5 from NJIT Earn 'Enterprising Women in Commerce' Accolade

Five professors and administrators from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have been recognized as "Enterprising Women in Commerce" by Commerce Magazine, an honor that highlights outstanding achievements across a range of industries.

The honorees are among the select group chosen by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, celebrating excellence in fields including accounting, architecture, environmental services, financial services, health care, higher education, human resources, law, marketing, non-profit work and real estate.

Tara Alvarez - Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Alvarez is a distinguished professor of biomedical engineering who directs the Vision and Neural Engineering Laboratory and leads the undergraduate biomedical engineering program. As the pioneering engineer of a transformative team, Alvarez is revolutionizing the treatment of vision dysfunction in brain injury patients, with a special focus on children with concussions. Her innovative system, designed for cost-effective use at home and by various healthcare professionals, is setting new clinical standards and is being evaluated in collaboration with five major children’s hospitals.

Alvarez's groundbreaking research was the first to document the brain's changes due to vision therapy using fMRI, notably improving eye movements in concussion patients. Her work continues to advance the understanding of convergence insufficiency and its neural mechanisms.

She co-founded OculoMotor Technologies, leveraging her extensive research to automate eye movement analysis. A Fellow of AIMBE and the National Academy of Inventors, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry, Alvarez's contributions are pivotal in personalizing diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in vision science.

Cathy Brennan - Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Brennan strategically leads the development of a more than half billion dollar annual operating budget and a Finance Division that spans nine offices at NJIT, the state's only public polytechnic research university, which holds the highest research classification of R1 and helps diverse students achieve upward economic mobility.

Brennan brings financial discipline, fresh thinking and new models to higher ed based on her years of experience in NJ state government as deputy treasurer and section chief of revenue, finance and appropriations for the Office of Legislative Services. In particular, she’s leading a remodeling of NJIT’s annual budgeting process that’s data-driven, decentralized and identifies new revenue streams.

The new model is designed to incentivize resource growth and fiscal stewardship, plan across multiple years and better align revenues and expenditures with operations and strategic priorities — goals shared by a Bain & Company report on The Financially Resilient University.

Jennifer D’Angelo - Chief Operating Officer, New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)

For the last four years, D’Angelo has been leading the Healthcare division at NJII as the senior vice president and general manager. Recently, Jennifer was promoted Chief Operating Officer, and executive vice President, Healthcare Division.

This expansion of her scope in key leadership will play an important role in shaping the organization and leading strategic growth initiatives. D’Angelo leadership and expertise will continue to direct the division on its growth trajectory, and now she will have the opportunity to impact operational alignment across NJlI. Under her leadership, the division focuses on revolutionizing health care through digital transformation and managing the NJ Health Information Network — the only network built specifically to facilitate the exchange of patient data — on behalf of the NJ Department of Health. 

With Jennifer at the helm, the division has most recently achieved Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and HITRUST Risk-based 2-year certification.

Wunmi Sadik - Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science

Sadik is department chair and a distinguished professor of the Chemistry and Environmental Science Department NJIT. Additionally, Sadik runs the BioSensor Materials for Advanced Research & Technology Center, a lab seeking to develop innovative sensing technologies, functional materials, and environmental devices.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Sadik completed her bachelor’s and master’s at the University of Lagos before pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Her 30-year career began as a researcher with the Environmental Protection Agency in 1994, then the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she progressed for 24 years before joining NJIT to lead the department.

Sadik’s research has been awarded for advancements in the fields of nanomaterials, green chemistry and sustainability, while sparking innovation in analytical sensor technologies used for the detection of everything from drugs and explosives, to human disease and environmental contamination.

Oya Tukel - Dean, Martin Tuchman School of Management

Oya Tukel is the dean of NJIT's Martin Tuchman School of Management, bringing over 30 years of expertise as an administrator, researcher, and educator. Previously, she served as associate dean and chair of operations and supply chain management at Cleveland State University. Tukel's distinguished career includes numerous teaching, service and research awards, notably two Fulbright Specialist awards in 2016 and 2019, and several ROI-NJ Influencer awards.

Tukel has an extensive background in training and consulting on supply chain, innovation management and project scheduling for local businesses. Her scholarly contributions include a book chapter and more than 24 articles in top-tier management science journals.

As head of MTSM, she has spearheaded the launch of new degrees and programs, such as the Tech MBA and sports analytics program, aligning with the evolving needs of employers and the marketplace. Tukel also oversees the Leir Research Institute within MTSM, which integrates research and education to address critical global challenges and support sustainable economic development, fostering corporate and business continuity and growth.

Grace Wang - Professor and Associate Dean, Ying Wu College of Computing

Wang is a distinguished professor and associate dean for research at NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing. She is also the founding director of the Center for AI Research. Within the Institute of Data Science, the Center brings together cross-disciplinary AI research and trains postdoc researchers, graduate students and undergraduates in fundamental and applied AI research.

Wang is a renowned researcher whose work spans applied deep learning, machine learning, blockchain technologies, FinTech, mobile computing, Internet of Things and intelligent transportation systems. Among her most influential contributions is her acclaimed study, "A Deep Reinforcement Learning Network for Traffic Light Cycle Control," which continues to receive accolades and citations for its innovative application of AI in urban traffic management. Wang is also the director of the FinTech Lab in NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management.

Her expertise is being leveraged beyond the lab; she is the sole academic appointee on a New Jersey court committee tasked with guiding judges and lawyers on AI’s role in the legal system. Wang has also made history as the first woman at NJIT to be named a Fellow of IEEE, recognizing her significant contributions to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.