Board of Trustees Membership

Officers

As president of Stryker Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies organization, Robert is responsible for leading efforts that build, maintain, and elevate surgical procedure enabling technologies, including robotics and navigation, and digital healthcare such as pre-planning, predicative analytics, and artificial intelligence. 

Robert has more than 35 years of experience in the medical device industry, spearheading orthopaedic innovations including advanced joint replacement and spinal implants, novel biomaterials, and robotics. His extensive expertise helps to ensure Stryker continues to expand the enterprise capability in all aspects of digital, robotics and enabling technologies.

Prior to his current role, Robert served in technical leadership roles for Implex Corp, Zimmer, Mako Surgical, and just prior as the Chief Technology Officer for Stryker’s Joint Replacement division. Robert has over 25 patents and speaks globally at medical education conferences. Robert received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and masters’ degrees in both engineering management and mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).  Robert is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. 

At NJIT, Robert’s alma mater, he is Chair of the university’s Board of Trustees.  Robert is a long-time member of NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering’s Board of Visitors and a New Jersey Innovation Institute, a NJIT subsidiary, Board Member.   He regularly participates in pre-college programs and alumni events. 

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Norma Clayton retired in 2017 as vice president for learning, training and development at Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems, and service provider of aftermarket support. In this capacity, she collaborated with businesses and was responsible for the design and implementation of training and development programs. She previously served as vice president of supplier management and procurement for integrated defense systems, where she was responsible for all subcontract and procurement matters. She also served as vice president and general manager of the maintenance and modification centers for integrated defense systems, in which role she had overall responsibility for the large aircraft modification center in San Antonio and tactical aircraft modification centers in Arizona and Florida. Ms. Clayton joined Boeing in 1995 as an engineer. Prior to Boeing, she served as division director of fabrication at McDonnell Douglas. She also held leadership roles in manufacturing, supply chain management, program management and plant operations at Lockheed Martin, General Electric, RCA, and General Motors. She currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees of Tuskegee University. She received her B.S. degree in Industrial Administration from NJIT in 1981 and M.S. degree from Webster University. At NJIT, she received the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus/a Award in 2006 and the Alumni Achievement Award in 2001.

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Nicholas DeNichilo, PE, was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mott MacDonald, North America and is presently a retired professional serving on various boards and professional associations. Nick officially retired as of January 1, 2022. He was responsible for the success and sustainability of the firm’s entire operation in North America. Mott MacDonald - North America is a $600 million business with 2500 employees and is part of Mott MacDonald’s $ 2 billion global operations with 16,000 employees. Nick served as a member of the Mott MacDonald Group Executive Board. He brings technical expertise, with 48 years of experience in the consulting field, an extensive network of relationships with key industry leaders and regulators.

An industry expert, Nick has authored and presented numerous technical papers, and hosted technical discussions at various industry events. He also is active in many professional and trade organizations. Nick is a licensed professional engineer in many states and the District of Columbia. He is past Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Industry Leaders Council and is a past Chair of the New Jersey Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). He is a member of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of ASCE. Mr. DeNichilo is also a member of the National Academy of Construction. He is a member of the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees and previously served as a member of NJIT’s Board of Overseers and past Chairman of the Newark College of Engineering Board of Visitors. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Innovation Institute. He previously served as a member of the University of Rutgers, New Jersey Climate Change Alliance. Mr. DeNichilo is also a Board member of the Villanova Career Compass Advisory Board. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Industry Board of Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space at Columbia University.

Nick has been honored to receive awards throughout his career, including ASCE’s Engineer of the Year Award in 1999. In 2003 New Jersey Section of the American Water Works Association awarded Nick the George Warren Fuller Award for his distinguished professional volunteer service in the water field. In 2005, the NJIT Alumni Association presented Nick with the Association’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. In 2014, ASCE awarded Nick the Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding civil engineering leaders whose lifetime achievements and accomplishments have made significate differences in the field of engineering management. In 2015, ASCE awarded Nick the John I. Parcel – Leif J. Sverdrup Civil Engineering Management Award for becoming a widely respected national voice on behalf of safe engineering practices and the need for resilient infrastructure while guiding Mott MacDonald through an extraordinary period of growth and profitability as President and CEO. In 2020 Nick was selected as an Honorary Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (Hon.D.WRE) in the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. In 2021, Nick was awarded the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award. Nick received his BSCE from Newark College of Engineering and his MSCE from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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Dhiraj Shah is General Partner at Primera Capital and founder and executive chairman of Avaap. Primera Capital is a silicon valley based early stage investment firm that has funded some of the world’s most transformative technology companies. Avaap is an industry-focused, cross-platform management and technology consulting firm specializing in systems integration for large companies. Mr. Shah started the company in 2006. Prior to Avaap, he held several positions at Lawson Software. He was instrumental in developing Lawson’s offshore strategy by helping establish a global center of excellence in Chennai. He has served as a speaker at industry conferences including Inforum, CHiME, INC. 500 conference, and the Kaplan Institute. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, a global networking organization of successful entrepreneurs. He received his B.S. degree in Computer and Information Science in 2000 from the Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT.

