PRINCETON – Elizabeth Ryan, Esq., president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association, has been honored with the Garden State Woman of the Year Award for Healthcare.

The award was presented at the 7th Annual Garden State Woman of the Year Awards Luncheon held Friday in Florham Park. The Garden State Woman Education Foundation sponsors the annual awards lunch, which honors women leaders nominated by their peers.

According to the Foundation, the honorees were chosen based on their exceptional leadership in their chosen professional lives, their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others through their community service and their position as role models for other women striving to improve their life and the lives of others.

Ryan leads the state’s oldest and largest healthcare trade association, representing 73 acute care hospitals and nearly 300 additional members including nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, home health agencies, assisted living facilities and hospice. She also heads NJHA’s nonprofit community health affiliate, the Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey, and a for-profit affiliate NJHA Healthcare Business Solutions.

Ryan previously served as a regional executive for the American Hospital Association and the Healthcare Association of New York State. She started her legal career practicing law in Mount Holly and went on to serve as assistant counsel under former Gov. Jim Florio and chief of staff of the state Department of Health. She received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. She lives in Florence with her husband and son.