(NJCU) Interim President Andrés Acebo has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s most influential innovators in the prestigious INNOVATE100 New Jersey honorees list unveiled by the organization Innovation+.
The annual INNOVATE100 initiative, led by James Barrood and Innovation+, identifies exceptional leaders across multiple sectors who drive New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem forward. Acebo joins an elite group of 100 changemakers selected from fields including academia, architecture/design, banking/investors, community leaders, finance/accounting, food, government, healthcare, insurance, legal, life sciences, manufacturing, marketing/PR, nonprofits, real estate, sports, technology, and Innovators to Watch.
The awards are designed to highlight and elevate the state’s finest innovation leaders and to showcase collaboration within companies and among organizations. Selection for the INNOVATE100 acknowledges leaders who contribute significantly to New Jersey’s economic vitality and community strength through creative problem-solving and forward-thinking approaches. The honor recognizes Acebo’s leadership during the most significant period in NJCU’s history.
“It is only through sustained and visionary leadership that innovation can thrive in both good times and bad. That is why we didn’t simply honor CEOs, presidents and department/division heads, but also their colleagues who drive innovation throughout companies and organizations,” Barrood said. “We’ve also elevated the community leaders in our great state. They are the catalysts who make things happen.”
President Acebo will join fellow honorees at the Innovate New Jersey celebration on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 p.m. at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The event will bring together the state’s innovation community to celebrate achievements. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit https://innovatenewjersey.com/.
Acebo has been honored widely in his more than two years as NJCU’s leader, most recently being named to the 2025 ROI Influencers: Power List Super 75 by ROI-NJ, in February, 2025. It was the third consecutive year Acebohas been recognized by ROI-NJ on its most comprehensive and prestigious list.
Praised for the university’s recovery over the past two years, Acebo was ranked the No. 1 higher education influencer in the state of New Jersey in the 2024 ROI Higher Education Influencers.
He was celebrated even further this fall with inclusion on the 2024 ROI Power and Influencer Awards Champions of the C-Suite Top 30 list. Acebo is the first leader in NJCU history ever selected as a Champion of the C-Suite by ROI-NJ.
In Fall 2024 Acebo was also recognized by NJBiz, New Jersey’s leading business journal, as No. 4 overall on the 2024 NJBiz Education Power 50 List. Acebo earned the highest ranking of any college or university president in New Jersey in the 2024 Power 50. In December 2024, Acebo was named to the 2024 InsiderNJ.com Insider 100 Rising Generations Top 100 list — formerly known as the Millennials 100 List.
Since January 2023, Acebo has been recognized eight times on ROI-NJ’s influencer lists, including the Champions of the C-Suite. He previously was named to the 2023 Super 60 Power List as one of the 60 most influential people and one of the top 25 chief executives and leaders across public and private higher education. ROI also named him to the 2023 ROI Influencers Power List for Higher Education, the 2023 ROI Influencers People of Color list and the 2024 ROI Influencers Power List. In August, 2024, he was named No. 24 on the 2024 ROI Influencers People of Color Top 30 list across all industries in the state.
In December 2023, InsiderNJ.com recognized his influence with selection to the 2023 InsiderNJ.com 100 Millennials Power 100 List.
In 2024, Acebo and NJCU was named the 2024 Partner of the Year by the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC). In August 2024, Acebo was named to the 2024 ROI Influencers: People of Color Top 30 list and was named the Jersey City Puerto Rican Heritage Arts & Culture (JCPRHAC) Honorary Puerto Rican Male of the Year at its 64th annual heritage parade.