Michel M. Bitritto, PhD
Director, NJMC Business Accelerator
Dr. Michel Bitritto is a former president of the New Jersey Business Incubator Network representing the state’s 14 business incubators which mentor 600 early stage companies. Prior to joining the NJMC, she was a director of the Business Incubator at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey’s largest and oldest business incubator.
Dr. Bitritto has served as associate director of business relations at the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology in Trenton and as a speaker at events focused on technology based businesses. Michel is a 27 year veteran of the New Jersey chemical industry where she held global positions in business management, research and development, and entrepreneurship. She also sits on the boards of numerous county and state non-profit organizations.
Dr. Bitritto completed a post doctorate in chemistry at the University of Maryland, holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and math from Rutgers University/Douglass College. She attended the Stanford Executive Institute for Women and Leadership, holds several patents and is a published scientific author.
Deborah Alaimo Lawlor, AICP/PP
Director of Administration, NJMC Business Accelerator
Chief of Sustainability & Economic Growth, NJMC
Deborah Lawlor is a distinguished planner and authority on sustainability who provides invaluable insight to accelerator clients. She brings 30 years of experience in the planning and sustainability fields to the accelerator.
Lawlor works closely with the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce to help local businesses increase sustainable practices and their bottom lines. She received the chamber’s 2010 Arline Simpson Leadership Award and has an intimate knowledge of business opportunities within the Meadowlands District.
Lawlor created the Meadowlands Challenge, a program that helps local businesses to increase their energy efficiency, and also manages the NJMC’s Municipal Solar Assistance Program and its Sustainable Communities Planning Service.
Lawlor holds a master’s degree in geography from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning from Rutgers University/Cook College. She is an American Institute of Certified Planners Commissioner, has served on many planning task forces, advisory boards and committees, and has received numerous state and national awards and honors.
Sandy Speers
