HACKENSACK – Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announced on Friday that Peter Botsolas, Alicia D’Alessandro and Marc Schrieks will join Chief of Staff Michelle DiIorgi as the County Executive’s senior leadership team. Schrieks will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Intergovernmental Affairs and Constituent Services, Botsolas was named Senior Policy and Planning Adviser, and D’Alessandro will serve as Communications Director.
Tedesco also announced that Michael Pagan would serve as the County’s Public Information Officer and Division Director of the Office of Public Information. In naming Pagan, Tedesco has filled a position that remained vacant over the past four years.
“The addition of Marc, Peter and Alicia to my staff brings some of the best talent into county government. Not only do they have years of experience, they also have deep roots in Bergen County. I am ready to get to work and hit the ground running with this great team,” said Tedesco in a written statement.
“Reconstituting the Office of Public Information will help ensure that Bergen County government always remains open and responsive. As [the late Democratic] U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s press secretary and a former Herald News reporter, Michael is unquestionably qualified and will serve the people of Bergen County well,” Tedesco added.
Schrieks has held positions in local and county government for the past sixteen years, most recently serving as a legislative aide to Freeholder Joan Voss. Previously, he was the Director of Marketing for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and has also served as the Bergen County Planning Board Vice-Chair for the past six years. Schrieks is a lifelong resident of Lodi. He is currently serving his fourth term on the governing body and his second term as the Borough’s Mayor. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University.
For the past two years, Peter Botsolas has served as Director of Policy and Communications for the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. He has previously served as Chief of Staff to two members of the New Jersey General Assembly. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University.
D’Alessandro was a senior account supervisor for Public Affairs at Beckerman Public Relations in Hackensack. Prior to her employment at Beckerman, D’Alessandro served as Communications Director for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. Alicia D’Alessandro has a B.A. in Political Science and American Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a M.A. in Government from the Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Pagan previously worked as a reporter for the Herald News and as a press secretary for the New Jersey General Assembly, a U.S. Congressman and two United States Senators. He attended Bergen Community College for two years before graduating from Temple University with a B.A. in Journalism in 1998. He is a resident of Teaneck.
Tedesco said he would begin naming county department and division heads after taking office on Jan. 1. He previously announced that Dominic Novelli would serve as County Administrator and that Julien Neals would serve as County Counsel.
Tedesco, a Democrat, was officially sworn in on Thursday. He will be ceremonially sworn in at a public event to be held at Bergen Community College in Paramus on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.
