HealthCare Institute of New Jersey Elects Bayer's Chuck Leitgeb as Board Chair
Key Insights
Charles "Chuck" Leitgeb, Deputy Director of State Government Relations at Bayer US (search), was elected Chair of the HINJ Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2026.
Adam Brand of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical was elected Vice Chair, with Christopher Guiton (Johnson & Johnson) as Treasurer and Derek Naten (Keenova Therapeutics (search)) as Secretary.
Adam Taliaferro of Johnson & Johnson was reappointed Chair of the HINJ Steering Committee, with George Coutros of Sanofi US (search) reappointed as Vice Chair.
The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) has announced the election of new officers to its Board of Trustees and Steering Committee leadership, effective July 1, 2026. Charles "Chuck" Leitgeb, Deputy Director of State Government Relations at Bayer US (search), was elected Chair of the Board, succeeding Leo Farber, formerly Vice President and Head of U.S. Government Affairs at Novartis.
Mr. Leitgeb joined Bayer's government relations team in 2014 and is responsible for all state government and legislative activity relevant to Bayer's Pharmaceutical, Consumer Health, and Crop Science businesses in the Northeast Region. He also serves as state government relations team lead for Bayer's Radiology business. Prior to joining Bayer, Mr. Leitgeb was Vice President of the Insurance Council of New Jersey, a Trenton-based trade organization representing the property and casualty insurance industry. He also previously served as deputy communications director and eventually communications director for the Assembly Republican Office in the New Jersey Legislature. Mr. Leitgeb holds a BA in English/Journalism and a minor in history from Rutgers University.
Board Leadership Appointments
The HINJ Board also elected Adam Brand, Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Corporate Affairs at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., to serve as Vice Chair. Christopher Guiton, Head of Home State Initiatives at Johnson & Johnson, was elected Treasurer, and Derek Naten, Vice President of Government Affairs & Advocacy at Keenova Therapeutics (search), was elected Board Secretary.
Steering Committee Leadership
HINJ also announced that Adam Taliaferro, Director of State & Community Engagement at Johnson & Johnson, has been reappointed Chair of the HINJ Steering Committee. George Coutros, Director of State Government Relations at Sanofi US (search), has been reappointed Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.
Full Board Composition
The full HINJ Board of Trustees includes senior government affairs leaders from across the pharmaceutical and medical technology industry. In addition to the officers, board members include Andrew Antrobus, Regional Lead of State Government Affairs at Novo Nordisk, Inc.; Domenick Argento, Director of Government Affairs at Merck & Co. (search), Inc.; Adam Lotspike, Senior Director of U.S. Government Relations at BD (search); Joseph McGowan, Head of Federal Government Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; and Melissia Whitmarsh, Director of State Government Affairs at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey serves as a trade association representing the state's pharmaceutical and medical technology industry, advocating on behalf of its member organizations on policy and legislative matters affecting healthcare innovation and patient access in New Jersey.