Matthew I.W. Baker Elected to Board Chair of Lead New Jersey

Genova Burns LLC is proud to announce that senior associate Matthew I.W. Baker has been elected to serve as the Chair of Lead New Jersey (LNJ), a statewide non-profit organization that offers an annual program of public policy education and leadership development for professionals from all sectors through seminars with leading experts, real world leadership training, and civic engagement opportunities.

“I’m very excited to take on this new leadership role,” said Mr. Baker. “My excitement is only surpassed by my gratitude towards Angelo Genova, Jim Burns, and Harris Freier for recommending me as a LNJ Fellow in 2016, to Genova Burns as a firm for sponsoring me and for their continuing support of LNJ and of my participation as a Fellow and a Trustee, and to Mark Murphy and the LNJ Board of Trustees for putting their faith in me. I also want to thank my family – my wife, Katherine, and our boys, Wesley and Julian – for their support and their flexibility over the past few years and especially this year.”

He notes that he “looks forward to working with the Board, with LNJ’s fantastic staff – Mark and Jen Bredehoft, and with LNJ’s amazing community of alumni members to provide a fulfilling and challenging experience to our Fellows.”

Mr. Baker was a member of Lead New Jersey’s 2016 class of Fellows, and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2017, including service on LNJ’s Selection Committee, as co-Chair of its Strategic Planning Committee, and as Chair of its Governance Committee. As Chair of the organization, Mr. Baker will preside over all meetings of LNJ’s Board, and will be a member of the Board’s Executive Committee, Governance Committee, and Finance and Audit Committee. He will also work hand-in-hand with LNJ President Mark Murphy and Vice President Jen Bredehoft to bring the very best experience possible to LNJ’s Fellows and alumni.

At Genova Burns, Mr. Baker practices in the Complex Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense, Investigations & Compliance, and Class Action Defense Practice Groups. He represents clients in a wide range of commercial litigation matters. Mr. Baker has extensive experience in all phases of litigation in state and federal courts, and his practice focuses on litigating complex civil actions, including federal and state RICO actions, constitutional and civil rights matters, insurance and health care fraud cases, professional malpractice matters, employment and wrongful termination cases, federal and state election law cases, construction disputes, public contract bids and awards, and various business torts.

Mr. Baker also has significant experience advising corporate, non-profit and public entities regarding corporate governance matters and, as a result, has developed expertise in litigating disputes relating to the Open Public Records Act and the Open Public Meetings Act.

Mr. Baker received his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School, and his Master of Public Policy degree from the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University in 2013, respectively. While attending law and graduate school, Mr. Baker served as a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia in both the Criminal Division, Fraud and Public Corruption Section and the Special Proceedings Division, and at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Office for Access to Justice. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 2006 and is admitted to the bar in New Jersey.

ABOUT LEAD NEW JERSEY

Founded in 1987, Lead New Jersey (LNJ) fosters and promotes a robust network of informed and prepared leaders - LNJ Fellows - who work to make New Jersey a better place to live and work. Through real world leadership training, seminars with leading professionals, and thought-provoking civic engagement opportunities, LNJ informs, transforms, and empowers, our next generation of leaders from the public, social, and private sectors.

LNJ Fellows spend a year engaged with professionals and thought-leaders across backgrounds, exploring pressing issues from diverse perspectives, crossing boundaries between sectors, and working in a spirit of shared commitment to our future.

Lead New Jersey’s mission is to foster and enhance a robust network of informed and prepared leaders who work to make New Jersey a better place to live and work. Through timely leadership training and thought-provoking civic engagement opportunities, Lead New Jersey educates, transforms, and empowers our state’s next generation of leaders from the public, social, and private sectors.

For further information, please click here to visit Lead New Jersey’s website.