President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Alliance, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the City of Newark, New Jersey, since October 2003; President and Chief Operating Officer from March 2000 to October 2003 and Senior Vice President -- Corporate Services from 1996 to 2000, Public Service Electric & Gas Company; CEO, Bell Atlantic -- New Jersey from 1990 to 1995; Director, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey; Member of the Board of Governors of the National Conference for Community and Justice. Koeppe grew up modestly in Jersey City, the son of a longshoreman. He was the first in his family to attend college, at Rutgers-Newark, and received a law degree from Seton Hall.