Dean of NYU Tandon School of Engineering named DBP Co-Chair

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) announced today that Jelena Kovačević, Ph.D., the first woman to lead the NYU Tandon School of Engineering since its founding in 1854 as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, has been unanimously elected Co-Chair of its Board of Directors. Dean Kovačević will serve alongside Co-Chair Ofer Cohen, TerraCRG Founder and CEO, and will lead a committed group of leaders in the corporate, real estate, academic, and cultural sectors in their work to maintain Downtown Brooklyn’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic, diverse and innovative locations.

“I am excited to accept this challenge to join Ofer and Regina in accelerating Downtown Brooklyn’s upward trajectory,” said Jelena Kovačević, Dean of NYU Tandon School of Engineering. “Since its founding, our School, its students, faculty, staff, and alumni have been integrally woven into the fabric of Brooklyn, and I look forward to ensuring that we tap into the creativity and knowledge of all our institutions of higher learning in order to make our community even more vibrant, livable, and economically successful.”

“I am thrilled to be collaborating with Dean Kovačević on building a true globally competitive city, right here in Downtown Brooklyn”said Ofer Cohen, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Board Chair, and TerraCRG Founder and CEO. “Dean Kovačević and NYU’s commitment is true testament to the robust transformation of Downtown Brooklyn.”

“We are proud to haveDean Kovačević take on the role of Co-Chair of DBP. Being at the helm of an institution that is so invested in Downtown Brooklyn, and being so clearly dedicated to the future of the neighborhood, it’s fantastic that Jelena agreed to take on a larger role,” said Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Regina Myer. “With our world-class academic and cultural institutions, the area’s incredible growth in the tech and innovation sectors, and the opportunities to create great new public spaces, Downtown Brooklyn is a leader in New York City, and I know that she and Ofer will make great contributions to its continued success.”

Dean Kovačević received the Dipl. Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. From 1991 to 2002, she was with Bell Labs. She was a co-founder and Technical VP of xWaveforms, based in New York City. She was also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. In 2003, she joined Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the Hamerschlag University Professor, the head of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and a professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Leveraging the remarkable success Tandon has seen in recent years – with significant increases in research funding, a boom in entrepreneurial activity, and attracting undergraduate women to study STEM at more than twice the national average – Dean Kovačević will build on this momentum to further Tandon’s commitment to Brooklyn, New York and beyond. She is dedicated to the concept that you can be born anywhere and made in Brooklyn, as exemplified by NYU Tandon.