Michele N. Siekerka Esq., president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), leads the nation’s largest, most influential employers’ organization, advocating on behalf of New Jersey’s large and small businesses for policies that will make New Jersey more affordable and regionally competitive.

Siekerka came to NJBIA in 2014 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where she served in the critical position of Deputy Commissioner, following her service as Assistant Commissioner for Water Resources Management. During her time at DEP, Siekerka was a principal player in the state’s charge to restore New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy with the responsibility of coordinating funding, outreach, and resources for rebuilding environmental infrastructure.

An attorney by trade, Siekerka’s background includes serving as the president and CEO of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, senior legal counsel and vice president of Human Resources with the Automobile Association of America, and as a partner in a Mercer County law firm.

Siekerka is the cofounder and cochair of Opportunity New Jersey. She also serves on the boards of directors of Investors Bancorp, Choose New Jersey, the New Jersey Innovation Institute, Junior Achievement of New Jersey, and Young Audiences of NJ.

Siekerka’s leadership has been recognized through her inclusion in Power and Policymaker list rankings by Insider NJ, Politicker NJ, and NJBIZ, as well as being cited as one of the 17 People to Watch in 2017 by the Bergen Record. She was also among NJBIZ's 2015 Best 50 Women in Business.

A Robbinsville resident, Siekerka earned a BA in Political Science and German from Rutgers University and a JD from Temple University School of Law.