Five from NJIT Earn Recognition in ROI-NJ's Influencers: People of Color 2022
ROI-NJ recognized five Highlanders in the publication’s annual list showcasing the diversity of New Jersey’s most impactful people of color.
“The reason we do this ROI Influencer list is to show those searching for mid-level managers, C-suite leaders and board members that there literally are hundreds of talented people of color ready to fill those roles,” ROI-NJ noted.
The honorees are connected to NJIT in a variety of ways, ranging from President to board members to alumni:
The ninth president of NJIT and the first president of color to lead the institution, Lim is of Chinese descent and grew up in Malaysia, where he endured racism as an ethnic minority. One of Lim’s visions is to ensure that NJIT is a truly welcoming and inclusive community, accessible to students of all backgrounds and financial means.
Charters, who earned two degrees at NJIT — a bachelor’s in environmental science/science, technology and society science and master’s in environmental science/chemical engineering — is the co-founder and president of nonprofit advocacy organization Latina Surge and a principal at EAC Business International. Charters is a member of NJIT’s Board of Trustees, and has previously served as vice chair of the Board of Directors of the N.J. Health Care Facilities Financing Authority and on the N.J. Minority and Business Advisory Board.
Perry, also an alumna of NJIT, is the first woman and first African-American chair of the NJIT Board of Overseers. She is CEO and president of MZM Construction & Management, an inductee of the New Jersey Business Hall of Fame, and a proud “Newark girl” who is a strong supporter of women and minorities in the construction industry — and is always looking to give back.
Luis De La Hoz and Francisco Cortes
Both De La Hoz and Cortes are members of NJIT’s Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council (HLLC), whose mission is to help achieve the university goal of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution and meeting the 25% hispanic student population marker by 2025. Cortes leads a top marketing agency, The Setroc Group, and is president of the Veterans Chamber of New Jersey, whose goal is to serve veteran-owned and connected businesses, as well as veteran job creation.
De La Hoz is chairman of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and is regional director of Community Lending at Valley National bank, where he works to help local, small and midsize businesses develop strategies for growth, with particular emphasis in supporting organizations with Latino and minority leadership.
In only its first year, the HLLC has already had an impact in increasing NJIT’s diversity. The fall 2022 cohort is NJIT’s biggest, and most-diverse ever with underrepresented minorities accounting for a record 42%, and Hispanics representing 30% of the first-year class. The HLLC is also directly supporting students financially, awarding two scholarships to pay tuition, room and board, and/or required fees for outstanding undergraduate students.
