South Jersey Industries Honored at Executive Women of New Jersey’s (EWNJ) Corporate Gender Diversity Awards Breakfast: A Seat at the Table

FOLSOM – Recently, the Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ) hosted A Seat at the Table Corporate Gender Diversity Awards Breakfast at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick. South Jersey Industries (NYSE: SJI), along with 21 other companies, was recognized at the biennial event for making this year’s A Seat at the Table Honor Roll – a list of New Jersey public companies that have three or more women on their boards.
“We are honored to recognize this year’s A Seat at the Table Honor Roll companies. These organizations have taken steps to create corporate cultures that recognize the value that gender diversity delivers. While we still have a long way to go in ensuring that women and people of color have equal access to opportunity in top corporate leadership, we’re seeing that our work is making an impact,” explained Michellene Davis, Esq., President of EWNJ and EVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at RWJBarnabas Health.
Accepting the award on SJI’s behalf at the event was Chief Administrative Officer Kathy McEndy.
“At South Jersey Industries, it is important that our Board of Directors and Senior Executive Team represent and reflect our diverse customer-base,” said Michael J. Renna, President and CEO, South Jersey Industries. “This award recognizes our company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, which extends to employees at all levels. We are proud that our company is regarded as a leader in this respect – bringing together those with different backgrounds, expertise and viewpoints to foster better partnerships, spur innovation and achieve success.”
This year’s A Seat at the Table breakfast featured a keynote address by Annette Catino, former CEO and President of Qualcare Inc and Director of Northfield Bancorp, and a presentation of PwC’s research for the report by B.J. Agugliaro, PwC Managing Partner of New Jersey.
In addition, the event included the exclusive release of EWNJ’s much-anticipated report on the number of women serving on boards and in the top leadership of publicly traded companies in New Jersey. The report, “A Seat at the Table: Celebrating Women and Board Leadership,” is the only one of its kind in the state.
“We are proud to showcase the 2017 A Seat at the Table Honor Roll companies in the third edition of our report on corporate gender diversity. This year’s report focuses on the role that outside influences such as shareholders and investors play in moving the needle on gender parity in corporate culture. We’re excited that through the report, we’ve created strategic alliances with some of these key influencers in order to expand our reach,” said Barbara E. Kauffman, President-Elect of EWNJ and Executive Vice President and COO of Newark Regional Business Partnership.
Founded in 1980, EWNJ is the leading senior-level executive women’s organization that is committed to increasing the presence of women serving on corporate boards and in the top leadership of New Jersey companies. EWNJ’s latest report can be accessed here and the full list of the 2017 Honor Roll honorees here. For more information, visit www.ewnj.org.