Joan Verplanck, President, NJ Chamber of Commerce

Joan Verplanck is president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, a 97-year-old Trenton-based business advocacy organization. Since her election in 1995 as the chamber's first female president, Joan has represented the business community on a wide range of critical issues, most notably those involving the port and education. She was a founding member of Nation'sPort in 1996, and continues to serve on its Executive Committee.

Joan was instrumental creating the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which was established to build a highly qualified workforce through innovative collaborations with K-12 education and the workforce training and preparation system. An officer of the foundation, she provides guidance and resources that enable programs that motivate students to be better prepared for college and life (LearnDoEarn.org) and that improve employment opportunities for qualified individuals with disabilities. Several programs of the Foundation had won national acclaim and are being used or replicated by organizations around the country.

Joan ranked No. 58 on the 2007 PoliticsNJ Power List, which lists the state's 100 most influential. She was named one of the state's ten most powerful women in business by the Star-Ledger in 2006 and 2002. In 2004, she was named by New Jersey Monthly magazine as one of five "business power players." She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2008 Alan Daniels Civic Responsibility Award from the Center for Civic Responsibility, the Lewis R. Applegate Outstanding Business Leader Award by the New Jersey Society for Environmental, Economic Development (NJ SEED), the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award for Women of Vision (WPC), and the Virginia Apgar Award (March of Dimes).

Joan was appointed by Acting Governor Richard Codey to the New Jersey Employment Security Council. She serves on the executive committee of the U.S. Chamber Foundation and Nation'sPort. She served on the Economic Development Authority Board and the Board of Elizabethtown Water Company until its sale to Thames Water UK in 2000. She has served on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was the first woman to chair the National Board of Trustees of the Institutes for Organization Management, a continuing education program of the U.S. Chamber.

Prior to accepting her position with the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Joan spent eight years as the first female president of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce and ten years managing chambers of commerce in Rhode Island.