Prepared for Life Gala 2025
Prepared. For Life. Gala
November 12th 2025
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Location TBD
The Annual Prepared. For Life. Gala celebrates Scouting America’s ongoing commitment to welcome every youth and family in America to experience the benefits of Scouting. Our shared values over 114 years of Scouting connect us as we strive to make our world a better place. Our mission has remained the same – a commitment to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life. The Gala will re-energize you and reaffirm your support for our amazing program.
The mission-driven event will acknowledge community trailblazers who are dedicated to serving all youth, and we will recognize outstanding Scouts who embodied the values relevant to tomorrow’s changing world.
Why do we host the fundraising event? The Northern New Jersey Council strives to provide youth with the opportunity to build strong relationships, develop social skills and a strong moral compass, and a desire to set goals for themselves. The event brings together more than 250 business professionals, industry leaders, volunteers and Scouts and their families who are committed to helping all youth realize their potential.
Benefit of Partnership: As a partner and supporter of the Prepared. For Life. Gala you will align with a civic organization that is building leaders of tomorrow. On a local level, your support demonstrates your shared commitment with the Northern New Jersey Council to serve all people from every community, culture, ethnicity, religion, or ability.
Please select a partnership level from the Partnership Opportunities tab above.
Good Scout Award Honorees 2024
Maureen Bosetti
Chief Investment Officer, IPG Mediabrands Maureen has worked in the Media business for 25+ years as a leader in Strategic Investment guiding both clients and agency teams to driving maximum value in the marketplace. She has also focused on building relationships with the media partners to better facilitate the negotiations and client’s executions in market. Maureen began her career as an Assistant Media Buyer in National Broadcast at the inception of IPG’s General Motors MediaWorks buying unit and was quickly promoted to a Buyer overseeing GM’s $300MM+ Sports investments. Maureen then went to work on the sales side at Discovery Communications as a Sales Planner. Maureen crafted sales plans and marketing ideas for such clients as Procter & Gamble, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Exxon Mobil and M&M Mars. After Discovery, Maureen went to back to the agency side working at Universal McCann for four years on the Coca-Cola account. While working on Coca-Cola Maureen ran their high-profile Olympics sponsorship which was more than $100MM in addition to managing their juices and water brands. Maureen joined Optimedia, NY in April 2004 as a VP, Associate Director in charge of buying for T-Mobile, BMW, ServiceMaster among other brands. In March of 2010 Maureen was promoted to EVP of the National Video department overseeing the strategic investments across all clients including Pizza Hut, Bridgestone Tires and Liberty Mutual representing billings more than $400MM. Maureen joined Initiative in February of 2016 as the Chief Partnerships Officer overseeing all investments across the portfolio of clients including Amazon/Amazon Prime Video, T-Mobile, Liberty Mutual, Merck, Gilead, and Lego to name a few. Maureen currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer at IPG Mediabrands working closely with the agency teams to develop strategic partnerships in the marketplace that yield both efficiencies and impact for clients. Maureen graduated from Fordham University with a BA in Communications. As an active member of the media industry Maureen is on the 4 As National Broadcast Committee, IAB Video Board, VOX Media Council and the Sandy Hook Promise Media Advisory Board.In 2010, Maureen was named as one of Broadcasting and Cable’s Next Wave of Leaders. Maureen was also named one of the 2013 Working Mothers of the Year as selected by She Runs It and in 2013 AdWeek highlighted Maureen as a Media All Star. Maureen was recently honored by She Runs It for the Changing the Game awards which highlighted her advancements when it comes to more inclusive buying practices.
