Special Friend to the University
Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation
Chairman and CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America
Joseph M. Taylor serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. The company develops solutions for consumer, workplace and industrial purposes primarily for the U.S. and Canada. Under Taylor’s leadership, Panasonic Corporation of North America, which was based on a 50-acre corporate campus in Secaucus, New Jersey, moved its headquarters operations to a newly constructed office tower in Newark, New Jersey, in July 2013 as part of its effort to transform itself into an innovation leader in green business. The company’s new home offers employees easy access to a major regional mass transit hub and incorporates energy-savings, water-savings and accessibility throughout its design. It is the first new office tower in Newark to achieve both LEED Platinum and LEED Gold certifications.
In addition to his role in leading Panasonic’s North American operations, Taylor also serves as a Managing Executive Officer of parent company Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation. In this role, he formulates and executes Panasonic’s global business strategy.
Prior to this appointment, Taylor, a 32-year Panasonic veteran, served as the company’s chief operating officer from 2007 and before that was President and chief operating officer of Panasonic Industrial Company, as well as vice president and Member of the Board of Panasonic Corporation of North America. Preceding his employment at Panasonic, Taylor worked at Worthington Compressors and Copeland Compressors.
Taylor has represented Panasonic in numerous Board and technical educational initiatives, including programs with New Jersey’s Liberty Science Center, the Herrick Laboratories of Purdue University, NJIT and Rutgers University. He has been a Member of the Board of the National Association of Manufacturers, Chairman of the Board for the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Company, and serves on the board of New Jersey Performing Arts Center and several Panasonic companies. In June 2014, he was appointed to the NJIT Board of Trustees. Taylor earned his undergraduate degree from LaSalle College (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). He also holds a doctorate in engineering honoris causa from NJIT.