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Stephanie Adams,
Dean,
UT-Dallas
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams is an engineering education thought leader who has served as the fifth dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science since 2019. She is also a professor of systems engineering.
Adams is a pioneer in engineering education. In 2003 she received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to research effective teaming in the engineering classroom. In addition to teamwork and team effectiveness, her other areas of research expertise include broadening participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), faculty and graduate student development, global education, and quality control and management.
Adams’ passion and work toward greater inclusion in STEM derives, in part, from her belief in the importance of engineering to society.
“Engineering is at the heart of everything,” she said. “From smartphones to smart homes, from driverless vehicles to renewable energy, engineering allows people to collaborate to solve the biggest problems we face. Our students and faculty members in the Jonsson School are fearlessly learning the principles, creating the prototypes and conducting the research leading to innovations that will profoundly impact our lives.”
Adams has served in leadership roles in several organizations, including as president of the American Society for Engineering Education from 2019 to 2020, on the advisory board of the National Society of Black Engineers and on the board of directors of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network.
Prior to joining UT Dallas, Adams was dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology at Old Dominion University. She also served in various academic leadership positions at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, South Plains Community College and 3M Co.
Adams is an honors graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. She earned a Master of Engineering in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in interdisciplinary engineering and management from Texas A&M University, where she concentrated on industrial engineering and management.
Jeff Alderson
Education Product Marketing
Mathworks
Jeff's current vocation is the product manager for MATLAB's autograding solution, MATLAB Grader, at MathWorks in Natick, MA, and leads the company’s marketing efforts in online teaching and learning. Prior to joining MathWorks, Jeff was Principal Analyst for Technology at Eduventures, covering the emerging EdTech market in higher ed. Additionally, Jeff worked as Lead Architect for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (formerly Choice P20 Solutions) in the education technology sector, supporting architecture and security engineering for clients such as the New York State Education Department. Previously, while at ConnectEDU for 10 years in a fast-paced education technology startup environment, Jeff held multiple technology and leadership roles in the organization, helping to grow the business from four to over 150 employees.
Jeff has over 20 years of experience in deploying secure, standards-based, data solutions for education and government, as well as five years of service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Alderson received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from WPI in Massachusetts and his M.Ed. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jeff Alderson has spent his entire career working on technology that empowers students, families, and educators to further their education and career, including those with special needs. Living in Natick, Massachusetts, Jeff is currently involved in supporting educators in the Natick Public Schools as a mentor, volunteer, community activist, elected official, and nonprofit board member.
P.J. Boardman,
Global Director,
STEM Outreach and Workforce Development,
MathWorks
P.J. Boardman is the Global Director of STEM Outreach and Workforce Development at MathWorks managing a team responsible for catalyzing, engaging, and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers to become our diverse workforce of tomorrow. PJ’s team identifies, initiates, and supports scalable programs to connect to students and educators with training, content, and technology to advance their STEM initiatives. She is the Chair-Elect of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Corporate Membership Council and the liaison for the P12 Commission as well as a member of the Executive Committee for the Global Engineering Dean’s Council (GEDC). Prior to joining MathWorks in 2014, P.J. was a Vice President of Cengage Learning and Pearson Education. P.J. has a B.A. in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross and an MEd from the University of Massachusetts with a focus on Instructional Design and Online Learning. She is a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar where she attended the Universidad de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Dr. Keith Bowman
Dean, College of Engineering and Information Technology
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Keith J Bowman joined UMBC on August 1, 2017, from San Francisco State University in California, where he served as dean of the College of Science and Engineering since 2015. Bowman holds a Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Michigan, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in materials science from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to his role at SFSU, he held various positions at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Purdue University. At the Illinois Institute of Technology, he was the Duchossois Leadership Professor and chair of mechanical, materials, and aerospace engineering. In Purdue University’s School of Materials Engineering, he served as a professor and head of the school. He also held visiting professorships at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
Dr. Todd Bridges
Senior Research Scientist (ST), Environmental Science
Engineering Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers
Dr. Todd Bridges is the U.S Army’s Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science. His responsibilities include leading research, development and environmental initiatives for the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Dr. Bridges is the National Lead for USACE’s Engineering With Nature initiative, which includes a network of research projects, field demonstrations, and communication activities to promote sustainable, resilient infrastructure systems.
His primary areas of research activity at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center concern 1) the science and engineering of sustainable infrastructure development, 2) the development of risk and decision analysis methods applied to water resources infrastructure and environmental systems, and 3) the assessment and management of environmental contaminants.
