Joe Fiordaliso – President
Joe Fiordaliso became President of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACECNJ) in May 2010 and brings fourteen years of experience working closely on public policy and government affairs to this position. As President he is responsible for all day to day operations of the ACECNJ including advocacy, outreach and public affairs of the association.
Previously, Fiordaliso spent three years in private practice as a consultant representing clients before public and private sector entities in New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C. He provided strategic counsel, legislative and government affairs expertise, public affairs and crisis management services on a multitude of issues including transportation, energy, infrastructure, insurance, telecommunications, labor and real estate development at the local, state and federal levels of government.
Fiordaliso was previously Chief of Staff to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, serving two governors. In this role, Fiordaliso helped manage an agency with over 3,800 employees, an annual operating budget of $90 million, and an annual capital program of $3.2 billion. He was directly responsible for the development and implementation of the Department’s legislative and regulatory agenda and policies, intergovernmental affairs, and strategic communications and media relations.
Fiordaliso played a key role in advancing Governor Corzine’s plan to reform and replenish New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). This effort resulted in the largest annual capital program in New Jersey’s history and made critical reforms to guarantee that transportation funds would be used only for transportation purposes. This effort also allowed New Jersey to move forward with plans to construct a second passenger rail tunnel – Access to the Region’s Core, or ARC – under the Hudson River. Fiordaliso helped craft a landmark $74 million Pedestrian Safety initiative, which distinguishes New Jersey as the only state with a program specifically line-itemed for pedestrian safety.
Prior to his service in state government, Fiordaliso was the Associate Director of Government Affairs for Princeton University. He managed federal legislative affairs for the University – which receives over $150 million annually in federal research dollars. He played a prominent role in representing the University’s U.S. Department of Energy-affiliated research laboratory before Congress, the Executive Branch and Federal agencies. This work was especially rewarding as the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a global leader in plasma physics and fusion research, has a number of important applications for future energy production and security.
Fiordaliso began his professional career as an aide-de-camp to then-United States Senator Bob Torricelli. Fiordaliso rose to a senior policy position, advising and representing the Senator on key policy issues. He helped deliver millions in annual federal appropriations to New Jersey for the revitalization of urban parks, the deepening of New Jersey’s ports, the rehabilitation of New Jersey’s beaches, and the preservation of farmland and the protection of the threatened Highlands region.