2026 Director of the Year Honorees Announced

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) New Jersey Chapter today announced the recipients of its 2026 Director of the Year Awards, recognizing outstanding individuals and boards whose leadership exemplifies excellence in corporate governance. The awards will be presented at a formal ceremony on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Pleasantdale Château in West Orange.

“In today’s dynamic and increasingly complex operating environment, strong board leadership is indispensable,” said Jeannie Diefenderfer, Board Chair of NACD New Jersey. “This year’s honorees demonstrate the strategic judgment, integrity, and long-term perspective that define high-performing boards and help organizations navigate risk, drive sustainable growth, and build enduring stakeholder trust.”

The 2026 honorees are:

Lifetime Achievement in Governance: Ralph Izzo

Ralph Izzo is recognized for a distinguished career marked by transformational leadership and unwavering commitment to governance excellence.

Izzo served as chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) from 2007 through 2022 and as president beginning in 2006. Over the course of his tenure, he guided one of the nation’s largest energy companies through significant regulatory, technological, and market transitions, strengthening its operational resilience and long-term value creation. Prior to becoming CEO, Izzo held numerous senior leadership roles across PSEG and its subsidiaries, including president and chief operating officer of Public Service Electric and Gas.

Earlier in his career, Izzo was a research scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, publishing extensively on magnetohydrodynamic modeling. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Columbia University, as well as an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University.

A respected leader in both corporate and civic spheres, Izzo currently serves on the boards of The Bank of New York Mellon, TerraPower LLC, Ovintiv Inc., CMS Energy, Argonne National Lab, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, and the Liberty Science Center. Previously, he served on the board of directors for Ceres, the Edison Electric Institute, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. He has received numerous national honors, including the United States Energy Award and the S&P/Platts Global Energy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Leadership in Nonprofit Governance: John Uzzi

John Uzzi is honored for his decades-long commitment to strengthening nonprofit governance and advancing mission-driven organizations.

Uzzi retired following a 40-year consulting career advising leading financial services and pharmaceutical companies on organizational transformation and large-scale change initiatives. His work helped global enterprises enhance productivity, service quality, and workforce engagement.

For more than 25 years, Uzzi has applied his corporate governance expertise to nonprofit boards, serving in leadership roles across 10 organizations. He recently served as secretary of Youth Consultation Services (YCS), after five years as chair, and as treasurer of the YCS Foundation Board. He is also a director of The Center for Hope & Safety. Notably, Uzzi served as chair of the American Red Cross Northern New Jersey chapter during the September 11 crisis, playing a key leadership role in regional recovery efforts. In recognition of his service, he received the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Volunteer Leadership.

Large Company Board of the Year: New Jersey Resources (NJR)

The Board of Directors of New Jersey Resources (NJR) is recognized for its exemplary governance, strategic discipline, and commitment to long-term value creation for all NJR stakeholders.

Headquartered in Wall, NJR is a Fortune 1000 energy infrastructure and energy services company operating in a rapidly evolving industry. The board’s forward-looking oversight guides the company’s corporate strategy, including its sustainability objectives, while maintaining financial strength and consistent shareholder returns. Through disciplined capital allocation, rigorous risk management, and strong alignment with environmental and community priorities, the NJR Board exemplifies how effective governance supports both long-term growth and responsible corporate citizenship.

Small Company Board of the Year: Commvault

Commvault is recognized for the strategic leadership demonstrated by its board of directors in positioning the company as a global leader in cyber resilience.

Operating in an increasingly complex digital landscape, the Commvault board has overseen the company’s transformation into a unified resilience platform provider, integrating data security, identity resilience, and cyber recovery capabilities within a cloud-native architecture. This evolution has strengthened Commvault’s competitive positioning while enabling enterprise clients to recover rapidly from cyber incidents and operational disruptions.

By aligning innovation, execution, and governance, the Commvault board has advanced a strategy that balances growth, operational integrity, and long-term enterprise resilience.

Richard Mroz, chair of the NACD New Jersey Director of the Year Awards, commented, “These honorees reflect the highest standards of boardroom leadership. Their governance exemplifies strategic clarity, ethical rigor, and accountability, qualities that are essential to organizational performance and stakeholder confidence. We look forward to recognizing their contributions to the New Jersey business community.”

Nominations for the Director of the Year Awards are submitted by NACD New Jersey Chapter directors and evaluated by an independent selection committee comprised of respected business and community leaders.