PRESIDENT ’ S VIEW
CIANJ Celebrates 95 Years Elects New Board Members
By Anthony Russo President , CIANJ
The Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey is celebrating its 95th anniversary as an advocate for the business community . It was founded in 1927 by a group of Bergen County business leaders dedicated to free enterprise and improving the business climate . They campaigned for construction of the George Washington Bridge , which opened in 1931 . The bridge was hailed for not only providing a gateway to New York , but enhancing the transportation network and helping businesses throughout the region flourish .
Over the years the organization grew to a statewide association whose members represent every industry sector . Our diversity is our strength and its backbone is our board of directors . This month we are welcoming four new members to our board : Agnes Antonian of Connell Foley ; Jacqueline Espinoza of Jersey Central Power & Light ( JCP & L ); Gianfranco Pietrafesa of Archer Law ; and Guillermo de Veyga of William Paterson University .
Agnes Antonian is chair of Connell Foley ’ s environmental law practice group . She is replacing Michael McBride , another partner at the firm , who is stepping off the board . Before entering the legal profession , Antonian earned a chemical engineering degree from Notre Dame
and worked for Keyspan Energy Group . She draws upon her engineering background to address a broad range of complex environmental litigation and land use matters . Her environmental litigation experience spans the full spectrum of federal and state environmental law , including Superfund , the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( RCRA ), the Clean Water Act ( CWA ) and the New Jersey Spill Act .
Antonian is an honors graduate of Seton Hall University Law School . She also clerked for U . S . District Court Judge Katharine S . Hayden before joining Connell Foley . From 2011 to 2015 she also served on the Supreme Court of New Jersey District Ethics Committee for Essex County .
Jacqueline Espinoza , a vice president at JCP & L , will replace John Anderson , who has represented the utility on the CIANJ board for the past several years . Espinoza has been a member of the senior management team at JCP & L for nearly a decade .
For many years Espinoza was part of the firm ’ s External Affairs team , working to enhance communications with state , county and municipal officials . She was responsible for Sussex County and worked at the Newton office . Espinoza graduated from the College of St . Elizabeth with a degree in business administration in 1993 . JCP & L serves 1.1 million customers in central and northern New Jersey .
Gianfranco ( Franco ) Pietrafesa , a partner at Archer in Hackensack , is succeeding Thomas Herten , an executive vice president and director at the law firm , who is leaving the CIANJ board . Pietrafesa advises clients on corporate , business , contract , real estate and employment matters . He represents a wide range of clients , from start-ups to established companies , and focuses on entrepreneurs and small to middle market companies that are closely-held or family-owned .
A graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law , Pietrafesa is a frequent speaker for professional , business , industry and trade organizations on topics such as mergers and acquisitions , buy-sell agreements , choice of entity , LLCs , contract drafting , litigation and legal ethics . A prolific writer , he has written book chapters and numerous articles on business law , litigation , and legal ethics topics that have appeared in such periodicals as the New Jersey Law Journal , New Jersey Lawyer Magazine , ABA ’ s Trial Practice Journal and DRI ’ s Trials and Tribulations .
Guillermo de Veyga , vice president of strategic initiatives and university relations at William Paterson University , is filling the board seat being vacated by Richard Helldobler , the president of the university .
De Veyga joined William Paterson in 2021 . He is responsible for all university strategic plans , institutional data , university budgets and government relations . The mission of his office is to plan , develop , implement and help facilitate progress on key strategic initiatives and campus-wide projects that advance the school ’ s role in New Jersey as a comprehensive state university that provides an outstanding and affordable public higher education .
De Veyga has a doctorate in philosophy from Seton Hall University . The higher education executive also earned an MBA at New Jersey City University . He worked at New Jersey City University for 12 years , attaining the position of chief of staff , before joining WPU . William Paterson has approximately 10,000 students and is located on a 370-acre wooded campus in suburban Wayne .
CIANJ welcomes new board members ( L-R ) Agnes Antonian , Jacqueline Espinoza , Gianfranco ( Franco ) Pietrafesa , and Guillermo de Veyga ,
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