Kathleen Coviello is the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (NJEDA’s) Chief Economic Transformation Officer. In this role, she oversees the division tasked with growing the state’s economy by implementing initiatives that enhance long-term economic competitiveness and establish New Jersey as an innovation leader within high job growth strategic industries. The Division focuses on priority industries including Film, Innovation Technology, Manufacturing, Clean Energy, Venture, Real Estate, and strategic initiatives like the strategic innovation center investments. 

Under Kathleen’s leadership, the NJEDA has delivered billions in direct investments, business incentives, tax credits, venture fund investments, and most recently real estate tax credits and incentives. During her tenure, the New Jersey Chapter of Golden Seeds was founded, the NJ Innovation Evergreen Fund was created, the NJ Accelerate and NJ Ignite programs were launched along with the State’s Angel Tax Credit Program, the New Jersey Founders & Funders program was born, the Manufacturing Tax Credit Program was launched  and the New Jersey Green Bank was stood up. Kathleen has also led the NJEDA’s strategic innovation center investments initiative which has forged public-private-partnerships resulting in the announcement of twelve centers across the state in the last three years.   

Prior to her current role, Kathleen served as the NJEDA’s Executive Vice President for Technology, Life Sciences & Entrepreneurship, where she was responsible for working closely with the state’s emerging technology and life science companies and investors. 

Kathleen joined the NJEDA in 2005 as a single contributor and has continuously elevated her position within the organization. Prior to joining the NJEDA, Kathleen spent over 17 years in the banking industry, with the last eight focused on the NJ Technology Venture Lending Market. Her venture lending experience includes employment at Silicon Valley Bank, Comerica Bank and Progress’ Techbanc. Kathleen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Albright College and a Master of Business Administration from LaSalle University.