Dr. Michael Johnson, President of NJII, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of the COMET Initiative in fostering innovation and industry collaboration. “The COMET Initiative represents a major step forward in our mission to drive technological advancement and economic growth,” said Dr. Johnson. “We are excited to drive positive impact on the industry and the community though this initiative.”

Dr. Atam P. Dhawan, Senior Vice Provost for Research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), concluded the remarks on behalf of NJIT President, Dr. Teik Lim, by highlighting the academic and research contributions to the initiative. “NJIT is proud to support the COMET Initiative, which will provide our students and faculty with unparalleled opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research and development,” said Dr. Dhawan.

Distinguished guest speakers included Paul Manz, Chief Technology Officer JPEO Armaments and Ammunition who offered comments on behalf of Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Commanding General of Picatinny Arsenal and Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments & Ammunition. Mr. Manz highlighted the critical role of innovation in national defense and shared Major General Reim’s sentiment, “The collaboration between NJII and Picatinny Arsenal through the COMET Initiative is a testament to our shared commitment to advancing technological capabilities for our armed forces.”

Mr. Christopher Grassano, Director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center, also spoke at the event, stressing the importance of partnerships in driving research and development. “The DEVCOM Armaments Center is proud to be a key collaborator in the COMET Initiative, which will undoubtedly lead to groundbreaking advancements in armament technologies,” said Mr. Grassano.

“The COMET initiative represents a significant milestone in our journey towards solidifying New Jersey’s position as a leader in innovation across the nation,” said Congressman Kean. “This facility embodies our state’s commitment to excellence, our dedication to fostering talent, and our leading force in technology and innovation. With this initiative, we’ll have positive impacts across New Jersey, such as boosting the local economy and creating more high-tech jobs.”

Final comments were offered by Stephen Luckowski, OSD MII Program Manager. He reflected on the value of partnerships and the importance of advanced manufacturing to the Department of Defense. He stated, “The partnership with NJII and NJIT promises to provide capabilities in workforce training that go beyond what is achievable in the classroom alone. I am extremely excited that COMET will help produce scientists and engineers skilled and upskilled in advanced manufacturing and advanced materials, that understand how to solve DoD’s technical challenges, bringing a new generation of workers to support the needs of the nation.”

Following the enthusiastic remarks was a group ribbon cutting ceremony and unveiling of the equipment floor. Both guided and self-guided tours allowed attendees live demonstrations and interaction with subject matter experts.

The COMET Initiative is designed to foster collaboration between industry, academia, and government to drive innovation in critical technology areas. The initiative aims to create a dynamic ecosystem that supports the development of new technologies and the commercialization of innovative solutions.

For more information about the COMET Initiative and NJII, please visit: https://www.njii.com/defense/new-comet-overview/.

About NJII | New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is a 501c3 organization wholly owned by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). As an independent corporation, NJII is uniquely positioned to be agile, entrepreneurial, and opportunistic. NJII is focused on accelerating technology, fostering innovation, and development the workforce in order to have a positive economic impact in New Jersey. To date, NJII has generated over $330M in revenue during its ten years of operation across its divisions (AI/ML, Defense, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare and Learning & Development) and today has a team of 120 staff. Learn more: https://www.njii.com/about/

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Newark, NJ (July 18, 2024) – New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) subsidiary, today announced its second consecutive certification status by HITRUST for information security for its key implemented systems. NJII earned its first certification in May of 2022 and renewed its status by undergoing another validated assessment for 14 months. 

HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certification demonstrates that the organization has met demanding regulatory compliance and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk. This achievement places NJII in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification. By including federal and state regulations, standards, and frameworks and incorporating a risk-based approach, the HITRUST Assurance Program helps organizations address security and data protection challenges through a comprehensive and flexible framework of prescriptive and scalable security controls. 

“As a company with cutting-edge information security solutions and services, it’s important to meet complex compliance, information protection, and privacy requirements,” said Sairaj K. Setty, NJII Senior Director of Information Technology & Security. “We are pleased to demonstrate to the industry and our customers the highest standards for data protection and information security by achieving the rigorous HITRUST r2 Certification.” 

