PHILADELPHIA — The Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group (GPSEG) Board of Directors announced today that it will merge with the New Jersey Executive Networking Group (NJENG), a move designed to bolster GPSEG’s reach throughout New Jersey.

The merger will leverage each organization’s unique assets and expand the geographic territory and networking access for members of both groups. The NJENG membership will become part of GPSEG and will serve as the core for the group’s growth into the central and northern areas of New Jersey. The combined organization will have more than 1,500 senior executive members with a variety of functional specialties and representation from nearly all industry segments.

GPSEG Chairman and CEO Dwayne Patterson said the two organizations shared a common mission, as well as numerous synergies in terms of networking and key issues for C-level executives.

“GPSEG has undergone rapid growth in the past couple years and we expect that to continue,” Patterson said. “We already have numerous members in southern and central New Jersey, so extending toward the northern part of the state makes sense.”

NJENG was an “invitation only” organization for senior executives in the greater Northern New Jersey/New York City area. It counted more than 225 “in-the-chair” and “in-transition” members from all disciplines of business who are experienced “C” level executives with proven success in industry, the boardroom and in the community.

Patterson said all NJENG members who wish to join GPSEG may do so and will go through an expedited membership process.

Going forward, GPSEG has formed a new subgroup, GPSEG – New Jersey North, which will assume and expand upon the meetings previously held by NJENG.  As membership and participation grows, this will eventually lead to the creation of other new subgroups, additional job postings and a new knowledge of opportunities in an expanded geography.

Greg Libertiny, a member of NJENG’s Steering Committee, will be the initial subgroup leader of GPSEG -- New Jersey North, and Larry Buchwalter will be the GPSEG Board Liaison.

“We look forward to combining the talents of our memberships,” said Buchwalter, the chairman of the NJENG Steering Committee, who also recently was elected to the GPSEG board of directors. “We live in an increasingly interconnected world, and I’m sure members from both organizations will benefit greatly from their common value sets, shared experiences and diverse knowledge.”