Harold Bryant
Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Sports Harold Bryant was named Executive Producer & Executive Vice President in November 2020 after having been Executive Producer & Senior Vice President, Production since June 2014. Before that he served as Executive Producer & Vice President, Production since August 2011-14. He was also Vice President, Production since June 2008-11. Bryant oversees all creative aspects of production and editorial content for all sports programming at CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, including Super Bowl LV, Super Bowl LIII, Super Bowl 50, the most-watched single broadcast in television history on an all-or-part basis; Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, the most-watched program in television history at the time, and Super Bowl XLVII. Bryant also oversees production for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the Masters, PGA Championship and PGA TOUR golf, as well as the Emmy Award-winning show INSIDE THE NFL, now on Paramount+. Bryant, a 31-time Emmy Award-winner, joined CBS Sports as a Feature Producer/Associate Producer in June 1997. He was promoted to coordinating producer in March 1999 where his responsibilities included overseeing production elements involving THE NFL ON CBS, including Super Bowls XXXV, XXXVIII and XLI, NCAA college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, college football, PGA TOUR golf, including the Masters® and PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, as well as all additional programming, including CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR. In addition to his duties at CBS Sports, Bryant works closely with production efforts at Showtime, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ. Prior to joining CBS Sports, Bryant served as a producer for WBIS-TV producing halftime and post-game shows for New York Knicks, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils games, as well as sports features and updates for the network’s business shows. He worked three years as a feature producer producing over 100 features for Atlanta Olympic Broadcasting, the host broadcaster for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games (1994-96). From 1991-94, Bryant served as a production assistant at NBC Sports where he worked three seasons of NFL and NBA, as well as the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. While at NBC Sports, he also worked on events including world figure skating championships in Prague, the French Open and Notre Dame football. Bryant began his career in 1987 working for WWOR-TV as a news and sports production assistant for all New York Mets home games. In 1990 he served as a line producer for the start up sports network, Sports News Network. Bryant graduated from Rutgers University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and a concentration in television.
Matthew Brauner
President, Brauner International Corp. Matthew Brauner, President of Brauner International Corp. began his career in customs brokerage and freight forwarding in 1982 when he joined the family business started by his grandfather Curt Brauner in 1931. Matthew following in his father Harold’s footsteps took over as President of the company in 2004. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickenson in 1988. He obtained his Customs Brokers license in 1991. Married to Karen Brauner with two grown children, daughter Laura and a son Christopher. Professional accomplishments: Awarded the Captain of Industry by the New York/ New Jersey Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association. Past President of the New York New Jersey Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association Former board member of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association Current member of the Customs committee of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association Past board member of the Cocoa Merchants Association of America Scouting Involvement: Eagle Scout Proud father of an Eagle Scout Scout summer camp counselor Former Scoutmaster Former Troop Committee Chair and current Chartered Organization Representative Merit Badge Counselor and Troop Eagle Scout counselor National Jamboree contingent leader
Phillip Koblence
COO & Co-Founder, NYI Co-Founder, Nomad Futurist Phillip Koblence is a pioneer, strategic executive and thought leader in the data center and network space. He co-founded NYI (www.nyi.net) in 1996 and has successfully grown the company from a single data center in Lower Manhattan to a robust network with executional capabilities in key national and international markets. His leadership, focus on customer experience, and ability to cut through complexity and hype, has positioned NYI as an industry leader in high-touch infrastructure solutions. Phillip is also CEO of Critical Ventures, a consulting practice offering a range of services to help clients, owners and investors optimize the value of critical infrastructure assets. He sits on the DE-CIX North America Advisory Board as well as on the Board of OIX and Apolo. In the last few years, Phillip co-founded the nonprofit Nomad Futurist Foundation and Podcast to demystify the world of critical infrastructure and inspire younger generations, particularly in underserved communities, to join the industry. In addition to being a frequent speaker at key industry events, Phillip has helped introduce large audiences of high school students to the world of digital infrastructure and the technologies that power our digital world. The Nomad Futurist mission has spread internationally with the support of its many sponsors and ambassadors. Phillip’s recent accolades include the iMasons 2023 IM100 Award for outstanding contributions to the digital infrastructure industry and recognition as a Top 10 LinkedIn Data Center Influencer by DataCentre Magazine. He has been profiled by Data Center Knowledge, TheWHIR, MSPMentor, and NJ BIZ. Phillip has an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives with his wife and two children in Montclair NJ.
Good Scout Award Honorees 2014 – 2023
Andrés Acebo, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, New Jersey City University
Amina Baraka, Poet, Singer, Actress, and Writer
Elizabeth Berman, President & CEO of Continental Food & Beverages, Inc., Inca Kola
Dan Bowens, TV Anchor, Good-Day New York, WNYW-Fox 5
Natalie Brathwaite, VP, Government Relations & Public Affairs, Fidelity Investments
Paulette Brown, Past President of the American Bar Association and Partner, Locke Lord LLP
Daniel Cannon, Chief Compliance Officer, Schindler Elevator Corporation
Samuel Collado, National President, National Supermarket Association
Luis O. De La Hoz, FVP Director of Community Lending, Valley National Bank
Xiomara Guevara, Executive Director, MCOHA
Howard Haughton, Chief Executive Officer, Eva’s Village
Francis Howitt, Team Coordinator Program, Strategy Team, Rockefeller Foundation
Everett M. Johnson, Shareholder, Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.
