Proven Strategies for Meeting Prospects at Business Events

Maureen Schneider has been named interim CEO of Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, the system announced. Schneider is formerly the president of Atlantic Health Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains. Stephanie Schwartz, president of Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center, will serve as interim president at Chilton, a role she held before taking over Overlook in 2021.

Tim Hillmann, who served as Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff from 2024 to 2026, has joined RWJBarnabas Health as vice president of corporate affairs. As chief of staff, Hillmann effectively served as the state’s COO, overseeing a $58 billion budget and more than 65,000 employees.

RWJBarnabas Health launched New Jersey’s first Street Medicine Program at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, bringing medical care to unhoused residents in Elizabeth.

AtlantiCare and Stockton University announced the creation of the Stockton-AtlantiCare College of Community Health in Atlantic City, aimed at aligning education, clinical care and workforce development. AtlantiCare committed an initial $15 million to support academic programming and workforce initiatives. The partnership will expand Stockton’s nursing, health sciences, social work and public health programs.

Thomas Edison State University announced the appointment of Jeff Harmon as its new provost. Harmon, who currently serves as the university’s vice provost for strategic initiatives and institutional effectiveness, will succeed Cynthia Baum, who is retiring.

EisnerAmper announced the appointment of Tax Partner Ramya Bala as its global tax technology leader. The newly created role underscores the firm’s commitment to technology and artificial intelligence as essential components of how modern tax services are delivered.

Public Service Enterprise Group has again been named to the Dow Jones Best-in-Class North America Index, marking the 18th consecutive year the utility has earned the recognition. The index, compiled by S&P Global, evaluates companies on sustainability practices, workforce development and corporate citizenship.

American Water, the water and wastewater utility company, has been recognized on the Forbes 2026 list of America’s Best Employers for Company Culture. This marks the second consecutive year Forbes has recognized American Water in this category.

Johnson & Johnson has donated $100,000 to the Stockton University Foundation, the school announced. Half of the funding will create the Johnson & Johnson Nursing Scholarship, while the remaining $50,000 will support the university’s food assistance program and housing essentials for students facing financial hardship.

Prudential Financial recognized 100 grant recipients at its 4th annual Newark Community Grants reception. Prudential's grants program provides micro-grants to support neighborhood projects. Since 2022, the Prudential Foundation has committed $2.3 million to the Community Foundation of NJ to fund organizations and small businesses.

Adanma Akujieze, with more than two decades of experience in leadership positions at private equity-owned and publicly traded companies, has been named CFO at T&M Associates, the engineering and technical services firm based in Middletown. She will oversee the planning and management of the finance department.

New Jersey Natural Gas announced that Helen Ayotte has been appointed vice president of engineering, construction and asset management. Ayotte will succeed John Wyckoff, vice president of energy delivery, who is retiring July 1. New Jersey Natural Gas is a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources.

Rowan University announced a shift in campus commerce, naming Rally House and eCampus.com to lead its retail and textbook operations beginning in July. Rally House will assume control of the two-story Rowan Boulevard storefront now operated by Barnes & Noble Collegiate, while eCampus.com will provide course materials through its online platform.

JAG Physical Therapy, one of the Northeast’s fastest-growing comprehensive physical and occupational therapy practices, has opened its newest facility in Chester. It's the organization’s eighth clinic location in Morris County.

Archer & Greiner announced that Anthony Talarico has been certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney. The prestigious designation is held by fewer than 2% of licensed attorneys in the state, marking Talarico as a top-tier specialist in the field of criminal litigation.

As New York and New Jersey prepare for the FIFA World Cup, New Jersey Institute of Technology has expanded its 'fan sentiment platform' into a digital guide to help visitors navigate the tournament experience. The site includes information on events, transit information, dining options, watch parties and other World Cup-related activities. The platform also tracks fan reactions and conversations surrounding the tournament. MetLife Stadium will host eight matches, including the final.

Goya Presents Flag Cities, in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, has received a $1.3 million grant from Choose New Jersey to expand its FIFA World Cup fan festival series. New events will be held in Bayonne on June 28 and at Hinchliffe Stadium on July 3, bringing the series to seven cities. Village People and Soulja Boy are scheduled to headline events in Jersey City and Newark, respectively.

Merck & Co. on May 5 said it completed its $6.7 billion acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Foster City, Calif.-based drugmaker. The deal adds TERN-701, a promising leukemia treatment, to the pharmaceutical giant’s pipeline, strengthening its oncology portfolio as it looks to expand its range of targeted cancer therapies.

Bristol Myers Squibb has entered a partnership with Chinese drugmaker Hengrui Pharma, worth up to $15.2 billion, to develop treatments in oncology, hematology and immunology. Bristol Myers will pay $600 million upfront to advance 13 early-stage programs spanning both companies’ pipelines. Under the agreement, Bristol Myers gains worldwide rights to Hengrui-developed assets outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, while Hengrui receives exclusive rights to certain Bristol Myers programs in those markets.

Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings affirmed strong credit ratings for Kean University, citing financial stability, enrollment growth and strategic leadership as the school prepares to finalize its merger with New Jersey City University.

New Jersey American Water announced that 21 volunteer fire and EMS departments across its service areas will share about $50,000 in grant funding. The utility's annual awards are intended to improve firefighter safety, strengthen emergency response capabilities and help local departments purchase lifesaving equipment.

South Jersey Industries (SJI) announced that its employees successfully raised $34,000 to support the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the American Heart Association.

MikeWorldWide has hired former Weber Shandwick executive Dave Aglar to serve in the newly created role of chief integrated media & innovation officer.

Bayer joined forces with country music superstar Luke Bryan to launch their 2026 campaign aimed at fighting food insecurity. Bayer has pledged to donate 1 million meals through Feeding America to support rural communities across the U.S.

Wyndham Rewards and Applebee’s have launched a partnership offering free delivery to hotels for Wyndham Rewards members who place Applebee’s To Go orders of $15 or more through the Wyndham mobile app. More than 1,100 Applebee’s locations are within five miles of a Wyndham hotel.

Afternoon traffic is becoming a bigger growth engine for Starbucks, the company said, as it pushes deeper into a key part of CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy. The coffee giant is seeing more customers visit U.S. stores after 2 p.m., with the strongest growth window coming between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to data shared with CNBC.

Amazon is rolling out "ultra-fast" deliveries to get packages to consumers in 30 minutes or less in dozens of cities across the U.S., the company announced, marking its most aggressive push yet into quick commerce. Amazon said in a blog post it’s expanding the service to Austin, Texas, Denver, Minneapolis and Phoenix – and more parts of Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas and Atlanta. The company started piloting the service, called Amazon Now, in some American cities in December.