Newark, NJ — New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) will recognize six alumni for their exceptional accomplishments that bring honor to the university at the annual Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony May 20, 2017.
For more information, visit www.njit.edu/alumni.
Tom Bury ’02 lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the CEO of Division 9 Design + Construction, a general contractor offering additional services resulting in convenient and cost-efficient outcomes for clients.
After graduating from NJIT’s College of Architecture and Design, Bury realized that his knowledge of architecture and understanding of space, paired with an ability to execute effectively and efficiently, allowed him to partner with fellow classmates to open their own company, Division 9 Design and Construction.
For more information, visit www.njit.edu/alumni.
Tom Bury ’02 lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the CEO of Division 9 Design + Construction, a general contractor offering additional services resulting in convenient and cost-efficient outcomes for clients.
After graduating from NJIT’s College of Architecture and Design, Bury realized that his knowledge of architecture and understanding of space, paired with an ability to execute effectively and efficiently, allowed him to partner with fellow classmates to open their own company, Division 9 Design and Construction.
His success skyrocketed when a new series on the Food Network opened casting for restaurant designers and builders. Bury and Division 9 were enlisted by fellow designers to do the build.
That series, “Restaurant Impossible,” quickly took off and Bury’s character as the “Tom the Builder” was secured. Marc Summers, the show’s executive producer, called Bury “the best [casting] find ever” and crucial to the program’s success.
In addition to his reputation as an expert restaurant designer and builder, Bury added a proven ability to successfully build a restaurant in under two days and $10,000. “Restaurant Impossible” wrapped after 13 seasons and over 150 restaurants, all of which Bury and his team built.
The show gave the company a great deal of exposure and today Division 9 Design and Construction has expanded to cover New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Colette L. Santasieri ’89, ’12 lives in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and is the Executive Director, Policy and Planning Innovation for Civil Infrastructure Environment at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
In addition to her degrees from NJIT, she also has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning and Design from Rutgers University.Dr. Santasieri has been a leader in the fields of civil infrastructure and the environment for over 30 years.
She has served as the first and only Chief Engineer at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); member of the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) Core Leadership Team; editor of the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Supplemental Draft and Final Environmental Impact statements; and recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives at NJIT.
In her current role as Executive Director, Policy and Planning Innovation for Civil Infrastructure and Environment, she secured over $10 million in grants and contracts, creating a portfolio of infrastructure and environmental research, projects and technical assistance programs, and leads multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, planners, architects, economists, social scientists and NJIT students.
Dr. Santasieri has helped to position NJIT on the national stage for brownfields cleanup, including securing $6 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and with that created and directs the NJIT Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities Program. She secured NJIT’s position on two teams that won millions in EPA funding for brownfields grants that provide technical assistance throughout the entire United States and in every tribal nation.
Tommaso F. Scarfone ’67 lives in Bayonne, New Jersey, and retired as a manager of air conditioner plants from Carrier United Technologies. Scarfone’s family emigrated from Italy to Canada in 1953, during which he worked to support his family.
When they were able to enter the United States in 1960, Scarfone launched his career as a cabinetmaker, quickly picking up English from co-workers.
He credits his mother for convincing him to continue his schooling, and he entered New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1963 at the age of 25. In addition to his professional success, Scarfone also is honoring his parents by funding a scholarship in their names: The Antonio and Ida Scarfone Memorial Fund.
Richard R. Schatzberg ’93 is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of NeST Technologies, Inc., a global software services and business/knowledge process outsourcing (BPO/KPO) firm. In his capacity as CCO, Schatzberg leads North American operations and provides sales and business development leadership in other global markets, including Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
He is a technology entrepreneur, having founded various businesses that leverage technology to create positive social, economic and business impact, including the National Cloud Technologists Association (NCTA) that provides training, certification and services in the area of cloud computing, network security and business continuity services.
Schatzberg serves on various boards, including as Treasurer of the Abilities Fund, a nonprofit organization providing seed capital to entrepreneurs with disabilities. He also is a Board member of Abilities, Inc., a part of the Henry Viscardi Center, the National Business and Disability Center (NBDC). In addition to these roles, Schatzberg serves on the Albert Dorman Honors College Advisory Board at NJIT.
Karisa C. Schreck ’04 lives in Catonsville, M.D., and is a fellow of Neuro-Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Medicine. Dr. Schreck grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and was homeschooled throughout her elementary and high school education. She is NJIT’s youngest graduate, having enrolled at age 15, completing her degree at NJIT three years later.
After graduating, she completed her M.D. and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She then completed a residency in neurology under a joint program between Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Schreck is married to a fellow graduate, Thomas Schreck, who graduated in 2003 and is a software engineer for a company in Maryland.