Dr. Bridges also serves as the Program Manager for the USACE Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) program and the Director of the Center for Contaminated Sediments and serves as Chair of the Environmental Commission in the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
Jenna Carpenter
Dean
Campbell University
Dr. Jenna P. Carpenter is Founding Dean and Professor of Engineering at Campbell University. With a hands-on, project-based approach all four years, Campbell School of Engineering focuses on design and utilizes unique classlabs to seamlessly integrate lecture and lab. The program also emphasizes teaming, communication skills, student internships, professional engineering licensure, professional development training and service learning. The School has earned a Bronze Award from the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program and is a KEEN Partner Institution.
Prior to coming to Campbell, Carpenter was Wayne and Juanita Spinks Endowed Professor, associate dean for undergraduate studies and director of the Office for Women in Science and Engineering at Louisiana Tech University’s College of Engineering and Science. A Corsicana, Texas, native, Carpenter earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Louisiana Tech and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from Louisiana State University, where she was an Alumni Federation Fellow. Her research focuses on integrated STEM curricula and improving the number and success of women in engineering, with over $4.3 million in funding to date.
Carpenter is a member of the U.S. Engineering Deans Council Executive Committee, where she co-chairs the Undergraduate Experience Committee. She is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Global Engineering Deans Council. She is chairing the Pilot Program Ad-Hoc Committee on the Gulf Scholars Program for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Carpenter served for seven years as chair of the Steering Committee for the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and an Engineering Program Evaluator for ABET. She is a past president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network, past Vice President of Professional Interest Councils for the American Society for Engineering Education, and past first vice-president of the Mathematical Association of America. She has a TEDx Talk entitled: “Engineering: Where are the Girls and Why aren’t They Here?” She was awarded the Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in 2019. In October 2015, Dreambox Learning named Carpenter one of its 10 Women in STEM Who Rock.
Fabíola Clayton,
Education Program Manager – Design & Engineering
Autodesk
Fabiola joined the Autodesk Education Experiences group 4 years ago after a long career in Higher Education spanning more than 20 years. Most of that time, Fabiola dedicated herself to work with minorities and first-generation college students like herself. She held various teaching and administration positions and she currently enjoys bringing Autodesk’s latest technologies to schools. Fabiola holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Architecture and a Specialization in Pedagogy for Higher Ed.
Cindy Cooper
Senior Program Officer
The Lemelson Foundation
Cindy focuses on The Lemelson Foundation’s higher education efforts, including Invention Education, which supports equitable and inclusive efforts to equip students with inventive skillsets and mindsets, and Engineering for One Planet, an effort to equip tomorrow’s engineers with the skills, knowledge and understanding to protect and improve our planet and our lives.
For more than 20 years, Cindy has fostered social and environmental impact through innovation, working across academic, philanthropic, business and entrepreneurship fields. She co-founded and led award-winning organizations and programs in higher education and international development, including the world’s first website for fair trade Spanish lessons through videoconferencing. Cindy received a 40 Under 40 Award in 2013, and her work has been featured in Fast Company magazine, Stanford Social Innovation Review and NPR.
A Brazilian American, she speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish and holds a Global MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Psychology/Spanish BA from Claremont McKenna College.
Dr. Kelly Cross
Assistant Professor
Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Kelly J. Cross is a data-informed, transformational mission-focused culturally responsive practitioner, researcher, and educational leader. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 2007 and Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2011. Cross completed her doctoral program in the Engineering Education department at Virginia Tech in 2015 and worked as a post-doctoral researcher with the Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Dr. Cross worked in the Department of Bioengineering working to redesign the curriculum through the NSF funded Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED) grant. She is a member of the ASEE Leadership Virtual Community of Practice (LVCP) that organizes and facilitates Safe Zone Training workshops. Dr. Cross has conducted workshops on managing personal bias in STEM, online and in-person, in addition to faculty training on power and privilege. Her research interests include diversity and inclusion in STEM, intersectionality, teamwork and communication skills, assessment, and identity construction. Her teaching philosophy focuses on student centered approaches such as problem-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy. Dr. Cross’ complimentary professional activities promote inclusive excellence through collaboration. She is an NSF CAREER awardee, delivered multiple distinguished lectures, and has received a national mentoring award.
Michael M. Crow, PhD
President
Arizona State University
Michael M. Crow is an educator, knowledge enterprise architect, science and technology policy scholar and higher education leader. He became the sixteenth president of Arizona State University in July 2002 and has spearheaded ASU’s rapid and groundbreaking transformative evolution into one of the world’s best public metropolitan research universities. As a model “New American University,” ASU simultaneously demonstrates comprehensive excellence, inclusivity representative of the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the United States, and consequential societal impact.
Lauded as the ”#1 most innovative” school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for eight straight years, ASU is a student-centric, technology-enabled university focused on global challenges. Under Crow’s leadership, ASU has established more than twenty-five new transdisciplinary schools, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and launched trailblazing multidisciplinary initiatives including the Biodesign Institute, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and important initiatives in the humanities and social sciences.
