Board of Visitors

Benjamin Appleby is an Actuary (FSA) and has worked in the insurance industry since his graduation from NJIT in 1998 with a B.S. in Statistics & Actuarial Science. His specialty is in pricing life insurance products, an exercise that requires deep understanding of actuarial and financial projections as well as close collaboration with a variety of business and functional partners. Ben has worked extensively in international markets, including overseas assignments in Taiwan, Singapore, and Italy. He is highly appreciative of the cross-cultural experiences and relationships that he's developed over the years. After nearly a decade abroad, Ben and his family have settled in New Jersey. Ben enjoys being back home in NJ, close to his family and actively involved with his alma mater – NJIT.

Siddhartha (Sid) Bala is CIO of Data & Platforms Solutions and Head of Public Cloud at BNY Mellon. He has previously served in technology leadership roles at TIAA, Barclays and Goldman Sachs. Sid graduated from NJIT in 1996 with a B.S. in Computer Science and holds an MBA in Finance & Marketing from NYU's Stern School of Business. In addition to chairing the CSLA Board of Visitors, he also serves on NJIT’s Board of Overseers and on the investment committee for NJIT’s Venture Fund. In 2019, Sid was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the College of Science & Liberal Arts.

Partha Chakraborty has 20+ years of cybersecurity leadership experience in the financial services, healthcare, and insurance industries. An active speaker and panelist at cybersecurity conferences worldwide, he is passionate about new technologies and understanding cyber trends. Partha is currently the Head of Enterprise Security Architecture, Engineering and Innovation for Humana – a Fortune 50 Company. Prior to Humana, Partha held executive leadership roles with Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Bank of Montreal. A CISSP, CCSP, CEH, CHFI-certified security expert, he holds a B.E. in Applied Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering from NIT Rourkela, an M.S. in Cyber Security from Western Governors University, an M.S. in Technology Management from Columbia University, and a cybersecurity professional certificate from Stanford University. Partha is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and sits on the Rutgers University Cybersecurity Program Advisory Board, Pace University’s Security Advisory Board, and the CSLA Board of Visitors.

Yadan Chen has 20+ years of experience in New Chemical Entity (NCE) drug development. She is the founder and CEO of Exemplify Biopharma, a global partnership research organization that provides end-to-end Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) program management and functional area coordination. She was also the founder and managing partner of pharmaceutical consulting company Garden State PharmaTech, where her areas of responsibility included overall scientific, regulatory CMC and quality consulting services, business development, and resource management. Prior to founding Garden State PharmaTech in 2014, Yadan was a principal scientist at Merck, responsible for analytical development and CMC authorization from 1994 to 2014. Her work spanned API process development, analytical development, tech transfer, commercialization and market registration.

Cynthia Colucci has 30+ years of commercial banking experience across a wide range of industries, specializing in managing commercial and industrial relationships and lending to the education and non-for-profit sectors. Cynthia currently works as Senior Relationship Manager with T.D. Bank's Central New Jersey Middle Market and Not-for-Profit Lending Group, where she provides financial solutions and products to middle market companies ($75M+ revenues), as well as not-for-profit organizations in the education and municipal sectors. Prior to her tenure at T.D. Bank, Cynthia held lending positions at Summit Bank/Fleet Bank and Société Générale in New York City, where she covered French-based corporations throughout the U.S. Cynthia currently serves as President of the Northern NJ Chapter of the Risk Management Association and sits on the Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey Board of Advisors, the Leading Women Entrepreneurs Advisory Board, and the CSLA Board of Visitors.

Alana Dudley graduated from NJIT in 2017 with a B.S. in Mathematics of Finance & Actuarial Sciences and a minor in Business. An Albert Dorman Honors College student and star athlete on the NJIT Women's Basketball Team, Alana distinguished herself within the NJIT community both academically and athletically. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, having been named to the ASUN Winter 2017 Winners for Life Team, NJAIAWs 2017 Woman of the Year, and an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. Upon graduating, Alana began working as a Fee Billing Associate at PGIM Fixed Income and has since built experience with the firm’s Performance Reporting and Data Integrity teams. She now resides in the Portfolio Analysis Group as a Senior Investment Analyst focusing on their Liquidity Relative Value Hedge Fund platform.

Russell Furnari is currently retired, spending time as an environmental policy consultant and volunteer. Prior to his retirement, he spent 42 with the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), working in a variety of operating and technical support positions. He most recently held the position of Manager of Environmental Policy Enterprise, where he was responsible for managing the analysis, interpretation and position development on regulatory and legislative issues facing PSEG’s operating subsidiaries. He has a B.S. in Industrial Administration from NJIT and an M.A. in Environmental Management from Montclair State University. Passionate about public service and sustainability, Russell is active with several organizations working to promote climate mitigation/adaptation, sustainable communities, and habitat restoration throughout the state and the region. These include the NJ Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, NJ Climate Change Alliance, Conserve Wildlife Foundation, American Littoral Society, Center for Aquatic Sciences, Hackensack Riverkeeper, and PSEG Institute of Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University, in addition to serving on the CSLA Board of Visitors.

Ron Greenberg is Chief Marketing Officer at Chief Outsiders, providing CEOs with part-time marketing expertise to deliver value and growth for their businesses. Ron is also part-time CMO of CompassMSP, an Inc. 5000 growth company and provider of managed services for SMBs. Ron has delivered business growth for a wide range of companies and clients, both in large enterprises and startups. He has successfully led global marketing organizations in leadership positions, as General Manager of Global Marketing for Microsoft’s Enterprise and Partner Group; as SVP of Worldwide Marketing at Avid Technology; at IBM, and at several startup technology organizations, including as EVP of Business Development and Marketing at NICE/Actimize. Ron was a charter member of IBM’s Global Marketing Board, and its first CMO in Asia, where he built a world-class organization across 14 Asia Pacific countries – for all IBM divisions and brands, including partner marketing. Ron is an adjunct professor in the Martin Tuchman School of Management at NJIT, where he teaches international business and leadership skills to MBA and undergraduate students. Ron is also a team leader at New York Cares, the largest volunteer network in NYC, offering thousands of volunteer opportunities in nonprofits and schools.

Paul Rogers is the Founder and President of Sumach Enterprises, LLC, a private equity investor in service-oriented U.S. businesses positioned to achieve a leadership position within fragmented industries. Prior to his private equity focus, Paul was a senior executive with one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, where he held various leadership roles in Toronto, Tokyo, London, and New York. Paul received a Hons. B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1980, where he was awarded the Governor General’s of Canada bronze and silver medals for academic excellence. In 1982, Paul was awarded a Frank Knox Fellowship to the Harvard Business School, where he received his MBA with High Distinction (Baker Scholar). Paul received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from NJIT in 2008 and 2011, respectively. His scientific papers have appeared in various peer reviewed publications and continue to receive citations.