Stockton Appoints 5 to Hughes Center Steering Committee

President Herman Saatkamp of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has appointed five prominent community and business leaders to help guide the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy as its newest Steering Committee members. 

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton College serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey. The Hughes Center conducts academic research and public opinion polling and sponsors political debates, internships, symposia and lectures and the Legislator-in-Residence program.

Mark Blum, publisher of The Press of Atlantic City, Ronald W. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Shore Medical Center, the Honorable Frank W. Minor, mayor of Logan Township, NJ, David P. Tilton, president and CEO of AtlantiCare and William Varley, president of New Jersey American Water and New York American Water, join more than two dozen Hughes Center Steering Committee members.

“These five leaders represent some of the best of South Jersey. We welcome their expertise and perspectives on the work of the Hughes Center,” said Daniel J. Douglas, director of the Hughes Center.

Mark Blum, of Galloway, was named the new publisher of The Press of Atlantic City in August. He has served in several media companies including Knight Ridder, Gannett and BH Media, and was The Press’ controller from 1989 to 1993. The Press of Atlantic City partnered with the Hughes Center this year to host a series of public debates for legislative races on Stockton’s campus, at Dante Hall Theater in Atlantic City and in Cape May Court House. The debates, which were also carried live online, gave area voters an opportunity to hear directly from candidates.

Ron W. Johnson, a 1982 Stockton graduate, has worked at Shore Medical Center for nearly two decades and has served as president and chief executive officer for the past three years.

Prior to joining Shore Medical Center, Johnson had been the principal consultant with CSC Consulting & Systems Integration in Philadelphia, where he provided management consulting, program and project management to a large number of clients across multiple vertical industries. Earlier positions included program manager for Spectrum Technology Group, Inc. in Somerville, NJ, project manager for Synercom Technology, Inc. in Houston, and technical lead programmer analyst for CSC Systems Sciences Division.                            

The Hon. Frank W. Minor has served as mayor of Logan Township, NJ since 2003. During that time he created the Logan Township Economic Development Committee, which has helped to attract more than 60 new companies to the township. He was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors in 2005, and was appointed deputy executive director of the Delaware River and Bay Authority, only the second person to ever hold that position. He has been civically engaged on a national level as a floor whip for the New Jersey Delegation and a district delegate at the Democratic National Conventions in Colorado and North Carolina where he helped to elect and re-elect President Obama. He established the Minor Foundation to provide scholarships to college-bound high school students in an effort to promote the advantages of academic achievement to economically disadvantaged students who otherwise may not see attending college as a pathway to success.

David P. Tilton, president and CEO of AtlantiCare and a Galloway resident, also brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the health care industry to the Hughes Center. He leads more than 4,460 employees and more than 550 physicians who provide services at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC), the AtlantiCare Foundation, AtlantiCare Health Services, AtlantiCare Health Plans and AtlantiCare Behavioral Health (ABH). Since he began with ARMC in 1987, he has been instrumental in transforming ARMC from a two-campus community hospital to its becoming part of the regional health system -- AtlantiCare. Tilton's contributions to the community include serving as general campaign chairman and as a member of the board of trustees of the United Way of Atlantic County, chairman of the board of directors of Franklin Savings Bank in Woodstown, NJ, and a diplomat of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

William Varley serves in the dual role as president of New Jersey American Water and New York American Water. He is the principal external contact for American Water in New Jersey, serving approximately 2.5 million people, and in New York, serving more than 370,000 people. Prior to joining American Water, which is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, he was the district manager for Layne Christensen Co., a large water supply contracting company. There he oversaw Layne's Long Island well-drilling operations. He has also worked for large consulting engineering firms Camp Dresser & McKee and Hazen & Sawyer as resident and design engineer for large wastewater treatment plant upgrades. He is currently chairman of the New York chapter of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) and is a member of the New York section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

About the Hughes Center

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy (www.stockton.edu/hughescenter) at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey. 

The Center is named for William J. Hughes, whose distinguished career includes service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ambassador to Panama and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Stockton College. The Hughes Center can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Hughes.Center.Stockton.College and can be followed on Twitter @hughescenter.