Press Room

August 26, 2011

Call for 2012 Mentoring Program Participation <Click Here>

August 25, 2011

Call for 2012 Mentor Program Mentors <Click Here>

March 2011

SIM NJ Mentoring Program Finalized Its Ten Mentor – Mentee Matches

Morristown, NJ, March 21, 2011  - The SIM NJ Mentoring Program announced that it has finalized its inaugural year mentor – mentee matches. Notifications have been sent to the mentor – mentee teams. SIM members who applied to the program but were not matched will have another opportunity to be matched this fall for the 2012 program. The ten mentor – mentee pairs will start working together on April 1, 2011. The program will run through December 31, 2011.  Prospective mentee response was strong with twenty members applying to the program.  Since this is the program’s pilot year, a cap of ten mentees was set.  Next year, the program will be expanded.

The 2011 program has a growing cadre of distinguished senior executives from world-class companies serving as mentors.  These include: Sal Abano of Tower Group Companies, Rick Carney of Direct Brands, Craig Cuyar of Cushman & Wakefield, Ruth Harenchar of the American Jewish Committee, Jim Knight of Chubb & Sons, Robert MacTaggart of Leviton Manufacturing, Adam Noble of GAF Materials Corporation, John Repko of Covance, Paul von Autenried of a major biopharmaceutical company and numerous others.  Additional mentors are being added to the program.  Contact Rich Cigna ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (212) 403-6111) for information about becoming a mentor.

For the mentee, the program provides:
•    One-to-one counseling, guidance and teaching
•    The opportunity to further develop the mentee’s soft skills and professional skills
•    Customized attention to mentee’s needs
•    Skilled & experienced mentors to help navigate through new business challenges and to promote the mentee’s new skills development
•    Additional value for the member’s yearly investment

The Society for Information Management's New Jersey Chapter mentoring program targets the individual skill development needs of our members.  Long a supporter of helping CIOs/IT leaders improve their leadership and management skills, SIM NJ's Mentorship Program gives our members (CIOs/IT leaders and their direct reports) the ability to solve real world problems while enhancing their soft skills and professional skills.
To find out more about the mentorship program, please contact Joe Fisher at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (973) 895-5777 or Ken Saloway at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (973) 885-6461.

October 19, 2010:

Top Society for Information Management CIOs and Leading Academics from Stevens Institute of Technology to Host Daylong Session on Academic Theory vs. Practice in IT

MORRISTOWN, NJ – Where does academic theory meet real world IT practice? How long do theories exist before they are tested with practical applications? How often do real world IT results spark new research?

On November 11, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) from New Jersey’s top organizations will bring their perspective to an all-day academic executive session at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken to tackle questions like these on key subject areas in IT.

“We’re excited to participate in this groundbreaking session,” said SIM NJ President Nelly Jefferson. “We view this event as a way to build stronger relationships among the business community, SIM NJ and Stevens and to open doors to additional activities that enable increased interaction and knowledge sharing between corporate executives, academics and students.”

Distinguished professors from Stevens will lead four daytime hour-long presentations, followed by afternoon interactive breakout sessions that encourage senior executive participation.

Topics for the daylong session include:

•    Social Networking, presented by Professor Jeffrey Nickerson, Ph.D.
•    IT Skills Entry Level, Mid-Level, CIOs, & Business Execs, presented by Professor Christine Bullen, Ph.D.
•    Business Intelligence, presented by Professors Edward Stohr, Ph.D., and Joseph Morabito, Ph.D.
•    IT Strategy, Strategic Alignment, IT Governance, presented by Professor Jerry Luftman, Ph.D.

The topics were chosen to reflect key challenges and concerns currently facing chief information officers and the information technology industry in the current business environment.

"The process of attracting, retaining, and developing talent has changed irrevocably and is made even more complex by low university enrollments in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” said Bullen, who is also a senior lecturer in the Stevens Information Systems program. “The mission of those entering the IT industry today has changed from ‘delivering’ to ‘managing the process of delivery.’ "True to any institution of higher learning, the sessions will provide participants with additional materials that present the topics in greater depth. White papers, topic handouts, books, and presentations will be available to make the information actionable for CIOs and their teams. Additional actionable research will be provided during the second part of the evening, which features significant  insights and observations from the  annual SIM IT Industry Trends Survey. The survey, which will be presented by Professor Luftman as part of the standard SIM NJ monthly chapter meeting, will examine important IT trends in light of the recession.

