Dennis McNerney
County Executive

Dennis McNerney was elected County Executive in 2002 after being twice elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders. As County Executive, McNerney works closely with the Economic Development Corporation to develop commerce in Bergen County and to ensure that the County maintains strong economic growth. The County Executive has worked to reform and streamline county government, encourage new business and keep taxes stable.  Born and raised in Bergen County, McNerney graduated from the University of Delaware, and went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University.

Tomas J. Padilla
Freeholder

Tomas J. Padilla has served on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders since October 2002, when he was elected by the County Committee to fill a vacant term. In 2004, he became the second Hispanic ever to be elected to the Freeholder Board. Padilla is Chairman of the Planning and Economic Development Committee and serves on the Education, Labor, Law and Public Safety, Parks & Public Works, Planning Board, Bergen Community College, Vocational Schools, and the New Jersey Association of Counties Committees. An active member of his community from a young age, he holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Certificate in Public Service Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Padilla has also completed the New Jersey Certified Public Management Program and has received a certificate in Supervisory Management from the New Jersey Department of Personnel. He is a graduate of the Bergen County Police Academy, and is currently a Captain in the Hackensack Police Department where he serves as coordinator of the Minority Recruitment Program for the department. Tomas and his wife Christine live in Park Ridge with their three children.

Joseph M. Sanzari
Chairman

Beginning his first business with a pickup truck, a dump truck and a backhoe, today Joseph Sanzari is one of the area's preeminent leaders in transportation and highway construction. As President of JOSEPH M. SANZARI, INC., North Bergen Recycling, Sanzari/Nicoletti Demolition and Containers, Sanzari-Shin LLC., Joseph M. Sanzari Building Corp. and Sanzari Marine Companies, Inc., he has created jobs for hundreds of men and women, paving the way for economic growth in Bergen County. In addition to serving as Chairman of the Bergen County EDC, he is also the Vice-Chairman of the Foundation for Free Enterprise and Chairman of the Garden State Arts Foundation. As well as being one of Bergen’s foremost business leaders, Sanzari is also one of the area's most well known philanthropists. He is a Board of Trustees and Board of Governors Member of Hackensack University Medical Center and the benefactor of the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at HUMC. His generosity has been recognized by The Colleen Giblin Foundation, The Cooley's Anemia Foundation, New Concepts for Living and the United Businessmen's Association. In 2004, the Garden State Arts Foundation awarded Sanzari with the tenth annual Francis Albert Sinatra Award.

Robert J. Iacullo
Vice-Chair

Starting as a rate analyst over 20 years ago, Robert J. Iacullo worked his way up to become President of both United Water New Jersey and United Water New York. He is active in the National Association of Water Companies, and is a director of the national chapter. A graduate of Montclair State University, Iacullo also holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickenson University. Iacullo is a member of the Board for the New Jersey Utilities Association. As a utilities expert, Robert adds a unique perspective to the Bergen County EDC.

Gary W. Heinz

As a Vice President in Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Municipal Securities Group, Gary W. Heinz has garnered substantial experience with municipal risk management and government investments. An MBA recipient from Pace University, Heinz often speaks on these topics at industry conferences and elsewhere. As a former member of the Westwood Board of Education, Gary has a strong record of community service. Heinz, dedicated to economic revitalization in Bergen County, is also a partner in an organization working to spur regrowth in downtown Durham, North Carolina and Augusta, Maine.

Peter Kortright joins the Bergen County Economic Development Corporation as the Deputy Executive Director. Mr. Kortright, who is coming from the Bergen County Department of Planning and Economic Development, headed up the County’s Master Plan and Stormwater Management Program for the last 7 years. He has extensive planning and economic development experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to working for Bergen County, Mr. Kortright worked for HydroQual, a private engineering firm in Mahwah, and prior to that worked for several other County Planning departments in Maryland. Peter’s expertise in redeveloping planning will greatly add to the BCEDC mission in promoting, as well as encouraging, and facilitating development and redevelopment efforts in the County. Lastly, Peter will also be the project manager for the proposed Bio-Life Science Center. 

James R. Napolitano

James Napolitano is President of Commerce Bank/North, a wholly owned subsidiary of Commerce Bancorp. Jim is a member of the New Jersey Bar and, although no longer a practicing attorney, is "of counsel" to DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Wisler. Jim is also extremely active in the community and serves as a member of the Hackensack University Medical Center Board of Governors, a Trustee of Bergen Community College, a Trustee of the Bergen County 200 Club and a Trustee of Commerce & Industry Association. Jim's community involvement has been widely recognized.

Thomas D. Misciagna

A founding member of the Bergen County EDC, Thomas Misciagna is one of the better known leaders in the county's Trade Union movement. A member of the IBEW Local Union since 1959, Misciagna is a graduate of Rutgers University who served two terms on the Hillsdale Town Council before becoming Mayor. Misciagna's tireless efforts on behalf of Bergen County workers earned him the distinction of "Labor Leader of the Year" by the Bergen County Central Labor Council.