Penny Joseph, VP, Community Relations & Corporate Outreach, Panasonic Corp. NA
Levi Holmes II, Director of Safety and Security, Newark Board of Education
Marc Larkins, Worldwide VP Corporate Governance & Security, Johnson & Johnson
Hon. Jose L. Linares, Ret. Chief District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of NJ
Julia A. Lopez, Senior Litigation Associate, Reed Smith LLP
Dep. Chief Edgar Martinez, Jersey City Police Department
Dan Mateo, Partner, Holland and Knight, LLP
Vaughn McKoy, General State Regulatory Counsel, PSE&G
Monica Martinez Milan, Owner, Stumpy’s Hatchet House
Maria L. Nieves, President & CEO, Hudson County Chamber of Commerce
Marjorie Perry, President & CEO, MZM Construction Co., Inc.
Lillian A. Plata, Partner, McManimon Scotland & Baumann
Michael J. Plata, Immediate Past President, HBA-NJ and Partner, Archer & Greiner
Miguel Alexander Pozo, Member, Cozen O’Connor
Jose Rivera, Wealth Advisor, UBS Financial
John Rosero, Vice President, Prudential
William Sanchez, Award Winning Producer of Imagenes, Rutgers University
Christine Ann Soto, Executive Legal Affairs, NJ Department of Education
Anna María Tejada, Assistant General Counsel, S&P Global
Patrick Terborg, Founder and Managing Member, TD+Partners
Rafael Toro, Public Relations Director, Goya
Camelia M. Valdes, Prosecutor, Passaic County
Mr. Franklin Walker, Associate Superintendent, Schools for Jersey City, NJ
Cid Wilson, President/CEO, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR)
Wilson “Chuck” Woodridge, Principal, Woodridge Chen Architects
In 2024, we had four Scout speakers to honor our Scouting programs.
Genesis
Tiger Cub Scout
Pack 229
River Edge
Luke
Webelos Scout
Pack 192
Wayne
Kira
Eagle Scout
Troop 1908
Edgewater
Roarke
Title Sponsor
$ 30,000
- Two tables of ten (10) or one table of ten (10) plus five (5) Scout camperships for 2025
- Twenty (20) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo on invitation and all publicity
- Company logo on cover of printed program with center two-page ad
VIP Reception Sponsor
$ 20,000
- Two tables of ten (10) or one table of ten (10) plus three (3) Scout camperships for 2025
- Twenty (20) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo at VIP reception with speaking opportunity
- Company logo in all publicity
- Full page ad in printed program
Cocktails Sponsor
$ 20,000
- Two tables of ten (10) or one table of ten (10) plus three (3) Scout camperships for 2025
- Twenty (20) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo at General Reception
- Company logo in all publicity
- Full page ad in printed program
Diamond Sponsor
$ 15,000
- Two tables of ten (10) or one table of ten (10) plus three (1) Scout campership for 2025
- Ten (10) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo in all publicity
- Full page ad in printed program
Gold Sponsor
$ 10,000
- One table of ten (10)
- Eight (8) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo in all publicity
- Full page ad in printed program
Silver Sponsor
$ 7,500
- One table of ten (10)
- Five (5) VIP reception tickets
- Company logo in all publicity
- Full page ad in printed program
Bronze Sponsor
$ 5,000
- One table of ten (10)
- Company logo in all publicity
- Half page ad in printed program
Contributing Sponsor
I would like to become a Sponsor of the Prepared. For Life. Gala at a different level, please contact me.
Scout Attendee Donor
I am unable to attend, but I will contribute $350 for a NNJC Unit Leader or Scout to attend the event.
Donor
I am unable to attend, but I will contribute another amount to help Scouts be the best version of themselves.
Journal ads will be published in the event program. All companies that purchase journal ads will also be recognized in the e-journal. Please submit ad journal art, and logo to Betsy.Hendriksen@scouting.org by October 18, 2024.
Submit full page ad in portrait orientation.
Submit half-page, quarter page and business card ads in landscape orientation.
- Full page ad: $1,000
- Half page ad: $500
- Quarter page ad: $375
- Business card ad: $250
We thank our 2023 Diamond, Silver, and Bronze Sponsors
