Jerold L. Zaro, former Chief of the New Jersey Office of Economic Growth in the cabinets of Governor Jon S. Corzine(D) and Chris Christie(R), focuses his practice on Corporate, Banking and Finance, Real Estate and Government Relations. Prior to his years of public service, Mr. Zaro was the President and Managing Partner of Ansell Zaro Grimm and Aaron and served as the Chair of the Commercial Real Estate and Finance & Banking departments. He began his law career as a judicial secretary to the Honorable Thomas F. Shebell, Jr. in the Superior Court of Monmouth County.
Six different governors—three Republicans and three Democrats—appointed him to a variety of leadership posts in their Administrations. During his tenure as New Jersey’s economic "Czar," Mr. Zaro made multiple significant strides in promoting and facilitating the business environment in the State, had a hand in bringing thousands of jobs to New Jersey and assisting the expansion of businesses already here.
Mr. Zaro has also worked to make New Jersey a friendlier environment for all businesses. He helped to create and then lead the Real Estate Advisory Board, comprised of the leaders in the industry, to identify and eliminate red tape, propose pro-business legislation and attract more businesses to locate in New Jersey. He worked to develop the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Act, which outsources some Department of Environmental Protection applications to private licensed professionals and fast-tracks the application process. He launched the Patent Bank, which provides a central State directory for inventors and innovators to list their patents and assists in bringing new developments to market. Mr. Zaro has helped to draft and create numerous other state incentive programs, including the Urban Transit Tax Hub Credit, the Economic Recovery Growth Grant and numerous pieces of business friendly tax legislation.
In addition to his involvement with a variety of businesses and corporate boards, Mr. Zaro has been engaged with numerous charitable organizations and civic affairs.