NJII Leadership Change

NJIT/NJII community members,

I am writing today to announce a reconfiguring of the leadership and structure of the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) and VentureLink at NJIT. NJII will serve as the umbrella organization within which VentureLink will be housed, and Simon Nynens will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Don Sebastian will continue as President of NJII. In addition, Simon and Craig Gottsman, Dean of the Ying Wu College of Computing, will be nominated to become members of the NJII Board.  

NJII was conceived during New Jersey’s higher education restructuring earlier this decade in order to establish a portal through which NJIT, the state’s public polytechnic university, could engage with industry partners (both individual companies and business clusters) and assume a position of prominence among colleges and universities with regard to the conduct of research and development work. We now have reached a point of opportunity in no small part thanks to the leadership of Don Sebastian, who has grown NJII revenues from approximately $30 million to more than $80 million annually and has established thriving iLabs in healthcare delivery services, biopharma manufacturing, and homeland security, as well as in other areas. NJII has cultivated numerous industry and government partnerships and won several highly competitive grants. Recent examples include nearly $8 million to develop advanced manufacturing apprenticeship programs in partnership with Pennsylvania College of Technology for the U.S. Department of Labor as well as an agreement with Pall Corporation to invest $3.5 million in cell and gene therapy manufacturing. Pairing the leadership of Simon and Don will enhance NJII’s ability to meet industry needs and expand the organization’s capabilities as we foster the business ecosystem we have created. 

“Simon brings important experience as a leader in the high tech world that will open new opportunities for growth at NJII.  Our partnership reunites aspects of the university’scommercialization endeavors that will accelerate NJIT’s growth as a leader in entrepreneurship and a catalyst for economic growth across the state,” said Don Sebastian.

Simon Nynens has served as Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at NJIT since joining us in September 2018. Prior to NJIT, Simon was Chairman and CEO of Wayside Technology Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSTG), a public company. Under his leadership, revenue grew from $180 million to $450 million and the Company was listed as Best Places to Work in New Jersey in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Simon serves on the board for the New Jersey Technology Council (NJTC) and was chairman of the NJTC board from 2007 through 2015. He has received numerous awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® for 2011 (New Jersey Award in the Technology Services category). Simon started his career in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 

In discussing this restructuring, Simon noted, “I'm honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead this group of creative, dedicated and talented professionals. I am committed to creating an engaging and welcoming environment for our team members. Working together, I firmly believe we can unlock the tremendous potential of NJII.”

Provost and Senior Executive Vice President Fadi Deek added, “Simon brings an entrepreneurial and private-sector perspective to NJII that can help expand the outstanding operation Don has built. Continuing the growth of NJII is critical for NJIT, as it is a point of both distinction and differentiation from other universities. My colleagues and I look forward to continue to working closely with Simon and Don, particularly in the areas of industry engagement, faculty and student business incubation and commercialization.”

Please join me in thanking both Simon and Don for accepting this challenge and for their efforts to further develop NJIT’s interface and opportunities for collaboration with industry, government, and other universities. 

Sincerely,

Joel S. Bloom

President