New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce Appoints Andrèa M. Garcia to its Board of Directors 

Garcia is the first Hispanic woman to sit on the Chamber’s board. She will oversee the organization’s statewide Marketing strategy development and implementation. The Chamber is gearing up to bid for a chance to host the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s flagship conference in New Jersey.

(January 28, 2022) Wayne, NJ – The New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce – formerly the NJ LGBT Chamber of Commerce – is pleased to announce the election of Andréa M. Garcia, 32, a resident of Union City, to its board of directors.

Andréa M. Garcia is the Managing Partner and co-owner of COMMS/NATION LLC, a Public Relations + Graphic Design Services agency, and a LGBT-BE certified business located in Weehawken, NJ. In her new role as a board director, she will work to develop statewide communications strategies to raise awareness and help grow the LGBT business network in the Garden State. Acting as the Chamber’s volunteer VP of Marketing, she grants the Chamber access to COMMS/NATION’s PR resources, furthering the organization’s media and promotional reach.

“The LGBT community are early-adopters who transcend the spectrum of diversity. They are driving the future of identity and are an economic force that must be nurtured. We truly have a chance to help shape New Jersey’s local economy – I’m very proud to give back to my community,” says Garcia.

Garcia joined the NJ Pride Chamber as a member in 2021, where she saw the tremendous value in being a member after attending in-person networking events. “You get back what you put into your network, the more hands you shake, the more opportunities you can make.”

Every year, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) co-hosts a  flagship conference alongside one of its affiliate chambers throughout the country.

It was during the NGLCC’s 2021 Back to Business (B2B) Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – that Garcia realized  the potential of opportunities that could be capitalized on and created right here in New Jersey for the greater benefit of the local economy.

“The New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce is currently creating the business case that New Jersey is the next best place to host the national conference. It’s thrilling to feel like we are bidding for a shot to host what is essentially the ‘LGBT Business Olympics’. I’m very honored to take part in that mission and to be on a board with like-minded professionals who strive towards success,” said Garcia.

Stephen P. Blazejewski, 26, the newly-elected president of NJPCC in 2021, who has been on a tireless mission to restructure and transform the organization, tapped Andréa to come aboard and helm the marketing outreach initiatives for the Chamber.

“We have been burning the midnight oil ensuring that our members are represented by the most cutting-edge LGBT Chamber in the country. Which is why we are currently the fastest-growing networking organization for professionals in the state. We want to show that through hard work and dedication, dreams are possible and goals are reachable. And, we know that with Andréa on our team, we are in great hands,” said Blazejewski.

Garcia brings a decade of experience crafting award-winning public relations and communications campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, Non-Profit Organizations & Foundations, Private Equity, High-Stakes Litigation, Sensitive Crises Issues, and is a trusted-advisor to entrepreneurs and their portfolio companies. She’s a sought-after consultant to larger PR agencies on media relation strategies.

In 2018, she decided to take a leap of faith as an entrepreneur and co-opened her own communications agency, COMMS/NATION, with her best friend. Since opening the business, she has grown a renewed eagle-eyed view of the current business landscape, and enjoys solving clients’ complex marketing issues locally and nationally.

Andrea earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and minored in Anthropology from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. In 2010, she studied Philosophy in Athens, Greece and International Relations at the Hellenic American University. She is an alumna and scholarship recipient of both the Rising Tide Capital’s Entrepreneurship Program and the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corporation, two of New Jersey’s best non-profit entrepreneurship programs dedicated to serving new business owners in underserved communities. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

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ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY PRIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:

Since 2013, the New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce has been the premier LGBTQ+ and allied business organization committed to facilitating successful business collaboration and increasing the economic staying-power of its diverse membership.  As an inclusive platform for business visionaries, the Chamber is the first stop for LGBTQ+  and allied entrepreneurs seeking to grow and access opportunities. Its primary mission is to promote the economic growth and development of the local community, help to better serve its members’ businesses by providing resources and opportunities for education, networking, and community engagement.

For more information, please visit http://njpridetchamber.org or connect with the NJ Pride Chamber of Commerce on Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The NJ Pride Chamber of Commerce is an official affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). It offers LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) Certification ® as a benefit of membership with the organization. Certified LGBTBEs are routinely sought after by over 300 NGLCC Corporate Partners who are looking to increase their spend with the LGBTQ+  business community. Certified LGBTBEs are also eligible for scholarship programs, mentorship and leadership training, and other business development tools.