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Jim Stamatis is the chief executive officer of True Environmental, an environmental and engineering platform backed by Halle Capital. Before assuming his current role, Jim spent over 30 years with Louis Berger, a diversified global engineering firm with 6,000 employees. He started as a project engineer then ultimately became the CEO. Immediately prior to his role as CEO, Jim served as President of their International Division and prior to that, their U.S. Division. In 2018 he led the company’s sale to the WSP Group. The company’s portfolio included iconic landmark projects such as the World Trade Center Redevelopment, and the restorations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Statue of Liberty. They were also contracted by FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide disaster recovery response services such as installing emergency power infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after hurricanes Maria and Irma. Jim also played professional soccer in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the Major Indoor Soccer League(MISL), and the American Soccer League (ASL). He was an All-American soccer player at Penn State University and in 1979, was awarded the Hermann Trophy, as the nation’s top college player of the year. He participated in the qualifying games for the 1980 Olympics as a member of the U.S. soccer team. In addition to his role as Trustee of NJIT, Jim serves on Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy Board of Advisors and on the Players Development Academy Soccer Club Board of Directors. He was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Boy Scouts of New Jersey in 2017 and received the President's Medal from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2019. Mr. Stamatis received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 1985.

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Dennis Toft is a member and co-chair of the Environmental Department of the law firm of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG), a full-service regional law firm with 185 attorneys and offices in New Jersey and New York. Mr. Toft provides counsel on all aspects of environmental law, including regulatory counseling, environmental due diligence, permitting, enforcement and environmental litigation, development/redevelopment and environmental insurance. He is a leading Brownfields redevelopment practitioner. He was appointed by former Governor Christine Todd Whitman to serve on the New Jersey Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Task Force, a group created by state law to identify and market Brownfields sites. He was appointed chairman of the task force in 2002. He served on the transition team for two Governors (McGreevy and Christie ) addressing environmental matters.  Mr. Toft regularly appears before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, municipal land use boards, and the Office of Administrative Law, and in state and federal courts. He serves as a director of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and is a Trustee of the New Jersey Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. . He received the ICON Honors Award from NJBIZ, Industry Service Award from NAIOP, Outstanding Volunteer Service Award from United Way, Silver Beaver Award from the Patriot’s Path Council, and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boys Scouts of America. He was inducted into the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame and the NAIOP New Jersey Hall of Fame. He received his B.S. degree in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 and J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1982.

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Members

Dr. Jason Baynes is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at Health East Medical Center. He serves as an on-field physician for several high school football teams. He previously served as a team physician for professional and collegiate sports teams. Dr. Baynes performs arthroscopies of the shoulder, knee, hip and elbow. He has presented research on the science of ligament and tendon healing in injuries to the knee and shoulder. Dr. Baynes completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and fellowship in arthroscopic and sports medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as chair and secretary of the YMCA of Greater Bergen County Board of Managers. He received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and Doctor of Medicine degree from Yale School of Medicine. At NJIT, he is a member of the Center for Pre-College Programs Advisory Board.

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Elisa Charters is principal of EAC Business International LLC, a management consulting company. Projects and services include public and private ventures, capital projects and healthcare, transportation and infrastructure, real estate, planning and land use, corporate social responsibility, M/WBE access and inclusion awareness, and women in tech. Ms. Charters was affiliated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) for 14 years, where she served as general manager and assistant comptroller of the port commerce business. She was lead negotiator of acquisitions and operations for the WTC Redevelopment effort post-9/11, developing key strategies for the master lease agreement and relevant sub-agreements on behalf of PANYNJ. Prior to 9/11, she served as a senior financial analyst in the Real Estate Department. Ms. Charters is an advocate for Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and community and small business development. In 2014, she co-founded Latina Surge National, an organization that educates and advocates for D&I and gender parity on executive boards in government, corporate America, and higher education. She serves as president of the Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University (LAACU) and a member of the Advisory Board of Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business. She received her B.S. degree in Science, Technology & Society from NJIT in 1992, M.S. degree in Environmental Science from NJIT in 1993, and Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University. She is a member of the Martin Tuchman School of Management Advisory Board and is a recipient of the 2019 College of Science and Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

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Gary Dahms is president and chief executive officer of T&M Associates, a national consulting, environmental, engineering and construction management company. He is responsible for the diversification of T&M’s core services and the introduction of emerging services. He joined T&M in 1984 in the municipal practice and moved into the transportation department before being named department manager of the real estate development practice. In 2009, he was named chief operating officer and executive vice president. Mr. Dahms is a recipient of the 2020 ICON Honors Award by NJBIZ. He is vice president and a member of the Board of Trustees for HABcore, an organization that provides permanent housing and individualized support, helps homeless families with children, veterans, and individuals with special needs move through crisis to stability. Mr. Dahms received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College.

