■ Enterprising Women Awards
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ONE TO WATCH AWARDS
Gibbons P . C . Jennifer Phillips Smith , Director , Real Property Group
Jennifer joined the firm as an associate in 2008 and was promoted to Equity Director in 2018 . She serves as lead land use attorney on several of New Jersey ’ s largest , most high-profile development and redevelopment projects . Examples include a $ 2.5 billion redevelopment and the state ’ s first new private medical school in 40 + years . This year , she was ranked for the first time as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA and was selected as one of the Profiles in Diversity Journal ’ s “ Women Worth Watching .” She has also been featured on the NJBIZ “ Power 100 ” list of the most influential people in New Jersey business and named one of New Jersey Law Journal ’ s “ New Leaders of the Bar .”
Scarinci Hollenbeck , LLC Sarah E . Tornetta , Associate
In the last year , Sarah has not only adapted , but also excelled in her role as an associate in the firm ' s Labor & Employment ( L & E ) practice group . Not long after she joined the firm two of our key L & E partners left the firm . This put Sarah in a position where she needed to take on a large workload on her own in order to serve the firm ' s public and public clients . At a time in her career where she should be receiving guidance and mentorship from more seasoned attorneys , Sarah single-handedly kept an L & E practice group afloat . We have no doubt she is an attorney to watch , if not for her talent , but for her ability to overcome staunch adversity with apparent ease .
PKF O ’ Connor Davies LLP Katherine Zech , Senior Manager
Like several others , Kait received two separate nominations . She was praised for her extraordinary commitment to her professional community . She is the co-founder of the Early-Career Accounting Professionals Group , which is committed to providing career-minded individuals with opportunities to develop socially , professionally and civically . Kait is also an active member of the NJCPA and is newly elected to the Board of Trustees at the state level . Kait is also a member of the CIANJ Generation Now Council and has been a past recipient of the Generation Now Game Changer award . Through all of this and more , Kait has shown herself to be a leader within our firm , embodies the purpose of the certified public accountant and has positively influenced other young professionals and women in our industry .
ENTERPRISING WOMEN IN COMMERCE PLATINUM AWARD
Minerals Technologies Inc . JoAnn Coyne , Vice President , Performance Materials , Specialty Products Division
JoAnn has been such an amazing professional handling high level challenges among mostly male colleagues and pushing herself so that she could compete for the highest levels within the materials engineering industry . As Vice President with Mineral Technologies , Inc ., JoAnn has maintained a No . 1 U . S . Market share position , including exports , during the integration of MTI / Amcol , despite fierce competition . In addition , she implemented organization redesign , upgraded talent and product strategies and led the Geographic Growth strategy that resulted in profitable sales growth in China and India . The India business initiative was a turnaround that required a new approach on talent , operations and value selling strategies . She also led the Company Wide VOC ( Voice of Customer ) initiatives . She is also her daughters ’ girl scout troop leader .
26 COMMERCE www . commercemagnj . com
Terrie O ’ Connor Realtors Sarah M . Drennan , Executive VP & Broker Associate
Sarah graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rutgers University , beginning her career as International Resource Manager at one of the world ’ s largest public relations firms . She later became Vice President of Operations and founding partner of the first public relations industry trade association before entering real estate sales . Her vast experience in public relations , marketing , sales and customer service combined with her passion for real estate made her the perfect choice when Terrie O ’ Connor sought someone to join the leadership team . As Executive Vice President , Sarah leads the operation of the company ’ s eight offices as well as oversees marketing . She was an invaluable asset as the company navigated through the changes required to continue operating safely through the pandemic , resulting in the company ’ s best year in its history .
Citrin Cooperman & Co . LLP Sylvie Gadant , CPA , Partner , Practice Leader , Transaction Advisory Services
Sylvie has advised clients on over 300 transactions valued between $ 5- $ 300 million . Her extensive expertise has led to frequent speaker and moderator opportunities for high-profile industry forums . As an accomplished leader , Sylvie built an award-winning advisory team that manages global multi-million transactions . Her team ’ s success is the result of Sylvie turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation . Sylvie is regularly featured in business and industry publications , including Inc ., Forbes , PE Hub , Buyouts Magazine , Crain ’ s New York Business and Accounting Today . She is the recipient of prestigious awards , including the " Crain ' s Notable Women in Accounting " ( Crain ' s New York Business , 2020 ) and the " USA Women Dealmakers " ( Global M & A Network , 2019 ).
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