Former Hoboken spokesman Juan Melli has joined high-powered public relations firm Mercury Public Affairs, taking over as their vice president.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We are thrilled to welcome Juan to Mercury,” Mercury Partner Mike Soliman said in a statement . “As a respected and experienced communications expert, Juan will be a tremendous asset to our team and provide best-in-class service to our clients.”
“I am excited to join such a talented team and look forward to helping clients in New Jersey and across the country solve their most complex challenges,” added Melli.
Mike DuHaime, another partner in the firm, praised Melli’s work under tough circumstances.
“Juan managed communications under the most extreme conditions during Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken and built the strongest municipal social media presence in the state,” he said.
“He is a creative problem-solver whose expansive and proven communications expertise will strengthen our public relations and digital capabilities.”
Prior to his work for the City of Hoboken, Melli was Director of New Media for Governor Jon
Corzine’s campaign and Associate Editor and Columnist for PolitickerNJ.com.
He also founded BlueJersey.com in 2005 – one of the first websites for state-level political news and analysis.
In 2006, PolitickerNJ.com recognized Melli as “Politician of the Year” and later ranked him #17 on the Top 100 Power List.
He is a 2002 graduate of Rutgers University and earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2008.
Melli, who resides in Hoboken with his wife and two boys, left his municipal government post at the end of last month and still owns his own consulting firm, Progressive Strategies, according to his LinkedIn page.
