Page 16 - RE-NJ

14 SEPTEMBER 2023
Dan Kennedy is now at the helm of NAIOP New Jersey after taking over as CEO on Aug. 1, with plans to tackle a host of key public policy issues and visions of bolstering what is already one of the commercial real estate association’s strongest and most- respected local chapters.
Dan Kennedy wasn’t in the market for a new job. In fact, he said, after nearly six years
at the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association of
New Jersey, he was every bit as passionate about the importance of infrastructure in the state and representing those who build it.
Then Mike McGuinness came calling, seeking his own successor as CEO of NAIOP New Jersey.
“When somebody like Mike taps you on the shoulder, you kind of have to listen,” said Kennedy, who had risen to become a senior director with UTCA. “NAIOP as an organization, I think, really aligns with my personal values and skillset, so it just seemed like a natural fit.”
The job was all the more appealing after he got to know the chapter’s in- house team and trustees.
“Mike is obviously a key figure in the industry, but he’s the first to say that the team is strong, the board is strong, the organization is fiscally strong — and all those variables really were very strongly in favor of me coming over here.”
Just a few months later, Kennedy is now at the helm of NAIOP New Jersey, having assumed the CEO role on Aug. 1 after a six-week transition period. That means the veteran planner and public policy expert is fully immersed in the job, with a full plate of advocacy issues and visions of bolstering what is already one of the commercial real estate association’s strongest and most-respected local chapters.
“I think the things we do well now are pretty well known — our education, our networking, our advocacy,” he said. “But within those buckets, are there things that we can be doing better and different? I think it’s
really important to listen to your members and hear what they think. ... And I think the mark of a strong organization is being willing to evaluate and improve even when you’re not forced to.”
Kennedy is no stranger to NAIOP New Jersey, thanks to his experience in the public sector and with UTCA. He notes that he communicated
with McGuinness and spoke at chapter events as deputy director
of the state’s Office of Planning
of Advocacy and as an assistant commissioner with the Department of Environmental Protection, where he spent a combined seven years from 2011 to 2017. He also attended events at McGuinness’ invitation, he said, “so I had a little bit of a flavor for the content and the type of not just advocacy and education, but the networking that NAIOP has done, and I’ve actually benefited from that in my
career already.”
That created a good rapport ahead of the search process and during
the transition period leading up to McGuinness’ retirement in late July, after more than 25 years in the post. Kennedy added that “the staff and the trustees deserved an orderly transition, and I think that’s what they’re getting” with respect to the day-to-day business, operational and accounting needs of the organization and its 800 members.
Kennedy also quipped that he
has “been preparing for this role, unknowingly, for my whole career,” citing his positions in government, his exposure to infrastructure and trade association management with UTCA and his time on the Bordentown City planning board, which he currently chairs. That experience will be critical as he focuses on the chapter’s public policy agenda, including a new law
AT THE READY
Kennedy details top policy, organizational goals after taking over as NAIOP New Jersey CEO
By Joshua Burd
Photo by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