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Richard M. Maser is a licensed Professional Engineer, Professional Planner, and Certified Municipal Engineer. He graduated from NCE in 1973 with a BS degree in Civil Engineering. A long-time supporter of his alma mater, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), he currently serves on the NJIT Board of Trustees, and was honored with the NJIT Alumni Achievement Award in 2014. Richard founded Maser Consulting, PA in 1984 and successfully ran the firm until 2020 when it was acquired through a unique partnership with Colliers and rebranded as Colliers Engineering & Design and continues to lead as Executive Chairman. His leadership and contributions to the field have earned him numerous accolades, including the ICON Honors Award from NJBIZ in 2017, the Joshua Huddy Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America Monmouth Council in 2016, the Clara Barton Corporate Humanitarian Award from the American Red Cross Jersey Chapter in 2014, and the Excellence in Management Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2010. He was also inducted into the NAIOP New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Diane Montalto is former president of DSA Engineering, an engineering design consultancy with experience in providing innovative multi-disciplinary engineering services. She was responsible for managing real estate development projects and supporting hospitality industry ventures. Ms. Montalto was affiliated with Par Pharmaceutical from 1999 to 2017, where she served as vice president, corporate services and facilities management, vice president, information technology and corporate services, and senior director, corporate engineering and facilities management.

Prior to Par Pharmaceutical, she served as facility engineering and maintenance manager at Anheuser-Busch and project engineer at Lederle Laboratories. She started her career as a project engineer at Maxwell House. Ms. Montalto founded Hearts for Hunger, which led to a partnership with the Center for Food Action in Englewood, New Jersey, an organization that funds food enrichment programs for North Jersey school districts. She speaks at area secondary schools to promote careers in science and technology. She received her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from NJIT in 1982 and MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1988.

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Paul Profeta is one of two sons born to immigrant parents in Maplewood, New Jersey. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in 1962, was admitted to Harvard College as a sophomore, graduated in 1967 and then got an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1971.

Profeta launched Paul V. Profeta & Associates, Inc., in 1976, a real estate investment company that is actively engaged in procuring throughout the country “value added” investment properties, net leased properties, and building “ground up” new developments including a 300,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Columbus, Ohio for Amazon, and a 700,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Winter Haven, Florida for Sherwin-Williams, 155,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Salem, New Hampshire, and 125 acres at Exit 8 in East Windsor, New Jersey that has entitlements to build 1,000,000 sq. ft.

Simultaneously, Profeta has pursued a career in education. He has guest lectured extensively at Harvard Business School and has had his cases published by that school. He also co-founded the Real Estate Department at Columbia Business School and taught there for 10 years. He endowed the Chaired Real Estate Professorship at Rutgers Business School while creating the Rutgers Real Estate Center around that Chaired Professorship. The Center now boasts over 1,000 students, with classes being taught at both the Newark and New Brunswick campuses. The program is offered as its own major. Most recently, Profeta has created the Profeta Real Estate Center at NJIT, plus a Minority Enterprise center where he teaches Thursday nights.

In 2008, Mr. Profeta founded the Profeta Urban Investment Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that he funded to provide seed capital for start-ups at no interest and no liability in addition to offering extensive mentoring throughout the process. To date, the Foundation has launched about fifty businesses representing over 1,000 new jobs. In addition, the Foundation has funded the Rutgers Law Associates program run by Dean Rothman of Rutgers Law to help ex-cons and gang members integrate back into normal society by extinguishing old or improperly served warrants. Profeta also used to publish Radius magazine which tried to portray Newark in a positive light and now publishes Real Estate-NJ which is the State’s only magazine focused solely on commercial real estate. And finally, Profeta partnered with an African- American woman to open Duke’s on Clinton Street in Newark which was a jazz/soul food/night club.

When Profeta married Joanne Malino, a certified nutritional counselor, he became aware of all the contaminates contained in our conventional food supply. He realized that America had to change the way it feeds itself. Together, they created Profeta Farms in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and got it USDA certified organic. Food from that farm is now donated to the student food pantry at NJIT.