As an independent corporation, NJII is uniquely positioned to be agile, entrepreneurial, and opportunistic. NJII is focused on accelerating technology, fostering innovation, and developing the workforce to have a positive economic impact in New Jersey. Through its divisions (AI/ML, Defense, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, and Learning & Development), NJII provides a diverse set of services and technologies to both public and private sectors. HITRUST certification will support NJII in its efforts to provide the best quality of programs in a secure form. 

“This certification sets our standard for our commitment to security as a leading health technology organization in New Jersey,” said Jennifer D’Angelo, NJII COO & Executive VP of Healthcare. “HITRUST certification and the stature it places us in supports our ability to continue to seek additional funding opportunities such as the Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicaid Enterprise System (MES) certification that ultimately allows us to better serve providers, patients, and the healthcare community.” 

The NJII Healthcare Division supports programs that aim to revolutionize healthcare through data-driven transformation. The team is focused on improving patient experience and population health while reducing the cost of healthcare with innovation, technology, and metrics. 

“The HITRUST Assurance Program is rigorous and reliable because of the comprehensiveness of control requirements, depth of review, and consistency of oversight,” said Bimal Sheth, Executive Vice President, Standards Development & Assurance Operations at HITRUST. “HITRUST r2 Certification demonstrates NJII is taking the most proactive approach to cybersecurity, data protection, and risk management.” 

Learn more about NJII and how we operate.

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Q. You’ve been at NJII for over 8 years? What was this organization like when you first started? 
A. When I first joined NJII (in the Healthcare Division), they were in the process of transitioning from the New Jersey Health Information Technology Extension Center (NJ-HITEC) to New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII). They were increasing staffing and improving operations and processes to ramp up for their newest awarded $50M grant, a Medicare Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) to create a Practice Transformation Network in the state of NJ. It was a fun and interesting time to join NJII. Operations, programs, and resources were expanding rapidly in this early stage of growth and the culture was a typical startup environment: fast-paced, informal, flexible, and valuing creativity, communication, and collaboration. There was a lot of risk-taking, with an emphasis on agility and innovation. NJII’s mission and vision now still follows a lot of those same principles, but with quite a bit more structure! 
 

Q. Initially, how was working at NJII different from your previous roles? 
A. While my roles previous to working at NJII were not necessarily Project Management positions, I always utilized Project Management principles in my prior positions. Additionally, in all my previous roles, I have always been passionate about Operations, Process Improvement Initiatives, and Technology which made me naturally gravitate toward these kinds of projects in all my past roles. I’ve always enjoyed “wearing many hats”, being a “jack of all trades”, and being a high-functioning and productive member of the team often going above and beyond my existing role to additionally support operations and special initiatives which makes Special Projects a great fit for me. 
 

Q. What was your initial role here at NJII? How did your role change/develop over the years? 
A. My initial role at NJII was as a Project Manager for the Healthcare Division. I served in that role for a few months, working mostly on Healthcare IT-related projects. I was quickly moved into a Manager of Administration role where I supported Executive Leadership and Healthcare Operations. After that appointment, I was promoted to Senior Manager and then moved to the Operations Department, managing mostly IT-related projects organization-wide. Recently, I transitioned once again partially back into the Healthcare Division, supporting both Operations and Special Projects for the IT and Operations Departments and the Healthcare Division. 
 

Q. What exactly determines a ‘Special Project’? What sorts of projects are you the most hands-on with? 
A. Special Projects, in general, mostly consist of unexpected initiatives not included in regular operations. Specifically, for Special Projects at NJII, I do work on many Operations projects, IT projects, Healthcare projects, and projects and programs for other divisions and departments. But, often, the projects I am assigned are something new to the organization that we are trying to implement and get off the ground, or a project to innovate, change, or improve an existing process or system. 
 