Dr. Stephanie Farrell
Professor
Rowan University
Dr. Stephanie Farrell, professor and founding chair of the Experiential Engineering Education Department (ExEEd) in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, recently received the inaugural IDEAL Star Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for her work on LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Training in Conference Programming at the society’s annual meeting in Boston.
The award honors individuals who advance the institute’s goals of creating a more just society and open learning environment for all through inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism and learning (IDEAL).
Safe Zone Ally Training workshops are interactive, research-enriched sessions dedicated to fostering more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ individuals in science, technology, engineering and math. In 2018, the AIChE’s LGBTQ+ & Allies Initiative introduced Farrell as its first Featured Ally in the LGBTQ+ professionals series.
An AIChE member for 17 years, Farrell was also elected as an AIChE Fellow, the institute’s highest grade of membership, achieved only through election by its board of directors. Fellows are valuable resources to the institute and provide experience-based guidance to leadership and members, and make active contributions to the institute’s entities.
Vanessa Feloberti-Bautista
Corporate Vice President for Engineering
Microsoft M365 Platform Engineering
Vanessa Feliberti Bautista joined Microsoft with a passion for working at the center of everything. Her childhood dream of creating better systems was nurtured in a family of physicians. Determined to apply her thinking to systems outside the body, Vanessa entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from Boston University. Vanessa serves on the Board of Advisors for the School of Engineering at Boston University and the Board of Advisors for the MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs.
She is a 30 year veteran of Microsoft. Currently, she heads the M365 Services Platform, where she steers her team to create delightful, intelligent experiences that are rooted in a deep understanding of our customers, enabling every person and organization to achieve more.. Alongside product impact, Vanessa builds diverse teams, drives adoption of inclusive behaviors and creates programs to foster innovation and opportunities for talent in new ways.
Amy Fleischer,
Dean,
California State – San Luis Obispo
Dave Gutekunst
Program Director
Division of Interdisciplinary Training
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Dave Gutekunst, Ph.D., joined NIBIB in June 2022 as a Program Director in the Division of Interdisciplinary Training following a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). Prior to joining NIH, Dr. Gutekunst was an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at Saint Louis University. His research explores lower extremity musculoskeletal injury mechanisms, with a focus on connections between biomechanical loading and estimates of tissue strength derived from biomedical imaging.
Dr. Gutekunst received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, his master’s degree in health and exercise science from Wake Forest University, and his doctoral degree in movement science/biomechanics from Washington University. He also completed postdoctoral research training in the Department of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic, where he was a non-tenure track assistant professor of biomedical engineering.
Cuauhtemoc Godoy
Director, Virtual Education and Innovation Learning (VEIL)
Universidad Politećnica de Puerto Rico
Biography Coming Soon
Ayanna Howard,
Dean,
Ohio State University
Accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur and educator Ayanna Howard, PhD, became dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering on March 1, 2021. Previously she was chair of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing in the College of Computing, as well as founder and director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab (HumAnS).
Her career spans higher education, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector. Dr. Howard is the founder and president of the board of directors of Zyrobotics, a Georgia Tech spin-off company that develops mobile therapy and educational products for children with special needs. Zyrobotics products are based on Dr. Howard’s research.
Among many accolades, Forbes named Dr. Howard to its America's Top 50 Women in Tech list. In 2021, the Association for Computing Machinery named her the ACM Athena Lecturer in recognition of fundamental contributions to the development of accessible human-robotic systems and artificial intelligence, along with forging new paths to broaden participation in computing. In 2022, she was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Dr. Howard also is a tenured professor in the college’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a joint appointment in Computer Science and Engineering. As dean, she holds the Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean's Chair, which was established in 2013 through a generous gift from Distinguished Alumnus Monte Ahuja '70.
She is the first woman to lead the College of Engineering. Nationally, only 17% of engineering deans or directors across the country are female, according to the Society of Women Engineers. She also is the college’s second Black dean. George Mason University President Gregory Washington served as interim dean from 2008 to 2011. Throughout her career, Dr. Howard has been active in helping to diversify the engineering profession for women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
Dr. Howard earned her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Brown University, her master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and her MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
From 1993 to 2005, she worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she held multiple roles including senior robotics researcher and deputy manager in the Office of the Chief Scientist. Among other projects, Howard was involved in developing SmartNav — an autonomous, next-generation Mars rover — and SnoMotes, toy-sized robots that can explore icy terrain that is too dangerous for scientists.
She joined Georgia Tech in 2005 as an associate professor and the founder of the HumAnS lab. The lab focuses on humanized intelligence, which uses techniques such as sensing and learning to enhance the autonomous capabilities of robots or other computerized systems. The HumAnS lab has generated more than 250 publications and $8.5 million in principal investigators-led research funding.
