NJCPA Board of Trustees
2023/24 Officers
Edward G. O’Connell, CPA, CGMA, CFF, CFE, partner at WithumSmith+Brown, joined the NJCPA in 1997. He has served as Secretary and Trustee of the NJCPA and is currently a Trustee of the NJCPA Scholarship Fund and a member of several committees and interest groups, including the NJ-CPA-PAC, the Accounting & Auditing Interest Group and the Monmouth/Ocean Chapter. He has more than 30 years of accounting and auditing experience and specializes in accounting, auditing and consulting services for both public and private companies, with a concentration in the technology and life sciences industries. He also has extensive experience with multinational organizations and is a member of HLB International’s Assurance Committee. Ed is also a member of the Board of Advisors of TechUnited New Jersey and a member of the Global Lyme Alliance. He is a past “Forty under 40” NJBIZ award winner. Ed earned his Bachelor of Science from Rider University.
June M. Toth, CPA, CFF, CITP, CGMA, principal at WilkinGuttenplan, has been a member of the NJCPA since 1995. She has served in a variety of capacities at the NJCPA, including the Peer Review Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Volunteer Relations Committee, and was chair of the NJ-CPA-PAC Board of Trustees, chair of the Committee Operations Committee and vice leader of the Business Valuation, Forensic & Litigation Services Interest Group. She is also an active participant in the Accounting & Auditing Standards and Nonprofit interest groups. Before WilkinGuttenplan, June was the managing member of zbt Certified Public Accounting & Consulting, LLC. She is a former treasurer of Garwood Municipal Library; a recipient of NJCPA’s Volunteer Award in 2018 and its Women to Watch Award in 2019; one of New Jersey Monthly’s Leading Women in 2015 and one of NJBIZ Accounting Power 50 from 2020 to 2022. June earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
John Szczomak, CPA, member of the firm at Smolin, Lupin & Co., P.A., has been a member of the NJCPA since 1990. He has served in a variety of capacities at the NJCPA, including chairperson of the Professional Conduct and Finance committees and an NJ-CPA-PAC trustee. A practicing public accountant for more than 23 years, John services clients in the healthcare, distribution, real estate, retail and wholesale industries. He focuses on individual and business tax planning, retirement and professional services support. John is a graduate of William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Ralph J. Evangelista, CPA, CGMA, MST, co-managing partner at Frazer, Evangelista & Company, LLC, has been a member of the NJCPA since 1992. He is the chair of the Finance Committee, a trustee of the Education Foundation and a member of the Professional Conduct Committee and the State Taxation and Federal Taxation interest groups. A public speaker and discussion moderator, Ralph has testified on individual and corporate tax issues. He has testified before the New Jersey Assembly Oversight Committee and the Senate and Assembly Joint Legislative Committee. Additionally, Ralph was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University where he taught graduate level courses and at Monmouth University where he taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses on forensic and investigative accounting. He is a member of the Tax Division of the American Institute of CPAs and the Taxation Committee of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. Ralph was also inducted into the Seton Hall University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Seton Hall University.
Kathleen F. Powers, CPA, CGMA, PSA, chief financial officer at Chelsea Senior Living, has been a member of the NJCPA since 1998. She previously served as an NJCPA Trustee and leader of the Nonprofit Interest Group. She participates in several NJCPA committees and interest groups, including the Business & Industry Professionals Interest Group, Nonprofit Interest Group and Governmental Accounting & Auditing Interest Group. Prior to Chelsea Senior Living, Kathy was CFO at The Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a licensed special hospital and school serving developmentally disabled individuals. She also worked in public accounting for 17 years, most recently as a senior manager for ParenteBeard LLC, specializing in the healthcare and nonprofit industries. She is an appointed member of the Governor’s Independent Developmental Disability Fee-for-Service Transition Oversight Board and the Governor’s Independent Mental Health & Addiction Fee-for-Service Transition Oversight Board. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College.
CEO & Executive Director: Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM
Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, CEO and executive director, brings a wealth of association management experience to the NJCPA. She most recent served as executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of all strategic efforts for BKR accounting and business advisory member firms in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. She has more than 20 years of experience working for nonprofits, including professional and trade associations, building strategic partnerships and developing member value strategies.
Prior to BKR, Johnson held various leadership positions including director of brand experience and marketing. She also worked at Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, supporting members with complex benchmarking needs. Throughout her career, she has organized meetings domestically and internationally, convened CEO roundtables, and led organizational change and governance efforts, technological transformation and member development.
2023/24 Trustees