Peter J. Cocoziello

Board of Visitors

Peter J. Cocoziello
President and Chief Executive Officer
Advance Realty

Peter J. Cocoziello, ’73, is the President and CEO of Advance Realty, which he founded in 1979. Today, Advance is a leading Northeast U.S. owner and developer of Class A office properties and mixed-use developments due to Peter’s overriding commitment to fulfill Advance’s mission “to be the premier developer of creative real estate solutions.” With a multi-million square foot portfolio in New Jersey and the Washington DC region, Advance is a fully integrated commercial real estate firm focusing on development, corporate build-to-suit projects, property management, community redevelopment, and construction and asset management.

Peter has held leadership roles in numerous community and professional organizations such as Young Presidents’ Organization, World President’s Organization, New Jersey National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NJ NAIOP) and the Italian American Heritage Foundation. Currently, Peter serves on a vast number of Boards including New Jersey Network Foundation; New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, and Smeal Business School at Penn State University. Mr. Cocoziello is the recipient of major honors including Developer of the Year, NAIOP – The Forum for Commercial Real Estate, Ernst & Young, Inc. NJ “Entrepreneur of the Year – Real Estate Division”, Outstanding Business People, Large Corporation, Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, Top 20 Companies, Central New Jersey Business Magazine, Humanitarian Award, National Conference for Community and Justice, The Pennsylvania State University Alumni Fellow Award and a 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.  He was also named one of the top Power 50 of the Most Influential People in Real Estate and most recently he was named by GlobeStreet as a New Jersey Real Estate Icon.

Peter has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Penn State, Senior Certificate in Mortgage Financing from New York University and Harvard University Presidents’ Program. He and his wife Sharon of 31 years, reside in Oldwick, NJ.  Peter’s passions include skiing, golf, shooting, travel, wine and spending time with family and friends.