ROI-NJ names Houshmand, Cardona to ROI Influencers: People of Color 2024 list

Newspaper ROI-NJ this week released its annual ROI Influencers: People of Color list, a group that includes Rowan University President Ali Houshmand and Vice President for University Relations Joe Cardona.

Editors wrote that the list "celebrates the diversity of our state and our world-class workforce."

"More than anything, it demonstrably shows that we are better when we come together - an ideal that's never been more important to promote and highlight," editors wrote.

The paper named Houshmand #5 on its sub-list of the Top 30 most influential people of color in the state.

"His efforts to run Rowan as a business are a main reason it has skyrocketed in importance and influence during his more than 10-year run as president - efforts that have helped put Rowan (and all of South Jersey) in the spotlight," editors wrote.

Cardona, who earned undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees from the University, has been at Rowan professionally for nearly 30 years.

"He's seen the rise of the school firsthand … and has been a big part of it, every step of the way," editors wrote.