Janette Filbert Spiezio of Westfield Named Co-Chair of Greater Newark Conservancy's City Bloom Gala

Westfield resident Janette Filbert Spiezio will chair Greater Newark Conservancy’s Making Our City Bloom Gala at the Short Hills Hilton on May 19, 2016. Filbert Spiezio, Vice President, Shared Services Compliance and Anti-Corruption Compliance Officer for Prudential Financial, Inc. will be joined as co-chair by Rachel Schwarz of Maplewood, Vice President of Investments for The Short Hills Group, UBS Financial Services, Inc. Filbert Spiezio and Schwarz are members of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors.

Former Governor James McGreevey, the founder and Chairman of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, will be the keynote speaker at the event which benefits the Conservancy’s programs and services in the areas of environmental education, community greening and urban farms, nutrition, job training and environmental justice.

Honorees will include Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Neil Greenstein, owner of the new ShopRite of Newark and Brookdale ShopRite in Bloomfield, the Panasonic Corporation of North America and PSEG.

Filbert Spiezio was looking for a more meaningful opportunity to give back and to make a difference when she was introduced to Greater Newark Conservancy and knew that she had found a new home. In 2015, she joined the Conservancy’s Board of Directors and serves on the Development and Finance Committees. She participates in the Farm Stand membership program run by the Conservancy’s Newark Youth Leadership Program and is excited to see the Conservancy host the New Jersey Reentry Corporation and hear the stories of participants successfully reentering the community. Having watched Newark’s transformation over the last twenty years, she is thrilled to be a part of the story through the Conservancy’s programs and services.

“Dr. Martin Luther King said life's most persistent and urgent question is ‘what are you doing for others?’,” Filbert Spiezio noted. “I want to make the world a better place and Greater Newark Conservancy is a cornerstone in that goal for me. More importantly, the Conservancy's mission to promote environmental stewardship to improve the quality of life in New Jersey’s urban communities is aligned with this goal. Together we can move mountains by planting seeds, growing communities and changing lives.”

“The Conservancy’s educational programs enrich the lives of thousands of inner city children from pre-school to high school. Our ‘Newark Fresh’ produce grown on our Newark urban farms is increasing access to nutritious food for thousands of low income residents of the City, including many senior citizens,” added the Conservancy’s Executive Director, Robin Dougherty.

“Through our City Bloom Landscaping and Clean & Green Programs, the Conservancy is providing landscaping and horticultural job training for hundreds of recently incarcerated Newark residents, allowing them to contribute to our initiatives as they move towards full-time employment and reclaimed lives. Support for the gala will help us continue to expand our programs and services and make an even bigger contribution to the communities we serve,” Dougherty concluded.

To support the gala as a pinnacle, benefactor, sponsor, patron or through individual ticket purchases, contact Brian David at 973.642.4646, ext. 16 or email bdavid@citybloom.org.

For more information about programs, services and volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, contact Greater Newark Conservancy at 973-642-4646 or visit CityBloom.org. You can also follow news from the Conservancy through social media at Facebook.com/GreaterNewarkConservancy, plus Twitter and Instagram - @Citybloom87.