NJIT's Newark College of Engineering ‘Salute’ Celebrates Excellence Across Alumni, Industry, Philanthropy and Student Achievement

NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering brought together alumni, students, faculty, staff and industry partners for its 28th Annual Salute to Engineering Excellence, an evening that celebrated the people and partnerships helping shape the college’s future.

Held April 16 at Stone House at Stirling Ridge, the annual event highlighted achievement across the NCE community. Proceeds from the night will support experiential learning and NCE competitive student teams and organizations.

Salute has long served as one of the college’s signature traditions, recognizing the breadth of excellence that defines NJIT’s engineering community. This year’s honorees reflected that range — from public-sector leadership and industry partnership to philanthropy, student success, teaching and service. In NCE Dean Moshe Kam’s welcome, he noted how their attendance reinforces these traditions of celebration and support.

“We are very pleased that you have joined us this evening for this event to acknowledge and recognize the substantial achievements of our students, faculty, and staff. Our college started as the Newark Technical School and has been in productive operation since the 1880s. Your presence here at this event of celebration and recognition is therefore a link in a long tradition of productivity and contribution to the profession, to our city, state and nation and to the welfare, progress and success of our students.” 

Among the evening’s top honorees was Manuel “Manny” Da Silva ’93, CEO of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, who received the NCE Outstanding Alumnus Award. 

Da Silva (center) with Chair of the Board of Trustees Robert Cohen (left) and NCE Dean Moshe Kam (right)

A civil engineering graduate of NJIT, Da Silva has built a career at the intersection of engineering, construction and public service. Since his appointment to lead the NJSDA in 2019, he has overseen a multibillion-dollar effort to modernize educational infrastructure across New Jersey, with a focus on delivering safe, sustainable school facilities and improving project delivery for communities across the state. His recognition demonstrated how an NCE education can translate into large-scale civic impact.

The NCE Spirit Award went to Rolando “Roly” Acosta, president and CEO of JAG Companies, whose support for NJIT reflects both personal connection and sustained engagement. 

Acosta (left) and Cohen (right)

Acosta is a founding board member of NJIT’s Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council (HLLC) and established the Juan A. Gutierrez Endowed Scholarship in honor of his late father. His support of the university, along with his commitment to recruiting NJIT students and graduates, has helped strengthen ties between the institution and the communities it serves.

This year’s NCE Outstanding Industry Partnership Award recognized Pennoni, an engineering and design firm founded in 1966 with deep ties to NJIT. 

Hay, an alum and Associate Vice President at Pennoni

The company has supported the university through philanthropy, student opportunity and collaboration, while also employing many NJIT alumni — including some in senior leadership roles. Pennoni’s work with NJIT has included the renovation and renewal of Faculty Memorial Hall, where the firm helped deliver critical infrastructure upgrades supporting modern research and teaching needs. Todd Hay ’02, accepted the award on behalf of the firm, bringing together Pennoni’s institutional partnership with NJIT and the strong alumni connection between the company and the college.

The evening also spotlighted student achievement through Samantha Montalbine, recipient of the NCE Outstanding Senior Award. 

Montalbine will join Valcor Engineering full-time after graduation.

A mechanical engineering major in the Albert Dorman Honors College, Montalbine has paired academic excellence with leadership across campus, including roles with Highlander Racing, Martinson Hall Council and donor and alumni engagement. Her internships with Thorlabs and Valcor Engineering, where she has accepted a full-time role as a design engineer, made her a fitting example of the talent, drive and professional promise Salute is designed to celebrate.

In addition to the evening’s major honorees, NCE recognized a wide range of outstanding students, faculty and staff.

• Departmental Outstanding Seniors
  • Adam Mariano, electrical and computer engineering
  • Kaily Peixoto, School of Applied Engineering and Technology
  • Pia Piazzi, chemical and materials engineering
  • Krish Poudel, biomedical engineering
  • Enzo Suarez, civil and environmental engineering
  • Samantha Montalbine, mechanical and industrial engineering
• Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Design Award
  • Machine Learning Enhanced Electromyography (EMG) Prosthetic Arm — Cheyenne Campos, Chris Davorson, Edward Hernandez, Brandon Lee and Amiyah Stephens
• Madame Mau Outstanding Female Engineering Student Award
  • Iniobong Ofonime
• Outstanding Graduate Student Award
  • Mohammad Jafari
• Outstanding Student Organization
  • Engineers Without Borders
• Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award
  • Dr. Charbel Abou-Khalil

Faculty and staff honorees included:

• Excellence in Teaching Award
  • Ashish Borgaonkar
• Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education Award
  • Swapnil Moon
• Outstanding Advising Award
  • Faneza Hoossain-Ally
• Excellence in Teaching by an Adjunct Award
  • Lucas Dorazio
• Rising Star Research Award
  • Prateek Shekhar
• Outstanding Administrative Staff Award
  • Byron Chen
• Dean’s Service Award
  • Alexandra Carreras

Salute’s honorees captured what the annual celebration has come to represent: not only individual achievement, but the larger ecosystem of mentorship, partnership, generosity and engineering leadership that continues to move Newark College of Engineering forward.