Four appointed to Foundation Board at Clara Maass

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Four businessmen, who are civic leaders with strong ties in Essex County, were appointed to the Foundation Board of Trustees at Clara Maass Medical Center, in Belleville.

According to Chairman Robert Gamba, of the Foundation at Clara Maass Medical Center, “It is a pleasure to welcome Salvatore Cocco, Daniel Geltrude, Robert Gill, and Joseph Maurillo to the Clara Maass Foundation Board. These gentlemen have deep roots in the Belleville, Nutley and greater Essex County region. They bring with them a wealth of business and fundraising experience. Their presence and participation will guide our foundation towards higher heights.”

The Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation is a charitable organization that is dedicated to generating philanthropic support for the facilities, programs, services and initiatives.

Mary Ellen Clyne, president and chief executive officer of Clara Maass Medical Center, said, “We are thrilled to have these four extraordinary professionals serve on the board. They are entrepreneurs and experts in finance, banking and accounting who have made impressive contributions to the community. Together, we are poised to further the Clara Maass preventive health and wellness mission.”

Cocco is a financial planner and investment advisor with AXA Advisors in Nutley. He works with his clients to help them build and protect their wealth through investment management and insurance planning.

This former director of personnel and administration at Price Waterhouse & Coopers is also a former vice president of administration at Delta Dental. In addition to being a credential chartered life underwriter, he has an undergraduate degree in accounting from Seton Hall University. He earned several AXA awards, including being inducted to their Hall of Fame.

He is an active volunteer in his community including roles as: past president and current treasurer for the First Cerebral Palsy Center of New Jersey, treasurer of Nutley Parkside Apartments, board member on the Nutley High School Career Advisory Board, and vice-president of the Mike Geltrude Foundation.

He has been recognized for his service by being selected for the Nutley UNICO Distinguished Service Award and the Nutley Jaycees Outstanding Young Person award. He lives in Nutley with his wife, Donna, of 35 years.

Geltrude is the managing partner of Geltrude & Co. in Nutley. The firm he founded in 1995 currently has more than 25 accountants on staff. Geltrude’s career includes audit experience with a “Big 8” firm. Five years ago, he was appointed to the NJ State Board of Accountancy by the governor of New Jersey and now serves as president.

As a noted accountant, Geltrude is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Rider University, a Master’s degree in taxation from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a second graduate degree in human resources and employment relations from Penn State University. In addition to serving as an adjunct accounting professor at Montclair State University, this Nutley resident is a co-founder of the Mike Geltrude Foundation for Melanoma Education and Research and chairman of the Penn State Hershey Melanoma Center.

Gill is the managing director of Epic Wealth Management LLC, formerly Gill Financial Group LLC. He works with individuals and families to help them grow, protect, and preserve wealth from one generation to the next by minimizing exposure to lost opportunity costs and taxable events. He also works with business owners to better help them understand how to protect their business.

His successful career is based on his ability to help clients clarify and prioritize their financial goals then implement a course of action. Gill and his family reside in Monmouth County. Gillself funds scholarship programs at: Marist High School, Bayonne, St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, Xavier High School and De La Salle Academy both in New York. He also provides educational opportunities and tuition assistance for economically disadvantaged students from the Holy Cross Parish in Rumson.

Maurillo, who was born and raised in Nutley, followed his father’s footsteps to become a successful businessman and a civic champion. Nicholas Maurillo, a community leader, was the proprietor of J&N Amoco on Franklin Avenue for more than 50 years. Today, Joe is one of the owners and operators of Nanina’s In the Park of Belleville and The Park Savoy of Florham Park. The owners also created Nanina’s Gourmet Pasta Sauces, which are available in Tri-State area supermarkets.

Maurillo is president of IMAC Insurance Agency, a company in Belleville that has public and private-sector clients. He has several board memberships, honors and accolades:

In 2008, he was named Catholic Charities Humanitarian of The Year, 2012 Man of the Year from the Italian American Club, and the 2013 John V. Kelly Memorial Foundation Humanitarian of the Year. He takes pride in The Cheer Me Up Foundation, a non-profit foundation he founded to bring joy to 3,000 sick and impoverished children annually. In 2012, the foundation raised more than $185,000 for families whose lives were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.