Mrs. New Jersey United States Pageant

The Mrs. New Jersey United States
Woman of Achievement Award

The Mrs. New Jersey United States Woman of Achievement Award is a specially designed award honoring those outstanding women that call New Jersey their home. The Organization believes that married women should be recognized for their ability to integrate confidence... intelligence... success... and beauty, all at the same time! We recognize our contestants through our pageant, but we also feel it is important to recognize those women outside of the pageant who have made significant contributions.

We were proud to present the 2006 Woman of Achievement Award to Mayor Joanne Cocchiola.

Mayor Joanne Cocchiola, Esq.
Mayor, Township of Nutley, NJ
2006 Woman of Achievement Award

Joanne Cocchiola was the first woman elected to the Board of Commissioners in May 2000. When re-elected in May 2004, she was appointed Mayor of the Township of Nutley. She is the first woman to serve the Township as Mayor. She also serves as the Director of Public Affairs. Since elected to office, Mayor Cocchiola has created numerous new health programs for the community. She formed the "Women's Initiative of Nutley" to promote the teaching of women's history and the interests of women in the community and was a founder of Nutley Thriving Survivors, a support group for women with breast cancer.

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina - a category 4 storm - devastated the central gulf coast region. Shortly after the storm, Mayor Joanne Cocchiola and Commissioner Carmen Orechio reached out to local residents who wanted to help victims of Katrina, and formed the Operation Nutley Cares Committee. It was after an initial committee meeting that the idea of adopting a town and gaining a sister city was born. The Township Commissioners agreed that a mission to help a town similar to theirs recover and rebuild would be the best way to make a positive impact, and relief missions were sent to the town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi under the leadership of Mayor Cocchiola with coordination by Mrs. New Jersey United States 2005, Hedy DiCarlo.

Mayor Cocchiola is employed part time as Associate Counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. She previously served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey for 15 years. She is a graduate of Douglass College and Seton Hall Law School. She is a Trustee and secretary to the Clara Maass Foundation and also serves as a Trustee for the Essex County Parks Foundation. Mayor Cocchiola is married to Frank Oliver and has three children, Allyson, Matthew and Ava Francesca, born October 19, 2005. She is the daughter of the late Frank A. Cocchiola Sr., a former Commissioner who served the Township of Nutley for 28 years.

Mayor Cocchiola was selected as the 2006 Woman of Achievement Award Winner for her continued devotion to community service, collaborative efforts with Hedy DiCarlo during the Operation Nutley Cares Katrina Relief Committee, and demonstration of true excellence. We commend her for her efforts and congratulate her outstanding achievement.