Cooper’s Ferry Partnership CEO Kris Kolluri has been selected as one of 25 business school graduates worldwide to be named to membership in the 2021 Class of Influential Leaders by AACSB International.
Now in its sixth year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders honorees include nearly 250 business school graduates who have created lasting impact in business and society. All honorees have earned an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree from one of the more than 880 AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide.
Kolluri is a 1991 graduate of the Rutgers School of Business-Camden, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in management. Earlier this week, he was recognized on the ROI Influencers: Power List 2021 for economic development.
Monica Adya, dean of the Rutgers School of Business-Camden, said the school takes pride in the honor — one she feels Kolluri was well deserving of.
“The Rutgers-Camden business school — and all of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey — is immensely proud of Kris Kolluri,” she said. “This honor is highly competitive and prestigious, but its true significance is in its reflection of Kris’ lifetime of work to make New Jersey a better place to live and work.”
“Kris truly stands out as a civic leader of the highest caliber. Rutgers University-Camden is proud of our tradition of preparing our students to become the change agents that New Jersey and the Delaware Valley need. The role of business education is to create value for organizations and communities alike, and Kris Kolluri’s career shows how Rutgers-Camden succeeds in that role.”
As CEO and president of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, a community and economic development nonprofit located in Camden, Kolluri leads an organization focused on designing and implementing resident-driven and equity-minded infrastructure programs that benefit the city.
An expert in economic development with experience running multibillion-dollar public transportation/economic development agencies, Kolluri previously served in leadership roles throughout the state, including his most recent position as CEO of the Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden board of governors. During his tenure in that role, Kolluri succeeded in leveraging existing education, research and medical assets in Camden to create new academic programs and to build and sustain economic growth in the city and broader South Jersey region.
Kolluri, a resident of Haddonfield, said he was humbled by the honor.
“I am deeply honored to be named as an AACSB Influential Leader,” he said. “I am grateful to Dean Adya for nominating me. As a proud Rutgers-Camden graduate, I can say unconditionally that the knowledge I gained at Rutgers has played a foundational and influential role throughout my career. It has helped me adapt, precisely dissect problems and implement solutions with staying power.”
Kolluri also served as CEO of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, where he oversaw the state’s $5.3 billion school construction program. He served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, where he managed 17,000 employees, more than $3.6 billion in capital funds and more than $2 billion in operating funds. He championed the largest mass transit capital program in state history and, under his leadership, NJDOT created its first 10-year capital program that identified long-term infrastructure needs.
In addition to his Rutgers University-Camden degree, Kolluri earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University. He was an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers Law School and served on the advisory board of RomAsia Bank and on the New Jersey Board of the Regional Plan Association.
“We are inspired by the efforts of business school graduates like Kris Kolluri,” Caryn Beck-Dudley, AACSB CEO and president, said. “Rutgers University-Camden is developing leaders prepared to change the world, and AACSB is honored to recognize Mr. Kolluri for his positive impact on society.”
Established in 1916, AACSB is the world’s largest business education alliance, connecting educators, learners and business to create the next generation of great leaders. With a presence in more than 100 countries and territories, AACSB fosters engagement, accelerates innovation and amplifies impact in business education.