Among other roles at Georgia Tech, Dr. Howard was program director of the nation’s first multidisciplinary robotics PhD program; associate chair for faculty development in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and associate director of research at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines.
In 2013, she founded Zyrobotics to help translate the lab’s research into commercial products for children with special needs. Zyrobotics spun off as a non-profit in 2020.
Hans Hoyer
Secretary General
IFEES
Hans J. Hoyer is the Secretary General of the International Federation for Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), Executive Secretary of the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC), and Resident Scholar in Global Engineering at the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University. Former Director of International Programs and Strategy for the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and co-founder of the Indo-US Collaborative for Engineering Education (IUCEE).
José M. Izquierdo Encarnación
PORTICUS
With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, José M. Izquierdo Encarnación specializes in concrete structures in the preservation of historical heritage of Buildings and Transportation. Currently, he is Principal of the Engineering services company, PORTICUS CSP. From 1994-1996, he served as President of the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico. For the past 25 years he has worked in the international field of engineering, becoming president of the American Concrete Institute International from 2003 to 2004. In the public sphere, Izquierdo was Secretary of State and Secretary of Transportation and Public Works. He has been President of the Board of nine Public Corporations. He has written many papers and spoken extensively on structural engineering in the US, Central and South America, Turkey, Poland and Puerto Rico. Currently, he is President and Chairman of the Board of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Maithilee Kunda
Assistant Professor
Vanderbilt University
Maithilee Kunda is assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering at Vanderbilt University. Her work in artificial intelligence, in the area of cognitive systems, looks at how visual thinking contributes to learning and intelligent behavior, with a focus on applications for individuals on the autism spectrum. She currently directs Vanderbilt’s Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Visual Analogical Systems, and is a deputy director of the Vanderbilt Initiative for Autism, Innovation, and the Workforce. She holds a B.S. in mathematics with computer science from MIT and a Ph.D. in computer science from Georgia Tech, and in 2016, was recognized as a visionary on the MIT Technology Review’s annual list of 35 Innovators Under 35.
Dr. Justin Major
Assistant Professor
Rowan University
Dr. Justin C. Major (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey where he leads ASPIRE Lab (Advancing Student Pathways through Inequality Research in Engineering). Justin’s research focuses on socioeconomically disadvantaged students (SDS; low-income) in engineering, student experiences of trauma, and feminist approaches to engineering education research, and connects these topics to broader understandings of student success in engineering. Justin completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education (’22) and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (’21) at Purdue University, and two B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Secondary Mathematics Education at the University of Nevada, Reno (’17). Atop his education, Justin is a previous National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and has won over a dozen awards for research, service, and activism related to marginalized communities, including the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research and Methods Division Best Diversity Paper for his work on test anxiety. As a previous homeless and food-insecure student, Justin is eager to challenge and change engineering education to be a pathway for socioeconomic mobility and broader systemic improvement rather than an additional barrier
Susan Marguiles
Assistant Director
National Science Foundation
Dr. Susan S. Margulies leads the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering in its mission to transform our world for a better tomorrow by driving discovery, inspiring innovation, enriching education, and accelerating access. The NSF’s Engineering Directorate provides over 40 percent of federal funding for fundamental research in engineering at academic institutions, leading to innovative technologies and sustainable impacts in health, agriculture, clean energy and water, resilient infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and communication systems, and many other areas. NSF support also builds the Nation’s workforce capacity in engineering and supports the diversity and inclusion of engineers at all career stages. Projects span frontier research to generate new knowledge, problem-driven research to identify new solutions to societal challenges, and application-driven research to translate discoveries to uses that enhance prosperity, equity and quality of life for all Americans.
Margulies joined the NSF as the assistant director for the Directorate for Engineering in August 2021 after leading the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. While on detail at the NSF, she is a professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar at Georgia Tech and Emory. Margulies is internationally recognized for pioneering studies to identify mechanisms underlying brain injuries in children and adolescents and lung injuries associated with mechanical ventilation, leading to improved injury prevention, diagnosis and treatments.
Margulies’ transdisciplinary scholarly impact has been recognized by her election as fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine.
Don Millard
Deputy Assistant Director, Directorate of Engineering
National Science Foundation
Dr. Millard is currently serving as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Engineering Directorate (ENG) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). He has served in a number of roles at NSF: as co-chair of the NSF INCLUDES Design Team, an acting Division Director, a Deputy Division Director and a Program Director. He has been involved with the Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program, the Engineering Research Centers Program, the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program, NSF INCLUDES, and the Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (TUES) program (as the program lead). He was a founding team member of the Convergence Accelerator, EHR Core Research (ECR), and Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programs.
