2026 Commencement Address Speakers

Governor, New Jersey

A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, former congressional representative of New Jersey's 11th District, and now governor, Sherrill’s career has been defined by service to her country and to New Jersey. 

Sherrill was inspired to join the military by her grandfather, a World War II veteran. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1994 – the first class of women eligible for combat roles on ships and aircraft – she spent almost 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy. As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, she led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq War, served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations while overseeing the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy.

Following her service in the Navy, Sherrill earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University. She subsequently worked in private practice and later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. As an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, Sherrill established programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and helped people leaving prison to gain employment, housing, and education in order to restart their lives. Later, as an assistant U.S. attorney, she prosecuted numerous federal cases. Sherrill was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 and served there until she was elected as New Jersey’s 57th governor and began her term in January of 2026.

RHV Capital, LLC

Dr. Paul Rogers serves as a Principal in RHV Capital, LLC (“RHV”), a private equity investing firm that he Co-Founded in 2008, along with two other partners. RHV initially focused on investing in search funds – structures where investors back entrepreneurs, usually new MBA graduates, to acquire and operate private companies. Dr. Rogers gained a reputation for combining his financial expertise with in-depth analysis of the operational and leadership qualities of management teams. Subsequently, RHV shifted into larger, control investments in the Fire Protection, Traffic Control and Healthcare industries.

Prior to RHV, Dr. Rogers held many senior level executive positions in the investment banking industry with Wood Gundy Inc. and its successor companies in Toronto, Tokyo, London and New York. These positions included being Co-Head of Canadian Investment and Corporate Banking, Co-Head of Global Capital Markets, Co-Head of the European Region, Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, and President of the US Region.

Dr. Rogers has appeared at many industry conferences and summits. He has held Board positions in numerous RHV portfolio companies. He was a Founding Director of LTN Global, an internet infrastructure company, and also served on the Board of the US Securities Industry Association where he was a member of the Audit Committee. Dr. Rogers was named as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, one of the country’s most prestigious leadership recognitions.

Dr. Rogers was invited by the administration and faculty at the Harvard Business School to be a guest judge in all five years of the school’s famous FIELD 3 program wherein first year MBAs developed, launched and managed their own microbusinesses. Subsequently, Dr. Rogers was invited by Harvard faculty to advise business students on how to prepare for Board presentations. Dr. Rogers holds an undergraduate degree in Honours Mathematics and Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada, an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business, and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from NJIT. Dr. Rogers doctoral work at NJIT focused on light propagation and polarization in anisotropic magnetic materials such as multiferroic crystals.

Dr. Rogers has received many academic awards including the Governor’s General of Canada Bronze and Silver Medals for academic excellence, the prestigious Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship to Harvard University, as well as being named as a Baker Scholar as one of the top 5% of students graduating from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Rogers is a strong supporter of NJIT. In 2011, he was appointed to the Department of Mathematical Sciences Board of Advisors as well as to the Board of Visitors of the Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts, where he is currently the Chair. He was the Initiator and one of the Founders of the innovative NJIT Master of Science Degree in Mathematical and Computational Finance which prepared graduates for careers in the financial services industry.

The program graduated 107 master’s students from 2010 to 2018. Dr. Rogers received the prestigious CSLA Distinguished Alumni Award from NJIT in 2017. In addition to enjoying his time with his growing family, Dr. Rogers is passionate about playing golf and is an avid hockey fan. He supports the Toronto Maple Leafs even though they have not won the Stanley Cup in almost 60 years!