Professional organizations around NJ help promote DEI

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New Jersey has demonstrated its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with official actions like Executive Order No. 265 in September 2021, which created an Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the governor’s office. But at the same time, diverse Garden State populations are not just relying on politicians to help them achieve gains. A spectrum of organizations have been established to help people of color and others to uncover opportunities and to advance themselves through networking and other activities. Some of their leaders shared their stories with NJBIZ.

Association of the Latino Professionals for America, New Jersey chapter: When Luis Rosado, a Prudential Financial tech lead, IT Service Management, entered the workforce after college, “as an inner-city kid of Puerto Rican and African American heritage, I knew nothing about working in corporate America except for what I saw on TV,” he said. “I needed mentorship. I needed opportunities. Most of all, I needed to defeat a lifetime of self-doubt, societal programming, and all that baggage that was keeping me from realizing I belonged in that world and would succeed.”

Today, as president of the New Jersey chapter of the national Association of the Latino Professionals for America, Rosado and his colleagues are trying to bring an upbeat outlook to more Latinos through networking and other activities aimed at mentoring, developing and advancing them. The state chapter – which was recognized in 2021 as the “Innovative Chapter of the Year” and in 2022 as the “Community Impact Chapter of the Year” – has established outreach and other programs, like the “Si Suite” podcast where Latino CEOs, CFOs and other top-level executives share their stories and advice.

“We’re also helping community organizations,” Rosado said. “Our members collected about 300 toiletries for a women’s shelter, we’ve packed Thanksgiving food packages for lower-income families, and we work with HISPA [Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement] to bring Hispanic professionals to inner-city schools as role models for under-served youth.”

Adds Humberto Lozano, a Bank of America vice president supporting the Real Estate Services Group who also serves as ALPFA NJ’s chief operating officer and vice president of marketing, “Our chapter also helped to sponsor events like the recent ALPFA Northeast Regional Tech Summit, which drew more than 300 attendees including onsite recruiters. Partnering organizations include Vanguard, Prudential, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Citi, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Exelon, Lincoln Financial, Organon, KPMG, Comcast, and T. Rowe Price.

Part of the challenge, though, “is the lack of access, previous history, and business networks among Latinos in the U.S.,” according to Rosado. “But the direct contact with Fortune 500 and other companies that ALPFA offers can make a big difference.”

And companies also benefit from the exposure, Lozano said. “Latinos are the future,” he explained. “The Latino population will grow exponentially in the next 20 to 50 years, and companies will want to connect with them. There’s a good fit, and organizations like ALPFA can put them in touch with Latino professionals that will make a positive difference.”

The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey: The organization “seeks to economically empower and sustain African American communities, facilitating entrepreneurship and free enterprise activity within the state, with direct outreach programs,” according to John Harmon, founder, president, and CEO of the chamber. “Different from acting as simply an association of allied businesses, the chamber serves as a proactive advocacy group. While providing a collective voice for New Jersey’s African American business leaders, the AACCNJ advocates and promotes economic diversity while fostering a climate of growth through major initiatives on the educational and public policy levels.”

It all starts with “acknowledging that there are more than over 88,000 Black-owned businesses in New Jersey, and these entrepreneurs have a desire to work with public-private sectors to improve efficiencies,” Harmon told NJBIZ. The chamber’s activities include workforce training with job-readiness programs, youth mentorship and entrepreneurial programs, and helping underserved communities tap into sustainable educational initiatives. “We also facilitate meetings between Black businesses and potential partners; we also have panel discussions highlighting business opportunities, and we host events that help businesses to develop relationships.”

He acknowledges the state’s efforts to level the playing field for minorities, but said New Jersey needs to do more. “New York has conducted a disparity study [and is currently gearing up for another one],” Harmon said. “So has Pennsylvania. If New Jersey had transparent data and goals, then we would have more minorities in cannabis and other emerging and established business segments.”

There has been some progress on the cannabis front, as NJBIZ has previously reported, but Harmon believes that “we need more state policy and incentives to bring people together for their mutual interests. There’s a lot of motion, and organizations announce their commitment to DEI, but we need to see some numbers. People want to grow their enterprise.”

The New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce: As board president of the New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce, Steven Garibell has a front-row seat with LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and others who say they face barriers because of their gender identity. “Across 47 states, including New Jersey, there are a total of 490 bills being considered that target LGBTQ+ communities,” he said. “On top of that, LGBTQ+ business owners often face challenges when they expose their identity to customers, suppliers, and providers of capital. It’s a significant problem.”

The Pride Chamber tries to help them by “connecting people,” Garibell said. “We help people in the community connect with allies and partners, including banks, venture capital and service providers that are friendly to the LGBTQ+ community. In turn, our partners and allies find the community to be a dependable and growing business partner, so everybody wins.”

The Pride Chamber sponsors educational programming, networking opportunities and other events where entrepreneurs can identify resources that include putting together a business plan, identifying service providers, and weighing the benefits of debt-versus-equity, he added.

“As an affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, we can also certify businesses as LGBTQ+ owned and operated, which may give them access to contracting opportunities with Fortune 500 and other companies,” Garibell noted. “Also, in May 2022, Gov. Phil Murphy became one of the first in the nation to sign a sign an executive order establishing a state-backed certification for LGBTQ+ owned businesses. So, although there’s more to be done, we’re pleased to see signs of progress.”