Cristo Leon, PhD, MBA

For more than 15 years, Cristo Leon, PhD, MBA has been a renowned figure in the fields of scientific research and research project management. Since 2015, he has excelled in his role as the director of research within the College of Science and Liberal Arts at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he oversees interdisciplinary research programs, facilitates collaboration for researchers, guides students in achieving their dreams and aspirations, and works with faculty to identify federal grants and research. In addition, he’s been serving as a facilitator, mentor, international trainer, and executive development and outreach coordinator at Tecnológico de Monterrey since 2011.

Prior to his current appointments, Dr. Leon, originally from Mexico, earned a certificate in English as a Second Language from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and cultural promotion from Universidad Veracruzana. He began his career as a professional actor and producer-turned-instructional designer and trainer for Secretaria de Educacion Publica between 1999 and 2012 and served as a resident director at International Studies Abroad for three years. He was active as the director of research and innovation, instructional designer, and trainer for Universidad Veracruzana for two years before immigrating to the United States in 2012. In the new country, he excelled as a grant consultant and a digital mentor for Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity before becoming an associate director of e-learning at Ocean County College. Amid his career shifts in the United States, he also returned to his education by attaining a Master of Business Administration in e-commerce from Tecnologico de Monterrey, graduating summa cum laude in 2015, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Management and innovations of Institutions from Instituto de Estudios Universitarios in 2023.

Outside of his primary endeavors, Dr. Leon also focuses on his responsibilities as an advisory board stakeholder for the Long Branch Public School District, where he’s been active since 2018. He has also lent the same services to Collaborative for Leadership, Education, and Assessment Research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology since 2017. For the last nine years, he has found success and fulfillment as a mentor at the nonprofit Asociacion Exatec Quito, one of the many civic advocacy programs he has been involved with. He has also amassed a substantial bibliography as an author and contributor for numerous professional journals. He has co-authored such works as “LiFE: Collaboration Potentials and Partnerships: Bringing ERCs into the INCLUDES National Network,” “Future Ready Schools – New Jersey: A Collective Impact Success Story,” “Collaborative Co-design for Community Change: Collaborative Change Models,” and “Reflections on Communication, Collaboration, and Convergence: Strategic Models for STEM Education and Research.” He has also written the book chapters “Modelo General Particular Especifico” and “Modelo Universal de Plantificacion Estrategica.”

Over the course of his accomplished career, Dr. Leon has been honored with such accolades as the Academic Award and Technician of Monterey Award from Tecnologico de Monterrey, and a Five-year Service Certificate of Recognition from the New Jersey Institute of Technology—in addition to being appointed EXATEC Generation Leader from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Additionally, he was a member of the team of administrators instrumental in implementing the Streamlyne electronic administration software, which facilitated the transition from the R2 designation to the R1 designation of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in 2019. He has also been a member of the National Science Foundation since 2018.

Attributing his success to his patience and willingness to listen and collaborate with others, Dr. Leon deeply values contributing to the community and strives to become a vice-chancellor for research at a university with a long-term goal of becoming president. His motto is, “I always believe I’m creating innovative connections and convergence to achieve synergy.”