South Jersey’s Dr. Ali Houshmand, Dennis Pullin named to ROI-NJ People of Color Influencers List
AC JosepH Media
ATLANTIC CITY – Two leaders of color from South Jersey was named on Monday to the annual 2024 ROI-NJ Influencers: People of Color Top 30 list.
Dr. Ali Houshmand, president of Rowan University, and Dennis Pullin, president and CEO of Virtua Health were both named to the prestigious list produced by the business online publication ROI-NJ.com.
“The 2024 ROI-NJ Influencers: People of Color list celebrates the diversity of our state and our world-class workforce,” the publication said on Monday in a statement on its website.
“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.”
Houshmand was ranked No. 5 on the list. A native of Iran, Houshmand became Rowan University’s seventh president in 2012 after serving for approximately six years as provost/senior vice president, CEO and interim president.
He has been praised at Rowan as a dynamic leader whose personal connection with students, employees, alumni, government leaders, the business community and the public has become a hallmark of his presidency. Enrollment under his tenure has grown from 11,000 students in 2012 to 23,000 students in fall 2021, making Rowan the fourth fastest-growing research university in the United States three years in a row.
“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,” ROI-NJ said of Houshmand.
Pullin, who was No. 8 on the list, is a recognized thought leader and advocate for health equity. He lead building an academic affiliation with Rowan University resulting in the Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences of Rowan University.
In 2023, Modern Healthcare named Pullin one of the 25 Top Innovators in Healthcare and one of the 100 Most Influential People in the industry nationwide.
“Improving quality of health care. Addressing inequities. Breaking down barriers to access. Leading research. These are just some of the reasons why Virtua is a model in health care, not just for South Jersey, but around the state and across the country,” ROI-NJ said of Pullin.
Find ROI-NJ.com’s complete list here.
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