IssuesWatch Live: New Jersey Budget Analysis (E2003024)

Dale J. Florio brings over three decades of public affairs experience to the service of his clients. With a highly successful track record at all levels of government, Mr. Florio is widely recognized as one of the most influential public affairs professionals in the Garden State. In fact, PPAG– Princeton Public Affairs Group has been consistently named New Jersey’s Number One Lobbying Firm for the last fifteen years in a row.

Mr. Florio was named one of the most influential people in the “The Power Issue” of New Jersey Monthly. He has been routinely cited as one of the 100 most influential personalities in New Jersey politics by PolitickerNJ.com and by NJBIZ, the state’s leading business magazine. Mr. Florio is frequently seen on television news and public affairs programs commenting on politics and policy in the Garden State. Prior to founding PPAG– Princeton Public Affairs Group in 1987, Mr. Florio managed the nationwide Philip Morris state and local government affairs program. He developed and implemented the company’s public affairs strategy, grassroots effort, and political contributions program. Prior to this, he served as federal public affairs representative with the National Association of Manufacturers and as an administrative assistant to a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. In 1979, Mr. Florio was elected as a member of the Borough Council in Somerville, NJ. He chaired the Finance Committee of the Council while serving on that committee for nearly three years. In 1992, Mr. Florio was elected Chairman of the Somerset County Republican Organization and served eighteen years in that capacity.

Mr. Florio was nominated by State Assembly Speaker Haytaian and appointed by Governor Florio to the New Jersey Building Authority. He served as a key advisor to Christie Todd Whitman during her successful primary and general election victories and was subsequently named to the Governor’s Transition Team. He was also served as a member of the Task Force on the Affordability and Accessibility of Health Care in New Jersey.

A graduate of Allegheny College with a B.S. in Economics and Seton Hall University Law School, Mr. Florio was admitted to the practice of law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Dale is on the Board of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association. He serves as the Assistant Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at the Hun School of Princeton.

Alida Kass is president of the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute. She leads the organization and heads up its legislative and legal efforts. Alida’s approach to policy in the legislature focuses on incentives – finding and fixing the root cause of problems while avoiding unintended and adverse consequences of legislative policy choices. She is one of New Jersey’s most knowledgeable and well-spoken experts on legal reform. Prior to joining the Institute, Alida taught as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and she also worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant for Representative Christopher Cox, where she handled commercial and judicial issues. Alida graduated from Duke University with a degree in history and earned her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jeff Kaszerman is the vice president of government relations for New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA). He works with the CEO and board of directors to create and implement advocacy initiatives that protect and promote the interests of the CPA profession, the business community and the public. Jeff monitors legislative and executive branch activity that impacts CPAs by writing position papers, developing grass roots membership activities to enhance lobbying efforts and raising money for the NJ-CPA-PAC. He also liaisons with other pro-business groups like the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, NJ Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), and Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) to coordinate legislative strategies. Prior to joining the NJCPA 25 years ago, Jeff worked on several political campaigns, worked for former Governor Jim Florio and for Common Cause New York. He previously owned a lobbying and public affairs firm. Jeff graduated from Rutgers University, Newark, with a Bachelor of Arts in History and minored in Political Science and Business Administration. Jeff belongs to Compassion and Choices, the Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He enjoys reading books about history and science.

Rich is a distinguished executive in residence at Rutgers University's School of Planning and Policy and a lecturer at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. Previously, he was the budget director and comptroller for the state of New Jersey under two different governors. Rich also held two Presidential appointments - CFO for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and deputy under Secretary of Defense for finance - as well as senior consulting positions at Arthur Andersen and Unisys Corporation.