Baron Lecture and Awards Ceremony featuring Assemblyman Don Guardian

“Bridging the Divide: My Experience of Bi-Partisanship in Trenton”

Don Guardian is serving in his second-term as a member of the New Jersey Assembly, representing the shore towns, mainland suburbs, and Pinelands communities of Atlantic County. Raised in West New York and Palisades Park, Don has lived in every corner of our state and, at different times, been both a Boy Scouts executive and a casino executive. He previously served as Mayor of Atlantic City before being elected to the New Jersey Assembly in November 2021. During his three years in office, Don has sponsored 17 pieces of legislation that have become law—all of which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. He is the only openly gay man in the New Jersey Legislature and the first openly gay Republican legislator in state history. Don resides in Atlantic City’s Northeast Inlet with his husband, Louis Fatato.