Profeta is a member of the Board of Trustees of New Jersey Institute of Technology, Board of Trustees of Newark Beth Israel Hospital, Member of the Board of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and was formerly on the Boards of Trustees of Rutgers, the Board of Overseers Rutgers University, the 200 Club of Essex County, and Our House Inc.

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Kim Vierheilig, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, is the President of the national Buildings group at STV. In this role, she oversees strategy, growth and delivery for the social infrastructure markets, including justice, education, health and well-being, transportation, science and technology, federal programs and cities. Kim leads a multidisciplinary team engaged in all aspects of buildings planning, programming, architecture, interior design and engineering. Bringing a value-driven approach to her clients’ projects, her work has been featured in numerous publications and speaking engagements.

With more than two decades of experience, Kim’s broad range of expertise spans high-performance, student-centric educational design, reform-focused justice design and communitydevelopment at large. She has served clients across North America, including numerous New York City agencies, to help re-envision the public realm, address inadequacies in mobility and housing and develop community-centric equitable solutions.

Committed to taking an active role in advocacy for the profession and mentorship for the next generation, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) New York City Post, Board of Directors of the ACE Mentor Program of America and the Executive Board for the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ). She has also served as President of the New Jersey State Board of Architects, New Jersey State Representative to the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB), Vice President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Jersey Chapter, Regional Associate Director of New Jersey for AIA National and President of the Architects League of Northern New Jersey (ALNNJ). 

At NJIT, Kim has served on the Board of Overseers, the Advisory Board for the Hillier College of Architecture and Design and as a past Co-Chair and active participant of Celebration. 

A graduate of the Honors College, Kim received her Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Science in Management from NJIT. She is a registered architect in multiple states.

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Emeriti Trustees

Stephen DePalma, Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, is former chief executive officer of Schoor DePalma. The company was founded by Howard Schoor, a civil engineer, in 1968. Mr. DePalma joined the company in 1972. Schoor DePalma was an engineering and consulting firm with locations in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company completed high-profile projects in the public and private sectors. Clients included the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Delaware River Port Authority, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the firm was engineer of record for 60+ local governments in New Jersey. Mr. DePalma retired as chairman and chief executive officer in 2007. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 1972. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2002 and the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2019.

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Larry Raia currently serves as advisor to the management team of Raia Capital Management (RCM) and Raia Properties Corporation (RPC). He is a member of the Investment Committee overseeing all Raia family investments. Raia Capital Management is a real estate investment management and development firm with a diverse portfolio that includes office buildings, industrial buildings, self-storage facilities, and residential apartment communities. The company has a current portfolio of Class A apartment complexes in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Missouri. His father, Joseph Raia, Sr., started Raia Industries, a concrete business. Mr. Raia served as an executive officer and provided strategic leadership in the areas of sales, quality control, and engineering. He was also instrumental in the acquisition of plant sites, the construction of concrete and aggregate plants, quarry development, and site reclamation. Notable projects include roadwork on Route 80 and Route 287, the Newport Center Complex in Jersey City, Continental Airlines Arena, sections of the former Giant Stadium, and the Hartz Mountain complex in Secaucus. In 1987, the Raia brothers sold Raia Industries to Blue Circle Atlantic Corporation in 1987. They later focused on developing and investing in commercial properties and started the self-storage business. Mr. Raia is a member of the Zoning Board in the borough of Saddle River. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1965 from NJIT and MBA degree in 1979 from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a member of the Newark College of Engineering Board of Visitors. Mr. Raia received the President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 2011 and the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2000. NJIT awarded him an honorary degree in 2021.

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Peter Cistaro retired as vice president, gas delivery at PSE&G in 2007. He joined the company after graduating from NJIT in 1968 and held positions of increasing responsibility in labor relations, marketing, quality assurance, and customer service. PSE&G transmits and distributes electricity to 2.2 million customers and natural gas to 1.8 million customers in New Jersey. Mr. Cistaro is a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. Ordained in 2009, he assists at Mass, administers some sacraments, and ministers to patients in hospitals and nursing homes. At Saint Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Parsippany, he is chair of the Parish Finance Committee and is responsible for the Evangelization Ministry, Cultural Diversity Committee, and the Adult Faith Formation. He was appointed director of the permanent diaconate for the Paterson Diocese in 2014. He is a member of Martin de Porres Village and RIESE Housing Complex in Paterson. Mr. Cistaro received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from NJIT in 1968 and MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University in 1980. At NJIT, he received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2012 and the Newark College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002.

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Secretary

Sandy A. Curko, Esq.

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Treasurer

Catherine Brennan