New Jersey Women in Business: Profiles and Tips From Successful Executives

Dayra Azcona-Marin

Vice President of Key Accounts, Liberty Coca Cola

Dayra Azcona-Marin was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at 15. Azcona-Marin comes from a family of 12 siblings. She studied Business Administration in college. While in college, she worked at McDonalds. She quickly became a shift manager, which led to her joining Coca-Cola in 2001 as an Account Manager. Since then, she has held roles of increasing responsibility. In her current role, Azcona-Marin is responsible for leading and developing the entire Key Account Team at Liberty. She currently lives in Point Pleasant with her husband Alex. They enjoy going to the beach, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Tip/Advice: One thing I have learned from my career journey is to take risks. It is important to have an open mind when opportunities arise. You never know where one decision can take you. Another thing that helped me was having a mentor. I suggest finding someone respectable that motivates and challenges you.

Heather Coburn

Interim CEO , Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

Heather Coburn, Interim CEO of Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore (GSJS), leads a dedicated team of more than 40 full time staff, 20+ board members and countless volunteers. The Jersey Shore council serves more than 11,000 girl and adult members (girls in K-12). Since joining the council in 2016, Coburn has served in a number of roles including chief operations officer. She is thrilled to take on the next stage of growth for GSJS with the expansion of Camp Sacajawea, the continued beautification of Camp Amity Acres, and the implementation of a mentorship program for older Girl Scouts. Most recently, Coburn helped secure a $500,000 COVID relief grant from Monmouth County to cover expenses incurred by council to support our programs and leadership experiences.

Tip/Advice: I encourage all young leaders to connect with and build relationships with inspiring and empathetic leaders. Feeling empowered and encouraged in your circle will give you the courage to take chances and reach your goals.

Kim Hanemann

President & Chief Operating Officer, PSE&G

www.pseg.com

Kim Hanemann is president and COO of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), one of the largest electric and gas companies in the United States. In previous roles, she was responsible for PSE&G’s electric, gas and customer operations. She also oversaw the on-time, on-scope and on-budget execution of the company’s large construction projects. During her leadership, PSE&G has won the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region for 20 consecutive years. A graduate of Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Hanemann also holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management.