Prior to joining NSF, Dr. Millard spent 27 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he served as a faculty member of the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Department and directed a number of research centers; including the Center for Integrated Electronics and the Academy of Electronic Media. Dr. Millard's research interests include electronics design and manufacturing, electrical testing/evaluation methodologies, semiconductor fabrication, electronic media development, information technology, and engineering education. He is the creator of the Mobile Studio project, which enables students to perform experiments that use an oscilloscope, function generator, digital control, and some form of power supply (in a portable package) - and learn at anytime, anyplace. He holds a patent for the development of a laser-induced, plasma-based Non-Contact Electrical Pathway and has received such awards as the Best Paper Award of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and the Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware. Dr. Millard has been voted Professor of the Year on three occasions, selected as RHA Professor of the Month and was chosen as the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Professor.
Eva Mejia, Ed.L.D
Executive Director of Learning
IDEO
Eva Mejia has been crossing borders her whole life. She is proud to have been born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and has lived most of her life on the San Diego-Tijuana frontera where innovation and ingenio Mexicano make things happen. Dr. Mejia now serves as Executive Director of Learning at IDEO where her experience gives her a discerning eye for the intersection of equity x innovation. Designing with humans (instead of at them) and orchestrating collaborations make Eva burst with joy. As Executive Director of Learning, she is putting her full creative spirit into redesigning learning systems, organizations, and programs that uphold the dignity of all people. Prior to IDEO, Eva served as the Chief Program & Strategy Officer at Big Picture Learning, where she steered strategic thinking and programs for the network of innovative BPL schools dedicated to personalized, real-world learning. Before that, Dr. Mejia was Director of Networked Improvement Science for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, leading and mentoring coaching teams in design thinking, improvement science, systems thinking, network development, and collaboration. She has served as a Curriculum Designer and Improvement Coach for the Data Wise Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and as an institutional effectiveness consultant helping community college and university teams use data to inform their student success programming. Dr. Mejia holds an Education Leadership Doctorate (Ed.L.D.) from HGSE, as well as a B.A. in psychology, and an M.A. in sociology from Stanford University. Her early experiences as a social worker and parent engagement coordinator and advocate were foundational to her strengths-based approach and commitment to bridging divides across systems and communities to support young people and their families. Eva has been described, even if only by one person, as uni-coastal, splitting her time across the Pacific coast between the Bay Area and the San Diego region. She is joined by her husband, Juan, copious amounts of multimedia and textile art supplies, and her two Boston Terriers on the long drives. But home is truly wherever her family, especially her niblings, play and eat together.
Dale Morris (remote)
Chief Resilience Officer
Office of Resilience and Sustainability
Charleston, South Carolina
Morris has an extensive background on resilience and water management. Prior to coming to Charleston, Morris was at The Water Institute of the Gulf, a technical research nonprofit. Before that, he coordinated the Dutch Government’s flood and adaptation work in the U.S.
He is also the co-founder of the Dutch Dialogues, a flood resilience workshop model used in several cities, including Charleston. The American Flood Coalition helped fund the Dutch Dialogues Charleston and participated in the forum.
Efrain O’Neill
Professor
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Efraín O'Neill is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer. He has been an ABET evaluator since 2006, and is an IEEE alternate representative to ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission. He led the first distributed generation studies in Puerto Rico and the first local microgrid studies. Dr. O’Neill has advised communities, NGOs, city governments and state agencies in Puerto Rico on energy projects. His professional interests include sustainability, renewable energy, distributed energy resources, microgrids, community engagement, social and ethical implications of technology, energy resilience, energy policy, and education research.
Steve Phillips
School Dir (ACD) and Professor, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Stephen Phillips currently serves as professor of electrical engineering and director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. Phillips received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. From 1988 to 2002, he served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University where he held appointments in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics; Systems, Control and Industrial Engineering; and subsequently Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. From 1995 to 2002, he also served as director of the Center for Automation and Intelligent System Research. In 2002, he joined the faculty of Arizona State University as professor of electrical engineering. He has held visiting positions at the NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center and at the University of Washington and is a Professional Engineer registered in the state of Ohio. His expertise includes the application and integration of microsystems, MEMS and flexible electronics; system identification and adaptive control; and assessment and improvement of novel delivery methods for accredited degree programs.
Julie Pilitsis
Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University
Julie G. Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., is Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Being the first woman neurosurgeon to become a Dean, Dr. Pilitsis oversees the college's innovative medical student and graduate medical education programs in partnership with a consortium of five regional hospitals. Dr. Pilitsis is also a board-certified practicing neurosurgeon who is a national expert in multidisciplinary pain, and movement disorders including Parkinson's disease.
As Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dr. Pilitsis is leading the FAU Health Network initiative. Under her stewardship, FAU Health Network is well positioned to promote premium academic healthcare to the community while addressing the challenges of shortages in medical workforce in the region. Guided by vision “Of the Community, For the Community”, Dr. Pilitsis’ compassionate care for patients permeates to the communities in the region, where she continues to tackle complex health challenges and create meaningful change.
