Featured Board Member- Peter J. Cocoziello - '73 Finance

Peter J. Cocoziello is Chief Executive Officer of Advance Realty, and President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.  Mr. Cocoziello founded the company in 1979.  He serves as Chairman of the Foundation for New Jersey Public Broadcasting (NJN).  He also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Somerset County Business Partnership, Board of Directors for the National Conference for Community and Justice, Trustee for Abbey Woods at Delbarton and is a member of the Board of Visitors for the Smeal College of Business of Penn State University.  Mr. Cocoziello is the past President of the New Jersey Chapter of NAIOP, past Chapter Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization, and served as a member of Governor Whitman’s Transition Team.
Mr. Cocoziello has additionally received the following personal and corporate awards: Lifetime Achievement Award, NAIOP Outstanding Business Person, Somerset Business Partnership; New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year, Real Estate Division, Ernst & Young; NJBIZ Finest Private Companies; Legacy Honor Award, the Young Presidents’ Organization; Impact Award, NAIOP; Humanitarian Award, the National Conference for Community and Justice; Somerset County Economic Vitality, Large Firm, Somerset County Chamber of Commerce; Top 20 Companies, Central New Jersey Business Magazine; Chapter President of the Year and Developer of the Year, NAIOP; Pennsylvania State University Alumni Fellow Award and The Top Power 50 of the Most Influential People in Real Estate.
Mr. Cocoziello holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Penn State University, a Senior Certificate in Mortgage Financing, with an emphasis in commercial real estate, from New York University, and has completed the Harvard University Presidents’ Program.
Additionally, Mr. Cocoziello has been an instrumental thought leader for the Institute for Real Estate Studies and serves as a co-chairperson for its Advisory Board.  He also serves on Smeal’s Board of Visitors and received Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.  The award honors the achievements of outstanding alumni whose personal lives, professional achievements, and community service exemplify the objectives of their alma mater.