NJIT To Host Annual Black-Tie Fundraiser on Nov. 8, Featuring Performance by Grammy Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter Roberta Flack

NJIT will hold its annual black-tie benefit dinner, Celebration 2013, on Nov. 8, 2013 at The Pleasantdale Chateau, West Orange. Entertainment will be provided by the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Roberta Flack.

“Proceeds from the event will endow scholarships for students at NJIT,” said Jacquelynn Rhodes, associate vice president for development. “Many NJIT students are the first in their families to attend college, and they rely upon merit and need-based scholarships.”

Since 1995, many of NJIT’s most generous supporters have gathered annually for Celebration, a black-tie affair that has raised more than $4.6 million in scholarship endowment funds for students at New Jersey’s science and technology university. A festive evening featuring dinner and live entertainment, Celebration also honors individuals for achievements beneficial to the state and our nation, as well as organizations exceptional for their commitment to NJIT’s mission.

Anthony J. Sartor, PhD, of Scotch Plains, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, LLC (PS&S), will receive the President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of KeySpan Services Inc., a division of Keyspan Corp, and as a Board of Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Prior to his appointment to the Port Authority Board, he served from 1992 to 1999 as a Commissioner of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

NJIT alumna Anita M. Rubino, of Mountain Lakes, will receive the NJIT Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement, which is presented to alumni in recognition of outstanding personal, professional, and civic achievement and commitment to the development of the university. Rubino is currently the owner of the EVOS Carrollwood Restaurant in Carrollwood, Florida. She became associated with EVOS while pursuing an independent consulting business, AMR Solutions Network, LLC. Prior to her consulting business, Rubino held a variety of executive leadership positions with the Nielsen Company, including Chief Human Resources Officer for Nielsen Media Research, where she was a member of the leadership team responsible for taking the company public.

Steven Plate, of Glen Ridge, Deputy Chief of Capital Planning and Director of World Trade Center Construction, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, will be recognized as a Special Friend of the University. Plate is responsible for overall World Trade Center Site Redevelopment, including management of a $15 billion-$20 billion, five-year capital program. Immediately prior to assuming responsibility for the WTC Site Redevelopment, Plate was instrumental in the construction management and delivery of the Port Authority’s approximately $2 billion AirTrain JFK transit system.

Berger Group Holdings, Inc., a billion-dollar, top 20 Engineering News-Record global engineering consultancy headquartered in Morristown, will be named Outstanding Corporate Partner of the Year. With offices in more than 40 U.S. cities and 50-plus countries throughout the world, Berger Group has supported NJIT for many years, beginning with the Louis Berger International Scholar Award that was established in 1997 through an endowment by the Berger family. The award provides financial support for students pursuing graduate education in fields consistent with Berger’s worldwide activities.

The student speaker will be Paula McCarter, of Newark, Delaware, a junior mechanical engineering major in the Albert Dorman Honors College.

NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls approximately 10,000 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2012 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.