Q. Which division of NJII do you end up working with the most? Is there a division or group within NJII that you would like to interact with more? 
A. Because of my existing allocation to the Healthcare division and my reporting structure, I spend a decent amount of time with the Healthcare Division. However, I also spend time working on projects for almost all of the other divisions and the support departments as well. One of the largest projects that I have been working on over the past ~2 years is Salesforce. This includes managing all requests for development within the environment, from the creation of design documentation to the QA process in Sandbox and Production. I also facilitate process mapping sessions, support teams with their reporting needs, manage campaigns, guide cleanup efforts, make recommendations on builds, provide training, and create documentation such as data dictionaries and guidelines for use. This specific project has taught me a lot about the software development life cycle and project management skills specific to that area. 
 

Q. What is your favorite part of the project development and execution process? What difficulties often come about? 
A. The project lifecycle consists of multiple phases including Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closure. Personally, I love the Planning and Execution phases. There is nothing quite as rewarding as putting a plan together, executing on that plan, and seeing your project or program come to fruition. Scope creep is a common issue in project management. Due to the agile nature of our business, it’s an issue that often arises. Scope creep is when a project’s scope increases beyond the original description in the project charter. As a project progresses, sometimes additional requirements are deemed necessary by project managers or other stakeholders causing scope creep. 
 

Q. How is the relationship between NJIT and NJII leveraged in your role? 
A. Sometimes, there are projects I manage that require collaboration with different departments at NJIT. I maintain a great professional working relationship and rapport with various individuals in many departments at NJIT. One specific project I worked on with NJIT during the height of the COVID Pandemic was the M2CU (Mobile Medical Care Unit) Project. For this project, NJII worked with the Martin Tuchman School of Management and the Research Department to research, develop, and build mobile medical care units fabricated from shipping containers that could be deployed in times of emergency to communities and organizations that were in need. This was a fun and interesting project to work on and I learned a lot specifically about construction project management during the 2 years I worked on it. 
 

Q. What is your favorite thing about working at NJII? 
A. My favorite thing about working at NJII, especially in my role, is that no two days ever look the same. This keeps my career here interesting and ever evolving. I am also learning new skills, using my existing abilities in different ways, and gaining vast new experience through my work with special projects. 
 

Q. If you could describe your experience at NJII in one word, what word would you choose? 
A. Collaborative. It’s great to be part of a team that is so supportive and cares equally as much as I do about the important initiatives on which NJII is working. As a manager of special projects, my success depends greatly on my ability to motivate, engage, and collaborate with project resources, and doing that at an organization where most employees are eager contributors makes meeting and exceeding project goals that much more attainable. 

About NJII

New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is a 501c3 organization wholly owned by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). As an independent corporation, NJII is uniquely positioned to be agile, entrepreneurial, and opportunistic. NJII is focused on accelerating technology and fostering innovation in order to have a positive economic impact in New Jersey. To date, NJII has generated over $330M in revenue during its ten years of operation across its divisions (AI/ML, Defense, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare and Learning & Development) and today has a team of 120 staff. Learn more: https://www.njii.com/about/

The post NJII Employee Spotlight: Carly Cricco, Director of Operations & Special Projects  appeared first on NJII.

Q: How long have you been with NJII? Since then, what changes have you noticed in the organization?

A: Since September 2022. I’ve seen a significant amount of changes. The first year of my employment we did not have a president, so that was a challenging time. But since Michael Johnson joined, I think we’ve had an upward trajectory that’s just been sensational. I think he’s brought clear vision and a lot of strategic goals, but also being very mindful about the employee experience.

Q: How does NJII stand out from some of the other companies/organizations you’ve worked for?

A: NJII is a great sale. I’m an NJIT alum, so I take a lot of pride in the education that’s offered by the University. So given that we’re a wholly owned subsidiary, there’s a lot of pride that I’m able to emulate and convey to prospective candidates; it’s such a hidden gem in the heart of Newark. I encourage anyone who can to come onsite because it’s truly just a beautiful campus, and it’s grown exponentially since I’ve been here. Our company, built on the four divisions, is an intriguing opportunity built around innovation and how we can leverage technology to help different industries.  We offer a robust employee benefit package as well, so I think in tandem between what we offer and what the university offers, we are a very intriguing opportunity for candidates. We have some really driven people working toward the same mission… some truly incredible leaders who are excited about their teams, and guiding people along this journey. The organization offers a lot, but I think the people behind it are really the key. That’s the secret.

