HCSLA's global partnerships foster interdisciplinary research, academic exchange, and innovation with institutions in Europe, Latin America, and beyond.

Press Releases / News

Dr. Kenneth Lacovara is a world-renowned paleontologist who unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth, including the 65-ton Dreadnoughtus. He’s a popular TED speaker and the author of Why Dinosaurs Matter. His discoveries have been featured three times in Discover magazine’s "Top 100 Science Stories of the Year."

Dr. Lacovara appears regularly on Mysteries Unearthed on the History Channel and in numerous other television documentaries. He is the founding former dean of the School of Earth & Environment at Rowan University and the founding executive director of the celebrated Edelman Fossil Park & Museum.

He also serves on the scientific advisory board of Colossal Biosciences, a de-extinction company, and is a recipient of The Explorers Club Medal—the highest honor in exploration.

• Advancing Photonics Technologies
• AEOP (Army Educational Opportunity Program)
• COMET (NJIT/NJII/US DoD Collaborative Operationalized Manufacturing Engineering and Training)
• CREOL (College of Optics and Photonics at University of Central Florida)
• CSTR (Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research at NJIT)
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
• New Jersey STEM Pathways Network
• Newark STEM Ecosystem
• Optica (formerly OSA)
• SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics)
• University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences
• University of Rochester Institute of Optics

The Board of Visitors advises the Dean of the Jordan Hu College of Science & Liberal Arts on business, technology, workforce needs, and cultural developments that may influence course offerings, programs, and research initiatives to help position our College as a leader in education and research.

The Board of Visitors also provides financial support for the College’s initiatives, programs and students, and actively advocates for HCSLA with important external audiences including corporations, funding sources, government agencies, alumni, potential students, and the public at large.

Ben Appleby

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 Bala

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 HCSLA 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 Jordan Hu College of Science & Liberal Arts.

Parthasarathi Chakraborty

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 HCSLA Board of Visitors.

Yadan Chen

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

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 HCSLA Board of Visitors.

Alana Dudley

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 J. Furnari

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 HCSLA Board of Visitors.

Ronald S. Greenberg

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.

Jordan Hu

Jordan Hu is the founder and CEO of RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC, a global leader in software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for trading strategies, risk management, and portfolio management. Since its founding in 2001, RiskVal has become a trusted provider of analytics and trading systems for fixed income, credit derivatives, equities, foreign exchange, and derivatives. Before launching RiskVal, Jordan served as CEO of K&L Management Consulting, delivering research and IT consulting services. His earlier career included leadership roles as vice president on fixed-income trading desks at Citigroup, Salomon Brothers, and Goldman Sachs, where he specialized in arbitrage strategies and research. Born in Taiwan, Jordan earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from National Tsing Hua University in 1984 and an M.S. in Computer Science from NJIT in 1989. He is an honorary member and former chair of the Board of Directors for the National Tsing Hua University North America Foundation and serves as an advisor to the Taiwan Overseas Community Affairs Council. In 2024, the College of Science & Liberal Arts was renamed the Jordan Hu College of Science & Liberal Arts in recognition of a historic gift from Jordan, marking the single largest philanthropic commitment ever made by an NJIT graduate to the university.

Nelson Moreira

Nelson Moreira was appointed Vice President, Operations, Safety and Quality of Linde Gas and Equipment (LGE) in 2021.  He is responsible for leading the strategic direction of LGE operations which includes: Safety, Health and Environmental services, Quality, Production, Distribution, Asset Management, project management and Sustainability Moreira joined the Linde Division of Union Carbide in 1986 as a plant engineer in Newark, New Jersey and held progressively more responsible positions in both packaged and bulk gases operations, purchasing, sales and marketing, product management and e-business/customer care capabilities. He joined LGE (known as Praxair Distribution Inc. at the time) in 2000 as director of production & engineering for all industrial, medical and specialty gas operations. In 2003, Moreira served as director of distribution for LGE and in 2006 he was the general manager for the Ontario division. In 2008 he was named Chief Operating Officer of the GTS-Welco joint venture. In 2014 he was named as Director, Product Management for LGE. Moreira is currently serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Compressed Gas Association and in 2023 served as Chairman. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from NJIT.

Paul D. Rogers

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.