Our Staff
Marcus Rayner | executive director
Marcus Rayner is the executive director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance (NJLRA). A native New Jerseyan, Rayner has spent his career serving the state of New Jersey, both in Trenton and Washington, D.C. Prior to joining NJLRA, Rayner was district director to Representative Mike Ferguson of New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, where he oversaw state operations. In this capacity, he directed community relations and constituent service activities, while serving as the Congressman's representative in the community and reaching out to local groups and organizations.
Rayner began his professional career working for Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco. While with the governor's office, he helped develop Governor Whitman's property tax policy, including the NJSAVER rebate program which sought to alleviate the local school tax burden on millions of residents, as well as other economic development initiatives designed to improve New Jersey's economy and bring business to the state.
Rayner also worked with Governor Whitman at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he helped develop a strategic plan for integrating homeland security into the Agency's core mission of environmental protection.
Rayner graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in politics. He was born in Morristown, raised in Montgomery Township and now lives in Lambertville with his wife.
AnnMarie McDonald | communications director
AnnMarie McDonald is the communications director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance (NJLRA). Her career in public service spans both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. Prior to joining NJLRA, McDonald worked as a public relations manager at a Trenton-based nonprofit organization which specialized in serving at-risk populations.
McDonald began her career in the press office of New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She later served as a legislative director to Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein of New Jersey's 14th legislative district, where she was the Assemblywoman's chief contact for policy and communication. She worked on strengthening consumer privacy legislation and other matters before the Judiciary Committee before moving to the state senate.
McDonald graduated summa cum laude from Drew University with a degree in Political Science. She holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government.
Alida Kass | special counsel for alliance development
Prior to NJLRA, she taught as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown
University Law Center. She also worked on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant for Representative Christopher Cox, where she handled commerce
and judicial issues.
Kass graduated from Duke University with a degree in history, and earned her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. A member of the New Jersey bar, she resides in Chatham, where she serves on the Borough Board
of Adjustment.
Nancy Nucaso | executive assistant
Nancy Nucaso is the executive assistant of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance (NJLRA). Born in Pennsylvania, she spent the majority of her life living in New Jersey and working within the State's legal system. She is a certified paralegal with over 30 years experience. Prior to joining NJLRA, she worked for the shareholder of a large corporate law firm dedicated to the fight for the preservation of farmland and open space in New Jersey, acting as a liaison between major building corporations and the client. She presently resides in Mansfield Township, New Jersey.
