PRESIDENT ’ S VIEW
" Enterprising Women " Share Their Career Journeys to Success
Awards given to 43 leaders
By Anthony Russo President , CIANJ
We were very pleased that more than 160 business professionals joined us in our second annual salute to “ Enterprising Women in Commerce .” To select our honorees , we asked our members to nominate colleagues and mentors they found extraordinary . The letters we received were amazing tributes to exceptional women . This year we gave awards to 43 women from all walks of business .
Two special categories were included in the presentations : Platinum Awards — for women who had built exemplary careers that inspire their sisters — and “ One to Watch ” for those who may be starting their careers but have already distinguished themselves by their talents .
Our keynote speakers at the reception could have easily been among the winners : Lt . Gov . Sheila Oliver , a former Assembly Speaker and Essex County freeholder who has been a trailblazer throughout her career , and Adi Adair , the CFO of the American Dream , the huge retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands . Adair hails from Miami , where her family settled after fleeing Fidel Castro ’ s Communist regime in Cuba .
Both women shared the journeys of their success . Oliver credits much of her good fortune to the cultural and ethnic diversity she experienced growing up in the Weequahic section of Newark , where her neighbors were African American , Irish , Italian , and Jewish . “ You name it , that ’ s what Newark was ,” she told the audience .
Coming of age in the 60s , Oliver said she never aspired to run for public office . Instead , she joined picket lines and demonstrated against injustice . But she realized government could be critical to change people ’ s lives . “ If you do government right , it ’ s transformative ,” she said .
After graduating from highly acclaimed Weequahic High School , Oliver enrolled in Lincoln University in Pennsylvania , one of the nation ’ s historically black colleges whose alumni include former U . S . Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall and famed poet , Langston Hughes . Oliver was in the third class of women to graduate from the university when it became co-ed .
Her love of reading made Oliver a great student . Even though she thrived at Lincoln , Oliver recalled , however , she was subjected to discrimination . She remembered one classmate , Jerry Smith , taunted her for her intelligence . “ I wish I could see Jerry Smith now because I bet , he ’ s not a lieutenant governor ,” Oliver said to the applause of the crowd .
“ We never let our gender get in the way of anything we want to do ,” she said .
When Oliver was elected Assembly Speaker in 2010 , she became the first African American woman in the state ’ s history to serve in the role and just the second in the nation ’ s history to lead a state legislative house . She is the second lieutenant governor in the state ’ s history and the first African American .
As lieutenant governor , Oliver also serves as commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs ( DCA ), where she has led efforts to strengthen and expand initiatives for fair and affordable housing , community revitalization , homelessness prevention , and local government services that support New Jersey ’ s 564 towns .
Her role at DCA culminates a career dedicated to local government service . Much of her focus today is centered on Atlantic City since the DCA took it over in 2013 because the city was on the brink of bankruptcy . “ Exciting things are going on there ,” she said , encouraging the audience to consider investing in the city .
Photo : Russ Desantis Photo and Video
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver ( L ) and Adi Adair ( R ), CFO of American Dream address the crowd at the CIANJ annual celebration honoring Enterprising Women in Commerce .
In her concluding remarks , Oliver urged the women in the crowd to be adventurous . “ Keep an open mind , don ’ t be judgmental . Be willing to try — be a risk-taker . You never know where it will lead ,” she said .
Adair ’ s career unknowingly followed Oliver ’ s advice . The CFO was on a path to enter law school when she found herself drawn into a career in accounting . It was a risk that paid off for her .
Her law career was sidelined after Adair was advised to take a business class as a “ back-up plan .” Her instructors recognized the natural aptitude she had .
The CFO delighted the crowd at the reception as she recalled the ways her determination and hard-work helped her break through the glass ceiling . Her first job was with one of the biggest car dealerships in Miami in the 90s . The audience laughed as she recalled how impressed her first employer was with her knowledge of the Lotus 123 system — one of the first computer system adopted by business .
Her career as a chief financial officer and multidimensional finance executive has included designing and executing strategies that enhance value for stakeholders and improve operational performance . She has been sought after and recruited repeatedly for her expertise in the real estate industry , her skill in negotiating complex multi-million-dollar deals and her success of more than 15 years with improving finance and accounting operations .
Photo : Russ Desantis Photo and Video
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