Diane Kaese, President 

Diane has lived in Jersey City since 1982 and in Paulus Hook since 1986. She has been President, Secretary, and Chair of the Parks Committee of the HPHA. She currently is the chair of the Downtown Construction Committee. Diane has a BS in Architecture from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. Weather permitting, Diane rollerblades early on weekend mornings in Liberty State Park. She is always happy to have a companion who can accompany and challenge her!

Jennifer Wagner, Treasurer

Jennifer currently serves as the Treasurer of the HPHA. She has lived in Paulus Hook since 2003 and has been involved in the HPHA for most of that time. She has been in the asset management industry for over 25 years and is currently the Director of Traditional Investments at ICG Capital Group. When not working, Jennifer enjoys riding her horse and walking her dog, Bristol. 

Stephanie Daniels, VP

Stephanie has been active in the Paulus Hook neighborhood and Jersey City politics almost since moved to the neighborhood in 1990. She serves as content strategist for the HPHA where she is also focused on planning and development in the community. Stephanie is a former dancer and actor who lived and worked in Paris, Tel Aviv and Salvador, Brazil. She is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, director, animator and visual artist who is currently Jersey City's creative director where she runs the city website and film office, FilmJC. Stephanie also serves on the Nimbus Dance board of directors.

Alexander Baumal

Alexander Baumol, a born and raised New Yorker, stumbled onto Jersey City 7 years ago while on a date with his now wife Victoria, and hasn’t looked back since. Initially he resided in  the Van Vorst area, but has recently become a homeowner in Paulus Hook where he currently resides. Professionally, Alexander has always been involved in commercial real estate;  he’s a former CRE broker, and runs the day-to-day operation of TenSource, a commercial real estate data company he founded. His interests range from economics and urban planning, fitness and cold exposure, to sports of all kinds. Alexander has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and went to the University of Wisconsin for his undergraduate degree.

John Bredin

John Bredin is a writer, educator, talk show host, and performance artist drawn to Jersey City’s vibrant artistic and cosmopolitan energy.  With his wife Claudia, he co-produces a nonprofit TV show, Public Voice Salon, on education, the arts, and social change.  The show was nominated for the prestigious Yidan Prize, the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in Education.  A scion of America’s first movie star, John is on a campaign to educate the world about the true, forgotten Birth of Hollywood.  He helped create the HPHA’s Culture Committee as a way to build community and strengthen democracy through the arts.  Including right here, in our charming, cozy, historic Paulus Hook.  A graduate of Fordham and NYU, John is studying for his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Drexel University.  He teaches academic writing and speaking at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.

John Garvey

John, who has lived in Paulus Hook since 2000, is a former Pastoral Council president of Our Lady of Czestochowa church in the neighborhood and a former Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Jersey City Housing Authority.  He spent most of his working career overseeing public utilities as an electric utility regulator for the states of New Jersey and New York, and recently moved to the private sector where he advises international and domestic clients on the transition to clean energy and electric vehicles at Deloitte Consulting. When not working, John enjoys playing tennis at Lincoln Park and golfing at the Skyway Golf Course in Jersey City.

Riza Hunger

A resident of Paulus Hook since 2001, Riza has been active in her community and serves as Events Chairperson for the HPHA. Her love for the pets in the neighborhood sparked the Annual Halloween Pet Parade in October 2008. With her passion for cooking, Riza organizes the annual Fall Feast for the HPHA. Her personal goal as a member of the Board is to assist in organizing events that will bring new and current residents together to continue to progress the quality of life in Paulus Hook. A certified personal chef and Contract Sales Representative, Riza shares her life with her husband Adam, and their aussiedoodle Jake. Weekends will often find her haunting Chinatown for elusive cooking ingredients.

Vincent Jacaruso

Although Vincent was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, he has been working in Jersey City for over 25 years has been a resident of Paulus Hook since 2009. He joined the HPHA to get involved in his neighborhood. He provides transportation and logistics for HPHA events. Vincent is chairman of the police committee, attends the police meetings and provides updates on what's happening in the neighborhood. Vincent owns VJ Delivery Service, Inc., a commercial moving and storage company, and Arthur Digianno Inc., an office furniture installation company. He has been in the industry for more than 30 years and is the third generation of his family in the same business. Vincent is a wine enthusiast and is an avid fisherman who spends most of his free time on the water.

Jonathan Kanterman

Roseanna Petruzzelli

Ro was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and has lived in various cities from New York to Los Angeles.  But when she moved to Paulus Hook in 1998 she fell in love with this little hamlet, so much so that she and her husband Phil purchased and rehabilitated a beautiful brownstone making it their home.   After retiring from a successful career on Wall Street she became a local real estate agent assisting others in discovering the hidden treasures of Jersey City.  She also held an appointed position on the Planning Board for over 10 years, is an active member of Our Lady of Czestochowa and has been involved in HPHA since moving to the neighborhood.  Ro and Phil make wine at their home and have begun a neighborhood tradition on Halloween of sharing their award-winning wine with their Paulus Hook neighbors, it’s become a ‘must stop’ on this very busy and exciting night. 

Nirupa Umapathy

Nirupa has lived in Jersey City since 2002. A native of south India, Nirupa feels most at home in the small batch vibe of Paulus Hook. In her past life, as Managing Director at Bank of America, Nirupa was a trusted advisor to fixed income institutional investors. In 2017, Nirupa quit the corporate world, went on a 180-day sabbatical to redesign a work life, anchored by joy, social and creative purpose. She founded Salons for Life in 2018, a woman-owned and woman-run experiential learning community that organizes creative play dates for adults. Nirupa writes non-fiction with a focus on trauma, burnout and post-traumatic growth. Nirupa as an independent investor deploys an ESG-based framework in her investments, to activate what she calls finance with a heart. 

Sanja Webster

Sanja left Manhattan for Jersey City in 2007 and fell in love with Paulus Hook, where she’s on the HPHA Culture Committee. Sanja is a dually licensed agent in New Jersey and New York with Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty. She holds a BA from the University of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and a BS in Fashion Merchandising from FIT. Sanja is an advocate for sustainable living and developing eco-friendly communities. Apart from real estate, Her professional background includes theatre acting and marketing in the fashion industry. Sanja's passion for art, culture, food, and nature have led her to over fifty countries. She is an avid cook and you can find her at the local farmers market fetching seasonal produce for a healthy family meal. She enjoys long walks in Liberty State Park, aromatherapy and organic skincare formulation. You may also bump into her at a Milonga in New York City where she dances Argentine Tango.