"The insights from the survey, (commissioned by the Society for Information Management, www.simnet.org) confirm that the economic downturn is continuing to cause a significant shift in IT priorities,” said professor Luftman, who is a former SIM NJ president, SIM international executive VP, executive director of graduate information systems programs and distinguished professor of Information Systems at Stevens. “It is essential to recognize how organizations are leveraging IT during this prolonged economic conundrum, as well as preparing for the impending recovery."

SIM NJ membership is open to senior information executives in private or public sector organizations who are corporate/division heads of an information services organization or responsible for information systems and technology. SIM NJ also accepts memberships from full-time faculty members in colleges or universities who are engaged in teaching and/or research activities that are devoted primarily to areas of senior managerial interest in IT.

The academic executive session will be open to SIM membership and their guests. Stevens will provide free parking. More information on the session and registration can be found on the SIM NJ Web site at www.simnj.org For more information about becoming a member or attending as a guest, contact Kevin Schwesinger, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (973) 377- 0040 x440 or Risa Fogel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (212) 698-5691.

About the Society for Information Management of New Jersey

Established in 1968, the Society for Information Management (SIM) is the premier network for IT leaders comprised of more than 3,600 members including CIOs, senior IT executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other IT leaders. SIM is a community of thought leaders who share experiences and apply rich intellectual capital, and who explore future IT direction. Through its 31 chapters, SIM provides resources and programs inspired by IT leaders for IT leaders that enable CIOs to further develop the leadership capabilities of themselves and the key and emerging leaders in their organizations. SIM provides the collective voice to advocate policy and legislation on behalf of the IT profession across industries.

For more than 20 years, the SIM New Jersey Chapter has been the go-to organization for IT executives in the New Jersey metropolitan area. Membership now includes more than 250 CIOs, CTOs, CXOs, and IT leaders, as well as academics and select vendors from top New Jersey and New York area organizations. For more information, please visit SIM NJ on the Web at www.simnj.org.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University™, lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research.  The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.

Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, masters, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts.  Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world.  Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.

October 11, 2010:

Society for Information Management of New Jersey (SIM NJ) to Host CIO Roundtable Discussion On Key IT Issues

MORRISTOWN, NJ - New Jersey Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM NJ), the go-to organization for chief information officers (CIOs), is hosting an executive roundtable session at the Madison Hotel in Morristown on October 14.

"We are excited to offer C-level executives a forum through which they can discuss common issues, share ideas and identify new areas of opportunity in IT," said SIM NJ President Nelly Jefferson. “SIM NJ offers C-level executives numerous opportunities to explore best practices, trends and “lessons learned” about the management and use of information technology.”

Panelists will discuss some of the most challenging issues facing CIOs today. Discussions will focus on developing solutions to business issues affecting New Jersey’s top leaders.

Topics to be discussed will include:

•    Business Productivity and Cost Reduction Strategies
•    Demonstrating the Business Value of IT
•    Revenue Generating IT Innovations
•    Cloud Computing Strategies
•    Employee Retention Strategies in a Rebounding Economy

SIM NJ membership is open to senior information executives in private or public sector organizations who are corporate/division heads of an information services organization or responsible for information systems and technology. SIM NJ also accepts memberships from full-time faculty members in colleges or universities should be engaged in teaching and/or research activities that are devoted primarily to areas of senior managerial interest in IT.

For more information about becoming a member or attending as a guest, contact Kevin Schwesinger, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (973) 377- 0040 x440, or Risa Fogel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (212)698-5691.

ABOUT SIM NJ

For more than 20 years, the SIM New Jersey Chapter has been the organization of choice for IT executives in the New Jersey metropolitan area. Membership now includes over 300 CIOs, CTOs, CXOs, and IT leaders, as well as academics and select vendors from top New Jersey and New York area organizations. For more information, please visit SIM NJ on the web at www.njsimnet.org.

February 19, 2008:

NJ SIM Foundation Communications