Q: About your promotion and your new role. When you first learned about your new role, what challenges did you anticipate?

A: Good question. I think that the first challenge is taking a step back. We wanted to re-position ‘Human Resources’ to ‘People, Development, Culture’ to align with the strategic goals. It’s not the antiquated version that HR used to be, just this perfunctory division that would send out offer letters and what not. We wanted to encapsulate the employee experience and improve upon it, taking what these leaders are doing and bringing it to the next level. Find the best talent, retain them, give them the best skills, and then have growth. So, what are the challenges? ‘What can I do to best support my team while they’re on this mission?’ To be able to guide them and make sure they feel supported in a high-performance environment. I think the cross-section between performance and feeling appreciated is something I’m very mindful of.

Q: Has anything surprised you since you took over?

A: Even back in September 2022, I feel the people are exceptional here. Everyone is mission focused; it’s just a common theme throughout. Every division you speak to, the leaders, those who work in the division, there’s a lot of passion in what we do. Given that we’re a nonprofit, people are really excited about what we’re able to do for the community at large. I think that’s something that really speaks to me.

Q: In your words, what’s the difference between ‘HR’ and ‘People, Development, Culture’?

A: I think it’s just the direction that we’re going. So, ‘Human Resources’ I think is a stockpile of forms, dos and don’ts, handbooks, procedures, policies – what you need to do at a bare minimum to support your team. As we transition to ‘People, Development, and Culture’ it’s what we can do retain the best talent, to give the support that they need so they’re challenged and able to fully do the role in this next stratosphere we’re going into.

Q: Do you think other companies are seeing the same trends and making those changes as well?

A: Oh, absolutely. I think when you look at the entire employee landscape, a lot of companies are realizing that people have options, even with this market volatility. There’s a lot of places they can choose, so I think those employers that are truly people-centric really take a step back and say, ‘what can we do to improve the experience?’ So, we’re certainly not the first to reposition, but I think we took a lot of mindfulness with the way we’re approaching this.

Q: What upcoming programs/projects excite you the most?

A: January we focused on wellness, and so we had not only reminders and ideas for physical wellness, but we also talked about financial wellness. So, we had advisors come in from Morgan Stanley to talk about some best practices. They’ve also extended by offering different resources in the future. Again, I think we’re looking at the employee experience from a full 360.

We also incorporated monthly celebrations where we’re recognizing those milestones in people’s lives. Michael Johnson has started with the town halls, which is a great people-centriq initiative to communicate from his mouth to the employees.

Even before Michael started, he was on campus, connecting with people. He hit the ground running and just hasn’t stopped. He’s definitely brought the two sides of the street between NJIT and NJII together, and it’s identified that NJII is the best kept secret in New Jersey. There’s not a lot of people who know about us, which is great because we’re doing all this amazing work without even a ton of people knowing who we are yet.

One thing I use as a recruiting tool, but it’s the truth: this is not only a great organization to work for, but this is an exciting time to work here. There are so many organizations out there who are pulling back or cutting back; we’re not. We have this great trajectory, we’re on this great ride.

Q: Last question. One word to describe your experience at NJII?

A: Transformational. We can do so much; the sky is the limit.

The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is a 501c3 organization wholly owned by the New Jersy Institute of Technology (NJIT). As an independent corporation, NJII is uniquely positioned to be agile, entrepreneurial and opportunistic. NJII is focused on accelerating technology and fostering innovation in order to have a positive economic impact in New Jersey. To date, NJII has generated over $330M in revenue during its ten years of operation across its four divisions (Healthcare, Defense, Continued Learning, Entrepreneurship) and today has a team of 120 staff. Learn more: https://www.njii.com

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