In addition to her professional success, she also served as the keynote speaker at the first “Women With STEAM” program, hosted by the Albert Dorman Honors College, where she supported its mission of attracting the next generation of female leaders to the STEM and architecture fields.
Joseph G. Stanley ’78,’85 lives in Morristown, New Jersey, and is a vice president at Mott MacDonald (MM). He is a recipient of the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award and serves on the Advisory Board for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NJIT.
Stanley has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and has served on various university committees. Some of Stanley’s most notable projects include designing a water supply facility that is cited by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for its strategic importance to the water supply of the northeast portion of the state.
That series, “Restaurant Impossible,” quickly took off and Bury’s character as the “Tom the Builder” was secured. Marc Summers, the show’s executive producer, called Bury “the best [casting] find ever” and crucial to the program’s success.
In addition to his reputation as an expert restaurant designer and builder, Bury added a proven ability to successfully build a restaurant in under two days and $10,000. “Restaurant Impossible” wrapped after 13 seasons and over 150 restaurants, all of which Bury and his team built.
The show gave the company a great deal of exposure and today Division 9 Design and Construction has expanded to cover New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Colette L. Santasieri ’89, ’12 lives in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and is the Executive Director, Policy and Planning Innovation for Civil Infrastructure Environment at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
In addition to her degrees from NJIT, she also has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning and Design from Rutgers University.Dr. Santasieri has been a leader in the fields of civil infrastructure and the environment for over 30 years.
She has served as the first and only Chief Engineer at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); member of the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) Core Leadership Team; editor of the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Supplemental Draft and Final Environmental Impact statements; and recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives at NJIT.
In her current role as Executive Director, Policy and Planning Innovation for Civil Infrastructure and Environment, she secured over $10 million in grants and contracts, creating a portfolio of infrastructure and environmental research, projects and technical assistance programs, and leads multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, planners, architects, economists, social scientists and NJIT students.
Dr. Santasieri has helped to position NJIT on the national stage for brownfields cleanup, including securing $6 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and with that created and directs the NJIT Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities Program. She secured NJIT’s position on two teams that won millions in EPA funding for brownfields grants that provide technical assistance throughout the entire United States and in every tribal nation.
Tommaso F. Scarfone ’67 lives in Bayonne, New Jersey, and retired as a manager of air conditioner plants from Carrier United Technologies. Scarfone’s family emigrated from Italy to Canada in 1953, during which he worked to support his family.
When they were able to enter the United States in 1960, Scarfone launched his career as a cabinetmaker, quickly picking up English from co-workers.
He credits his mother for convincing him to continue his schooling, and he entered New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1963 at the age of 25. In addition to his professional success, Scarfone also is honoring his parents by funding a scholarship in their names: The Antonio and Ida Scarfone Memorial Fund.
Richard R. Schatzberg ’93 is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of NeST Technologies, Inc., a global software services and business/knowledge process outsourcing (BPO/KPO) firm. In his capacity as CCO, Schatzberg leads North American operations and provides sales and business development leadership in other global markets, including Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
He is a technology entrepreneur, having founded various businesses that leverage technology to create positive social, economic and business impact, including the National Cloud Technologists Association (NCTA) that provides training, certification and services in the area of cloud computing, network security and business continuity services.
Schatzberg serves on various boards, including as Treasurer of the Abilities Fund, a nonprofit organization providing seed capital to entrepreneurs with disabilities. He also is a Board member of Abilities, Inc., a part of the Henry Viscardi Center, the National Business and Disability Center (NBDC). In addition to these roles, Schatzberg serves on the Albert Dorman Honors College Advisory Board at NJIT.
Karisa C. Schreck ’04 lives in Catonsville, M.D., and is a fellow of Neuro-Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Medicine. Dr. Schreck grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and was homeschooled throughout her elementary and high school education. She is NJIT’s youngest graduate, having enrolled at age 15, completing her degree at NJIT three years later.
After graduating, she completed her M.D. and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She then completed a residency in neurology under a joint program between Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Schreck is married to a fellow graduate, Thomas Schreck, who graduated in 2003 and is a software engineer for a company in Maryland.
In addition to her professional success, she also served as the keynote speaker at the first “Women With STEAM” program, hosted by the Albert Dorman Honors College, where she supported its mission of attracting the next generation of female leaders to the STEM and architecture fields.
Joseph G. Stanley ’78,’85 lives in Morristown, New Jersey, and is a vice president at Mott MacDonald (MM). He is a recipient of the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award and serves on the Advisory Board for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NJIT.
Stanley has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and has served on various university committees. Some of Stanley’s most notable projects include designing a water supply facility that is cited by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for its strategic importance to the water supply of the northeast portion of the state.