Prior to joining FAU, Dr. Pilitsis served as division chief of functional neurosurgery and chair and professor of the basic neuroscience department at Albany Medical College in New York. Dr. Pilitsis is the 2023 president of the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), the first woman ever to lead the organization. She is also President Elect of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN). She maintains an NIH sponsored research program focused on device optimization for neuromodulation and has published over 200 journal articles, 4 books, and numerous chapters.
Jefferey Reed (remote)
Director of Engineering
Northrop Grumman
Director Engineering - Digital Transformational leader with proven success in delivering digital engineering capabilities including Product Lifecycle Management, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Analysis technologies to enhance business performance. Extensive background in Disciplined Program Management, Product Lifecycle Managment, Model Based Enterprise, Strategic Planning & Risk Management, Business Systems Integration, Engineering Product Development & Engineering Manufacturing Integration.
He has over 30 years of Engineering and Manufacturing Experience with a BS in Engineering, a Master’s in Business Administration and active DOD TS Security clearance.
Mr. Hector E. Rodriguez-Simmonds
Instructor
Purdue University
Héctor (he/him/él) is committed to fostering a culture of support and empowerment for minoritized students, particularly LGBTQ+ students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Héctor is a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering Education at Purdue University, focusing on engineering culture and its effects on the experiences of LGBTQ+ students in Engineering. Most recently, he has been interested in asset-based research that could bolster a student's burgeoning engineering identity at the intersection of their other identities. Before attending Purdue for his Ph.D., Héctor obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on Computer Architecture. Héctor has worked on various research projects: from graphics processor memory optimizations to first-year engineering students' conceptions of inclusion in diverse teams to the values that inform students' choice of engineering major. The tension between addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion within engineering alongside the discipline's technological focus drives Héctor's research. He currently works as an instructor in Purdue's first-year engineering program. He passionately teaches, advocates for students, and fosters inclusive and compassionate in-person and online learning environments.
Carlos Sanchez
VP of Information Technology
NextEra Energy Resources
Carlos Sanchez is vice president of Information Technology for NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, a competitive energy supplier with approximately 24,600 megawatts of total net generating capacity, primarily in 38 states and Canada as of year-end 2021. NextEra Energy Resources is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and a world leader in battery storage. He is responsible for NextEra Energy Resource’s information system, information security and data analytics.
Carlos began his professional career as a mechanical design engineer in GE’s Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP) working for the Appliance division in Louisville, Kentucky. The EEDP allowed Carlos to hone his design skills developing new technologies while simultaneously giving him exposure to the operational management of programs. During his time as an Edison, Carlos earned two design patents. Shortly after, Carlos ascended into GE’s elite executive training program; Corporate Audit Staff (CAS). As part of the corporate audit team, Carlos worked across the globe in countries such as Germany, Austria, Brazil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico auditing processes and financials in varied businesses such as Plastics, Turbines, Sensors, Insurance, Mortgage, and Banks. The exposure to multiple business models and working in cross-functional and multi-cultural teams formed his inclusive and effective management style.
In 2005, after CAS, Carlos joined the newly formed GE Water and Process Technology division located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the Financial and Planning leader for the Americas. He would go onto having multiple roles of increasing responsibilities within Finance until earning his first executive position as the Business System Leader for the GE Water division. In this role, he led the consolidation of 25 businesses by integrating the core operations to a single global enterprise resource planning system. As GE sold the Water division to Suez, Carlos was appointed to be the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the newly acquired Suez Water Technology Solution. As the Suez CIO, he developed the entire backbone for all the IT service and operations to serve a $2.8B global company with 15,000 employees in well over 60 countries under 18 months. Earning him accolades from the Suez Chairman and leadership team.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela Carlos Sanchez immigrated as a young boy to South Florida. In 1999, he graduated with Honors from Florida International University’s Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Degree Program. He later earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business in 2010
Dr. Brian Sanders
Associate Professor,
College of Aviation;
Assistant Dean of Teaching Technology
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Throughout his career Dr Sanders has served in a variety of positions to include aircraft weapon systems technician, acquisition officer, and several senior scientific positions within the United States Air Force. His scientific background includes basic and applied research in developing new system capabilities in gas turbine engines, hypersonic flight vehicles, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Specific contributions in these areas involved research in high temperature composite materials, adaptive structures, and vehicle design. He also led multi-organizational programs to bring high quality technical information early in the acquisition timeline via qualitative decision-making tools and state-of-the-art modeling and simulation techniques. Brian has published over 70 journal articles, conference publications, and technical reports. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton from 2000-2008 where he taught engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Since 2013 he has held a faculty position at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus. From 2017 to 2020 he served as the Department Chair for Engineering and Technology. He led the department in developing several engineering programs as well as getting two programs accredited by ABET.
