Honorary Doctorates

Kevin J. O’Toole is a founding and managing partner of O’Toole Scrivo. He also had a long and distinguished career in the New Jersey Legislature, where he served for 22 years as both a senator and assemblyman.

O’Toole has a varied practice encompassing toxic torts, environmental law, risk management, class actions, complex litigation and corporate investigations. He is routinely called upon by Fortune 500 companies to obtain cost-effective, early resolution of complex matters and sought out to provide detailed analysis of sophisticated issues, evaluate case preparation, predict outcomes and develop strategic risk management planning.

He has served as both National Coordinating Counsel for corporate clients and operational leader of multi-jurisdictional litigation teams that have been responsible for trying dozens of high-profile multi-million dollar matters. His unique combination of private and public sector experience provides the firm’s clients with unparalleled advice and insight into their matters.

As the managing partner of O’Toole Scrivo, he is responsible for the fundraising and distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to charitable causes throughout the tri-state area.  

In 2017, O’Toole was appointed as chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He oversees a workforce of 8,000 employees with an annual $9 billion budget and is responsible for supervising over $65 billion in assets and the most significant infrastructure projects in the country.

Dennis M. Bone retired from Verizon New Jersey in 2012, where he served as president and CEO since 2000. He was affiliated with Verizon and its predecessor companies for 33 years. He started his career in 1979 with New Jersey Bell as an engineer. He held a variety of jobs with increasing responsibility in operations, regulatory, external affairs and public policy positions. 

In 1995, Bone was appointed president and chief executive officer of Bell Atlantic West Virginia, where he served until his appointment as president and CEO of Verizon New Jersey in 2000. Overseeing one of the largest companies in the state, Bone helped guide Verizon through advances in telecommunications technologies, helping to transform the company from a predominately voice services company in 2000 to a voice, data and video services company.

Bone is an emeritus member on NJIT’s Board of Trustees, and also serves as executive-in-residence and member of the advisory board for the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University. He is also a member of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which facilitates real life entrepreneurial experiences for students at the university. From 2013 to 2018, he was the inaugural director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

He serves as a member of the national advisory board for the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning. He was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni and the New Jersey Business Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of NJIT’s President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement and a recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Conference on Diversity. Bone received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from West Virginia University Institute of Technology, an MBA from Rutgers University, and master’s in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

Jennifer Taubert is worldwide chairman, Innovative Medicine at Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest health care company.

Taubert is a leader in shaping the global strategy of transformational medical innovation for the Innovative Medicine sector, successfully delivering vital new medicines to prevent, treat and cure complex diseases including cancer, immune-related disorders, serious mental illness, cardiovascular disease, retinal disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Under her leadership, J&J Innovative Medicine has become a leading bio pharmaceutical business globally, with more than $57 billion in worldwide revenue. The company has been named No. 1 in the pharmaceuticals category on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for ten consecutive years. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Taubert held positions of increasing responsibility at Merck and Allergan.

Taubert is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and is also chair of its Federal Committee. She serves on the National Academy of Medicine’s Leadership Consortium and on the Advisory Board of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. In addition, Taubert is a member of the Board of Directors of McDonald’s Corporation.

Taubert received a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles.