New Jersey Institute of Technology’s New Jersey Innovation Institute on Thursday said it hired Kathy Naasz as vice president of strategic partnerships to craft strategy and forge new partnerships between the university and industry.
This new position will focus on analyzing current and future market opportunities, developing an effective partnership strategy and cultivating strategic relationships that deliver on NJII’s mission of being a conduit between industry and NJIT’s expertise.
“NJII has shown that it can implement innovative solutions with partners, such as the recently announced Merck Digital Sciences Studio, and this position is needed now to support its next phase of growth,” NJIT President Teik Lim said.
Most recently, Naasz served as dean of the largest academic school at County College of Morris, overseeing programs that brought together engineering, management and technology students for real-world problem solving. Prior to that, she was a professor, dean and vice president of innovation at Centenary University.
From Bell Labs engineer to global executive director at AT&T to vice president positions in academia, Naasz’s career represents an intriguing path that combines corporate and academic experiences to positively impact business, education and innovation. She has launched five businesses, led teams in over 14 countries and speaks three languages.
Naasz holds an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Centenary University, an M.S. in engineering management from Stanford University and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Manhattan College.