Jessica Silwick
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Information Officer
ABET
Jessica Silwick is both CFO and COO for ABET. As CFO, she is responsible for developing ABET’s financial management strategy, budget development, forecasting and the integrity of the financial information. Silwick is also responsible for monitoring investments of strategic reserves. As COO, Silwick is in charge of communications and marketing, professional assessment offerings, office operations, overall management of Human Resources, and serves as Lead Internal Auditor for ABET’s Quality Management System to ensure continued ISO compliance and certification. Prior to ABET, Silwick gained experience working for large organizations in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical and energy fields.
Silwick earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame of Maryland, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler School of Business. She is also an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Association Executive (CAE), and earned professional certificates from Yale and Cornell Universities. In 2015, Silwick received the AICPA’s Women to Watch, Emerging Leader Award by the Greater Washington Society of CPAs.
Melanie Spare
Academic Enablement Director
Siemens
Melanie Spare is the Academic Enablement Director at Siemens Digital Industries Software Division which offers an integrated portfolio of software and services for electronic and mechanical design, system simulation, manufacturing, operations and lifecycle analytics across a broad spectrum of industry domains. Ms. Spare holds an MBA in finance and brings 25+ years of sales, marketing and business development experience in the world of digitalization and automation to her current role in which she is responsible for empowering the next generation of digital talent through collaborative and innovative partnerships that help to bridge the gap between technology, academia and industry
Brenda Torres
AML Vice President Site Operations
As site head of Amgen’s flagship manufacturing site, Brenda Torres is responsible for drug substance and drug product manufacturing at Amgen Manufacturing Limited (AML), ensuring reliable supply of Amgen products for patients worldwide. She is the first woman from Puerto Rico to serve as Vice President of Operations at AML.
Brenda is a professional with over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, most recently as vice president, Manufacturing - Drug Product at AML. She joined Amgen in 2006 as an executive director, Supply Chain and has had several positions across sites in Thousand Oaks, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico. Prior to Amgen, Brenda worked at Abbott Laboratories, Pepsi Cola and Baxter Healthcare.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and graduated from the Polytechnic University in Puerto Rico. Brenda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. She was recognized as the Mujer Industrial 2020 by the Women Chapter of the Puerto Rico Manufacturing Association.
Betty Vandenbosch
Senior Advisor to the CEO
Coursera
Dr. Betty Vandenbosch is Advisor to the CEO at Coursera. Previously, she was Coursera’s Chief Content Officer, overseeing the company’s content and credential strategy and partner relationships. Before joining Coursera, Betty was chancellor of Purdue University Global, an institution resulting from Purdue University’s 2018 acquisition of Kaplan University. At Purdue, Betty oversaw academics for more than 32,000 students – most of whom earned their degrees online. Before that, Betty held a number of leadership positions at Kaplan University and served as associate dean and associate professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Throughout her career, Betty has won several awards in teaching and research. She earned her PhD in Management Information Systems and M.B.A. from Western University in Ontario, Canada.
Secretary of Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works
Eileen was born in the town of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and then her Master of Science in Engineering, with a concentration in transportation, from Mississippi State University. She is the first engineer in her family.
During her college years, she participated as an intern in the Walt Disney World College Program and in the Undergraduate Research Program at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Eileen Started her career in 2003 as a research civil engineer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Mississippi. Her work with the USACE include research in the Airfields and Pavements Branch under the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
In 2006, Eileen changed fields and started working with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. as part of the Aviation group in the West Palm Beach office concentrated in the design and construction of airport infrastructure for commercial and general aviation airports. She became a managing partner of Kimley-Horn Puerto Rico LLC and contributed to the effort of establishing the first office established by Kimley-Horn in the Caribbean. In 2014, Eileen relocated to manage the office as the Office Practice Leader, overseeing all operations. She has also served as the aviation consultant for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and as consultant and client liaison for the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, and private land development retail clients. She has also published multiple papers on pavement rehabilitation.
In December 2020, She began a new chapter in her professional career when she was designated by the Governor of Puerto Rico, Honorable Pedro Pierluisi, as the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP). Her role began in January 2021, and she oversees and establishes transportation public policy and leading the 7-agencies under the Department's umbrellas, including over 5060 miles of state roads. Eileen currently leads the island's transportation agencies under DTOP including Directorate of Public Works, the Directorate of Motor Vehicles, the Directorate of Excavation and Pipeline Safety, the PR Highway and Transportation Authority, the Traffic Safety Commission, the Maritime Transportation Authority, the Urban Train, the Metropolitan Bus Authority and presides the PR Ports Authority Board of Directors. In May 2021, after Senate confirmation, she became the first woman appointed Secretary in the Departments 105 year history. Her priorities as Secretary include maximizing federal funding to accelerate the islands transportation infrastructure recovery focused on resiliency and long-term maintenance.
