What had been known as the Millennials List has, like Millennials themselves, grown and matured in its own right. Now dubbed “Rising Generations,” the individuals showcased in this Insider NJ publication are, many of them, Millennials, but also Generation Z, the up-and-coming generation out of school and making their impact in the workplace and in politics as the future face of New Jersey leadership. The Rising Generations features here are representative of the younger side of New Jersey’s great movers and shakers, but may also serve as role models for Gen Z and the youngest generation yet, Gen Alpha (born 2012 and on)—the children of Millennials and elder Gen Z.

Politics and commerce are generally dominated by the grey-haired elite, as ascendancy takes time and work. But leadership opportunities are not, and ought not to be, exclusive of younger faces. Some have come into such positions on their own, by creating the businesses and roles they find themselves captaining. Others have put their time, talent, and energy into contributing to entities and causes they believe in and champion. On the political scene, younger voices are on center stage in New Jersey. The Garden State hasn’t sent a Republican to the US Senate since 1972, save the brief appointees Nicholas Brady and Jeffrey Chiesa, but the man who sought to break that streak was Republican US Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw, a Baby Boomer entrepreneur who found his calling and passion in the hospitality industry. His opponent was CD-3 Congressman Andy Kim, a “Xennial” (that is, the cusp of Gen X and Millennial, those born 1977-1983) at age 42. Kim went into the State Department and became a civilian national security advisor in Afghanistan and later to President Obama. Although Kim won, both candidates represented historic opportunities for New Jersey’s junior-Senate seat given their backgrounds, representing demographic shifts in political representation…

Download Insider NJ’s 2024 Insider 100: Rising Generations List or view it below:

Insider 100: Rising Generations