Quest CEO, Drew President, Mayor Bring Leaders to Table

A group of executives who live or work in Madison met Monday morning at Hartley Dodge Memorial for the inaugural meeting of the Chief Executive Council for Madison, a new group that was formed to bring together local leaders to find ways to help each other and the community.

Stephen Rusckowski, Quest Diagnostics president and CEO, Madison Mayor Bob Conley and Dr. Vivian A. Bull, interim president of Drew University, are the founding chairs of the organization, which focuses on corporate impact, stakeholder collaboration and education leadership.

2012 Olympic Gold medalist in rowing Esther Lofgren was the guest speaker at the event.

Madison students attended the event and Madison High School senior and National Merit Scholar semifinalist Lainie Rowland also spoke as an emerging leader.

Conley said the council hopes to meet twice a year to share their knowledge and build connections.

"We have this great community, four square miles, 16,000 residents and just a wealth of knowledge and ability to get things done," he said. He said Madison has a great university, a corporate campus and tools to deliver on community involvement.

Lofgren told the executives rowing is a sport that depends on teamwork.

"Even the most exceptional athlete on the team will the slow the team down if their No. 1 goal isn't working together," she said.

Rusckowski said Madison, home to Quest Diagnostics corporate headquarters at Giralda Farms, needs to be sure people—specifically employees of corporations in Madison—know about everything the borough has to offer.

Madison High School Principal Greg Robertson said he would arrange meetings with department heads if any companies were interested in talking about ideas for programs that could engage students over a sustained period of time.

David Weaving, chief administrative officer and executive vice president of Realogy Holdings Corporation, and Kevin Smith, senior managing director and head of U.S. Business for Prudential Real Estate Investors, praised the way Madison restored power after Superstorm Sandy.

The council's next meeting will be hosted at Drew University.