Eileen is a member of the AASHTO Board of Directors, the Transportation Reserach Boar (TRB) Aircraft/Airport Compatibilty Committee and lead the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Transportation and Development Institute's (T&DI) Airfield Pavements Committee. She has also served in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) local, regional, and international officer positions as well as the SWE Board of Directors. She is also an advocate for women in STEM fields and has also served in the Women in Aviation International Board of Directors and the Puerto Rico College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR). Eileen was named one of Airport Business Magazine's 2015 Top 40 Under 40, and she has received several recognition awards throughout her career including the first woman to be recognized as "Distinguished Civil Engineer of the Year" by the PR Civil Engineering Institute, SWE's "New Distinguished Engineer" and Emerging Leader, New Faces of Engineering during E-Week, PR CIAPR Emerging Leader. Recently she was selected as a speaker for the US Department of Veteran Affairs licensed TEDxVeteranAffairs program; her TEDx talk titled: "How Pivotal Moments Shape Our Lives" was recently published on YouTube. She is a licensed professional engineer in Puerto Rico, Florida and the US Virgin Islands.
She is a 10-year Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor and treasures traveling with her husband and 11-year-old daughter. She also volunteers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a patient advocate. She is a former President of the Puerto Rico LLS Board of Directors and an honored hero.
Sharon Walker,
Dean,
Drexel University
Sharon L. Walker, PhD, is Dean of Drexel’s College of Engineering and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. She also holds courtesy faculty appointments as professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, as well as Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. A Yale University-trained water quality systems expert focusing on the fate and transport of bacteria and nanoparticles in water, Walker is Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She is also the Director of the national leadership development program, ELATES at Drexel, aimed to advance senior women faculty in academic engineering, computer science and other STEM fields.
Prior to joining Drexel Engineering, Walker served as Interim Dean at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where she was John Babbage Chair in Environmental Engineering and professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering; she was also an associated faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering. During her tenure at UCR, Walker was previously Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at UCR, and Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs, and she served as a faculty advisor to the UCR Alpha Beta chapter of Tau Beta Pi and the Society of Women Engineers UCR chapter. She was awarded the 2008 Woman of Distinction Award by the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council for her outreach efforts in STEM education as well as the 2011 Chancellor's Award for mentoring undergraduates in research.
Walker’s scholarship has focused on working with bacterial pathogens and engineered nanomaterials, investigating the fundamental physical, chemical and biological processes that control their fate in natural surface and groundwater environments, as well as analyzing engineered systems including water and wastewater processes. More recently, Walker has applied these skills towards agricultural and food safety issues, including pathogen interactions with leafy greens and food handling equipment, as well as pathogen-insect vector systems. She is a two-time winner of the Fulbright Fellowship, for which she visited at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel from 2009-10 (though declined in 2018 to assume the deanship at Drexel); received an NSF Career Award in 2010; and held an ELATE fellowship from 2014-15. Walker has produced more than 250 conference papers and publications, and in 2018 won the AEESP inaugural Mary Ann Liebert Award for Publication Excellence in Environmental Engineering Science. She is an active member of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Association of Women in Science, the Society of Women Engineers, and the Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi and Golden Key honor societies. Walker’s previous service includes election to the roles of vice chair (2015) and chair (2017) of the prestigious Environmental Nanotechnology Gordon Research Conference, as well as an official with AEESP and with the American Chemical Society’s Colloid and Surface Science Division.
Bevlee Watford
Associate Dean
Virginia Tech
Dr. Watford is the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement and the Executive Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED). The Equity and Engagement office is responsible for the recruitment and retention of diverse students, both undergraduate and graduate. This includes a wide array of programs developed and implemented for precollege students as well as programs supporting the academic, professional and personal development of current students."
Charlie Ward
VP of Engineering
Ultimate Kronos Group
Charlie Ward serves as vice president of engineering at UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management technology, with co-headquarters in Weston, Florida. Charlie joined UKG seven years ago. In his role, Charlie is responsible for the technology platforms underlying the global company’s award-winning human capital management (HCM) and workforce management products. Charlie has more than 25 years of experience working in technology, including 23 in South Florida, and he is passionate about Miami’s growing technology community.
Raimond Winslow
Director of Life Science and Medical Research at Roux Institute
Professor of Bioengineering
Northeastern University
Raimond “Rai” Winslow is the director of life science and medical research at the Roux Institute. He is a world-renowned leader in computational medicine, an emerging discipline that applies mathematics, engineering, and computational science to understand human disease. Winslow is also a professor in Northeastern’s College of Engineering, and holds appointments in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences’ School of Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences.
