New Jersey Institute of Technology’s annual Celebration gala will take place Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at The Grove in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, honoring six individuals and organizations whose achievements exemplify leadership, innovation, service and commitment to the university.
The black-tie event brings together alumni, business leaders and friends of NJIT for an evening of dinner, dancing and awards in support of student scholarships. Established in 1995 to benefit the Albert Dorman Honors College, Celebration has supported students across all six of NJIT’s colleges since 2007.
Celebration has raised more than $10 million in endowed scholarship funds since its founding. The 2025 gala drew the largest audience in the event’s history and raised a record amount, building new momentum for NJIT’s efforts to make a transformative education accessible to talented and motivated students. Serving as student speaker this year is Sydney Burlingame-Grissom, a chemical engineering student, Albert Dorman Honors scholar and midfielder for the Women’s Soccer team.
“Celebration brings the NJIT community together around two of our most important commitments: creating opportunities for our students and recognizing people and organizations whose leadership has a meaningful impact on society,” said NJIT Interim President John A. Pelesko. “This year’s honorees reflect the ingenuity, service and generosity that define our university and its extended community.”
The 2026 honorees are:
Dr. Joel Bloom — University Medal for Lifetime Achievement
Bloom served NJIT for three decades, culminating in his tenure as the university’s eighth president from 2011 to 2022. He joined NJIT as a vice president in 1990 and became the inaugural dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College in 1998, overseeing its growth into a nationally recognized honors college.
As president, Bloom led NJIT through a period of significant expansion in enrollment, research, fundraising and campus development. Under his leadership, the university completed a $200 million fundraising campaign, added approximately 1 million square feet of teaching and research facilities, expanded its faculty and strengthened its standing as a national research university and engine of economic mobility. Before joining NJIT, Bloom worked in industry, public education and state government, including service as an assistant commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Education.
Leon K. Baptiste ’91 — Lifetime Alumni Leadership Award
Baptiste is the founder and CEO of LB Electric, an electrical contracting and engineering firm he established in 1999. With more than 38 years of experience, he has helped lead major electrical projects across New Jersey and New York, including work associated with the Prudential Center, Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A, the Port Authority’s Harrison Station, East Side Access and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
A graduate of NJIT’s electrical engineering program, Baptiste remains closely engaged with the university as chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Industry Advisory Board and a member of the Newark College of Engineering Board of Visitors and the Educational Opportunity Program Industry Advisory Board. He also established the LB Training Center to provide college students, urban youth and people reentering the workforce with education and training in solar-energy technologies.
Komal Dangi ’19 — Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement
Dangi is the founder and CEO of Synkriom and VeriKlick and has more than 15 years of experience in the information-technology industry. An entrepreneur who has launched six startups globally, she is recognized for developing technology-driven businesses while advocating for women and members of historically marginalized communities.
Dangi earned a master’s degree in computer science and an MBA from NJIT. She has held leadership roles with the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce and has supported initiatives focused on supplier diversity, community engagement and STEM education. Her professional and civic contributions have been recognized by organizations in New Jersey and New York.
Richard Schatzberg ’93 — University Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Schatzberg is a founding member and chief commercial officer of NeST Technologies Corp., where he leads revenue generation and strategic planning and oversees technical operations serving the insurance, banking and financial-services sectors.
An NJIT alumnus, Schatzberg is chair of the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors and a member of the C-Suite Board of the New Jersey Innovation Institute. His record of service has also included board roles with organizations advancing employment, accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, including The Viscardi Center, the National Business and Disability Council, Ruh Global and the Runway of Dreams Foundation.
Fiserv — Outstanding Corporate Partner
Fiserv is a global financial-technology company connecting commerce and financial services through platforms spanning payments, account processing, digital banking, merchant services and e-commerce. A Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, Fiserv maintains a significant presence in New Jersey through its Innovation Center in Berkeley Heights, a 428,000-square-foot hub for collaboration and financial-technology development.
Fiserv’s engagement with NJIT has included recruiting students and graduates, participating in university career fairs and supporting experiential opportunities such as GirlHacks, NJIT’s annual hackathon centered on empowering women and nonbinary students in technology. The partnership also extends to university leadership through Fiserv Senior Vice President Nancy Hall’s service on the NJIT Foundation Board of Directors.
Made Scientific — Special Friends to the University
Made Scientific is a Princeton, New Jersey-based cell-therapy contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in the development, production and release of autologous and allogeneic cell-therapy products for clinical and commercial use.
The company combines specialized technical expertise with development and manufacturing capabilities designed to help cell-therapy organizations bring treatments from early-stage development to scalable production. Made Scientific is supported by GC Corporation, a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
For complete honoree biographies and additional information about Celebration, visit njit.edu/celebration.
Celebration remains a cornerstone of NJIT’s commitment to access and excellence, helping ensure that future generations of engineers, architects, scientists, computing professionals, entrepreneurs and other leaders can pursue an NJIT education and make an impact in New Jersey and beyond.
