newsletter)
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SPOTLIGHT ON:
Robert A. Ortiz, Jr.
 Robert A. Ortiz, Jr., the New Jersey Republican State Committee Finance Chairman, joined the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt and Fader as Partner in April 2009. Rob works with the corporate and governmental affairs departments. His law practice is concentrated principally in the corporate area, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, partnership formations and business start-ups. He has also been involved in representing companies and organizations of all sizes in governmental affairs.
The New Jersey Law Journal recently selected Rob to its 2008 list of "40 under 40". According to the Law Journal's publisher, the 40 lawyers on the list are people under the age of 40 who are "worth watching not only for what they have achieved so far in their careers but more so for the potential they show to be among the leaders of the New Jersey bar in the next decade."
Rob is the former Chairman of the Bergen County Republican Organization. He is currently a Visiting Associate to the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Rob is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation and a current member of the Board of Trustees of the Boy Scouts of America, Northern New Jersey Council. Rob is also a member of the National Hispanic Advisory Committee to the Republican National Committee. He also served as Corporate Counsel for the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006.
Rob is a former member to the Board of Directors of the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. The program provides financial assistance to post-graduate students who have demonstrated superior academic ability and financial need and are pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
Prior to joining Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt and Fader, Rob was Counsel at Porzio Bromberg & Newman in Morristown, NJ. He was also formerly Of Counsel at Beattie Padovano in Montvale, NJ and Partner at DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Wisler in Teaneck, NJ.
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