Excellence in Financial Management

Edward Collins ‘98

Although Ed Collins presents a mild-mannered, soft-spoken persona, he has been an overachiever since his time at Caldwell College. A true liberal arts student, he double-majored in History and Psychology, and earned a minor in Political Science and a Certificate in Government Service and Administration.

Although he graduated with a full-time position with the United States Department of Justice, his passion for entrepreneurship and long-time love of finance led him to start his own financial planning practice, Collins Wealth Management, LLC, in September of 1998. While assisting clients to develop strategic plans for their financial lives, Ed studied wealth management with the same energy he gave to liberal arts. He earned an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) designation from The College for Financial Planning in Colorado and Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) designation from the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, and then began to specialize in the complex areas of family wealth management.

In 2008, Ed finalized a merger between Collins Wealth Management, LLC and the Lambert Financial Group to form Artisan Wealth Management, LLC, headquartered in Lebanon, New Jersey. Ed, along with his partner and other team members, provides financial guidance that matters to high net worth families and individuals, business leaders, and successful executives and professionals. Serving clients in fourteen states across the country from Massachusetts to Florida and as far west as California, he gets a great deal of satisfaction knowing that he is having a meaningful impact on the lives of those he helps. Ed is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants, the Estate Planning Council, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He is also a frequent contributor to numerous trade journals and is a sought after speaker.

Ed’s community service has included active participation in numerous Chambers of Commerce in New Jersey and Georgia. For the past eleven years, he has served as Treasurer and Trustee of the Brian C. Kull Memorial Foundation, Inc. which issues scholarships to students who demonstrate excellence in the areas of service, leadership and fellowship within their community. Ed has served on the Business Advisory Council for Caldwell College and recently joined the College Board of Trustees and serves as Trustee Rep on the Alumni Board. He is active in the Kiwanis Club of North Hunterdon-Clinton and is Service Chairman for their Triathlon Service Project, which raises funds for a variety of community based causes. Together with his wife, Polina, and their son Andre, Ed currently resides in Stewartsville, New Jersey.

Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy

Mary Jo Rolli Codey ’77

Mary Jo Codey is a widely-recognized and admired figure in New Jersey, after serving as First Lady from November 2004 to January 2006.  During that time, she welcomed the opportunity to advocate on behalf of the governor’s newly-created Task Force on Mental Health. Having suffered from postpartum depression with both her pregnancies, Mary Jo helped to launch a statewide campaign offering evidence-based data, as well as local screening and medical resources for women, their families, and health care professionals.  The campaign – “Recognizing Postpartum Depression: Speak Up When You’re Down” – featured Mary Jo in radio and TV PSAs. As a result, New Jersey became the first state to commit resources to uninsured new mothers for postpartum depression screenings and treatment, and the groundbreaking Postpartum Depression Screening and Education law was passed in 2006.

Mary Jo has been tireless in sharing her story through interviews, public appearances, and trips to Capitol Hill to raise awareness about PPD, encourage other women to seek treatment, and help secure passage of a national law.  In 2008, her efforts were recognized with the Welcome Back Lifetime Achievement Award from Eli Lilly.

As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease, Mary Jo helped launch a statewide fund-raising campaign in support of breast cancer awareness and has actively stressed the importance of early detection.  She also assumed the role of ambassador to the Governor’s Book Club, which encouraged reading and literacy skills among elementary school children.

Mary Jo is currently a member of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).  She is a former member of the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Essex County and a current member of the President’s Advisory Council of Postpartum Support International.  In 1994, she pioneered and was the first facilitator for a PPD support group that began at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and continues to operate today.

After receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education from Caldwell College, Mary Jo earned an M.A. in Elementary Education with certification as a learning disabilities teacher consultant (LDTC) from Seton Hall University.  She teaches basic skills at an elementary school in West Orange, NJ. She and husband Richard, State Senator and former Governor, have two sons: Kevin and Christopher.

Excellence in Jurisprudence

Nancy Costello Miller, Esq. ‘79

As President of the Student Association in her senior year at Caldwell, Nancy Costello Miller displayed early signs of mediation, advocacy and a sense of justice.  After receiving her Caldwell College B.A. magna cum laude in English, Nancy earned her law degree from Seton Hall University, where she also served as the first female editor-in-chief for the Seton Hall Law Review from 1981-82, and as a member from 1980-81.

Nancy has made a career representing the State of New Jersey and is currently a Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Division of Law, Department of Law and Public Safety, with particular emphasis on administrative law.  Her present assignment is primary counsel for the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry and the Occupational Therapy Advisory Council, providing legal services related to licensing and disciplinary matters, regulatory initiatives and appellate matters.  She is also counsel to other agencies within the Division of Consumer Affairs, including the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Unit and has been assigned to various professional boards. Nancy has argued in the State’s supreme and appellate courts and has been called upon to work on special projects for other departments.

She has served on the Division’s hiring committee, mentored junior attorneys, and regularly participates in the Division’s moot court program.  Her door is always open; and she works to ensure that due process and fundamental fairness guide the actions of her client agencies. Nancy is one of several attorneys who are “on call” in the event of an emergency in the State and has been instrumental in organizing the Division’s annual retreat.  Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Nancy and her colleagues worked at the State’s Victims’ Assistance Center at Liberty State Park, helping family members navigate the process to obtain death certificates for their loved ones.

Nancy has been a member of the Caldwell College Board of Trustees since 2003, has chaired the Student Life Committee, the Bylaws Committee and is currently the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.  She was the Board of Trustee Rep for the Alumni Board from 2006-2009. In her community, Nancy served two terms as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Tenafly Nature Center and at the Tenakill Swim Club in Tenafly. She was an assistant coach for her daughter’s recreation soccer team and helped in her parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, as a C.C.D. teacher when her children were younger.

Nancy and husband, Donald, have three children: Thomas, Donald, and Elizabeth.