R. Iris Bahar
Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Colorado School of Mines
Since January 2022, Iris Bahar is the Computer Science Department Head and Professor at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research interests lie broadly in areas of computer system design and design automation. A main theme of her research over the years has been energy-efficient and reliable computing, from robots, to high-end processors, embedded systems, and emerging technologies. Between her M.S. and Ph.D. studies, Dr. Bahar worked for 5 years at Digital Equipment Corporation, mainly on their VAX microprocessor designs. Prior to joining CS@Mines as Department Head, she was faculty at Brown University for 26 years with a joint appointment in the School of Engineering and Department of Computer Science. Dr. Bahar’s research has been continuously funded since 1997 through various industrial and government sources, including the NSF (including a career award), DARPA, DoD, the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), Intel, IBM, Facebook, and NASA. She is the 2019 recipient of the Marie R. Pistilli Women in Engineering Achievement Award, the recipient of the 2022 University of Illinois ECE Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2024 IEEE Field Medal in Undergraduate Teaching. She is an IEEE Fellow and ACM Distinguished Scientist.
Stewart Barber
Director, Government Affairs, Synopsys
Stewart joins Synopsys from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) where she led key policy areas like trade, workforce, and R&D. She previously served as Vice President of Government Affairs at Corley Consulting, and served as Executive Director of the Taskforce on American Innovation (TFAI), where she worked to execute a comprehensive strategy to secure federal research funding. Stewart also has significant public sector experience, having served at the White House, the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and in the U.S. Senate. Stewart is based in the DC area.
Fred Barlow
Professor & Department Chair, Department of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Fred Barlow earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Emory University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech. Over the years he has served in a range of roles at several universities including Virginia Tech, the University of Arkansas, the University of Idaho, and The University of Alaska Anchorage. While serving at the University of Idaho he was the chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering and became the first Micron Endowed Professor of Microelectronics. Prior to joining MSU Denver he served as the Dean of Engineering and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He has authored more than one hundred publications and served as the major professor for more than twenty master’s and Ph.D. students. His research work has focused on microelectronics and electronic packaging. That work has included process development, design, measurement, as well as modelling and simulation of electronic packages and other circuit assemblies. Some recent examples include the modelling and simulation of Signal Integrity (SI) and Power Integrity (PI) for high speed digital memory products, as well as the development of a Silicon Carbide (SiC) based power module for hybrid electric vehicles.
Calvin Chan
Senior Research Associate and the Microelectronics and Cyber Security Research Lead for the Center for National Security Initiatives at CU Boulder
Dr. Calvin Chan is a Senior Principal Research Associate and Lead of the Microelectronics and Cyber Security Program at the Center for National Security Initiatives. His work has spanned the entire range of the microelectronics lifecycle, from basic materials and device research to applied systems and technical evaluations. He is often called upon by national security and defense stakeholders to assemble and lead agile teams that can quickly research new phenomena and evaluate new technologies for acquisition, integration, deployment, and security. Dr. Chan is also a Research Professor in Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at CU Boulder. His research centers on the physics of energy transfer (which underlies information transfer) through physical systems. This includes developing materials, devices, imaging modalities, and characterization techniques for power generation, sensor systems, and secure/resilient microelectronics. Calvin is an active leader in the IEEE Symposium for Hardware Security and Trust and the American Physical Society.
Marla Dowell
Director, CHIPS Metrology Program and NIST Boulder Laboratory
Research & Innovation External Advisory Board
Dr. Marla Dowell is the Director of the CHIPS Metrology Program and NIST Boulder Laboratory. She began her career at NIST as a researcher in the field of optical metrology for photolithography. Dowell has represented NIST on national and international standards committees as well as external advisory committees on research innovation, photonics, and communications.
Dr. Dowell has a passion for solving problems that help people. Her work has touched the lives of many by enabling better optical measurements for photodynamic therapy to treat cancer, laser safety, communications, and manufacturing. Her abilities to foster collaborations with both private and public sector partners and to lead high performing research organizations have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Allen V. Astin Award, the Arthur S. Flemming Award from George Washington University, and the Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive. Dowell is a fellow of SPIE, senior member of IEEE, and a member of the Federal Innovation Council.
Erwin Gianchandani
Assistant Director of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, National Science Foundation
Dr. Erwin Gianchandani is the U.S. National Science Foundation’s assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, leading the newly established TIP Directorate. Gianchandani has worked at NSF since 2012. Prior to becoming the assistant director for TIP, he served as the senior advisor for Translation, Innovation and Partnerships for over a year, where he helped develop plans for the new TIP Directorate in collaboration with colleagues at NSF, other government agencies, industry and academia. During the previous six years, Gianchandani was the NSF deputy assistant director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, twice serving as acting assistant director for CISE. Before joining NSF in 2012, Gianchandani was the inaugural director of the Computing Community Consortium, providing leadership to the computing research community in identifying and pursuing bold, high-impact research directions such as health information technology and sustainable computing. Gianchandani has published extensively and presented at international conferences on computational systems biology. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering, all from the University of Virginia.
Terry Hogan
President & CTO, National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)
Teresa (Terry) Hogan is the Executive Director and CTO at NCWIT. Her career began at US WEST where she was the lead engineer of the original region-wide dialup Internet access service and then the subsequent DSL product, MegaBit Services. After US WEST, Terry worked at the cable company MediaOne in Technology Intelligence, and then as an IT Strategy consultant for the Gartner Group. She worked in the leadership practice at Kalos Strategy Group and then joined AppliedTrust in 2005. At AppliedTrust she focused on technology strategy, information security, incident management, and standards compliance. She has additionally served on the boards of local nonprofits, including the Colorado Internet Cooperative Association and Social Venture Partners of Boulder County. She has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Colorado and a MA in Organizational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts.
Eve Lieberman
Executive Director, OEDIT, State of Colorado
Eve Lieberman was appointed by the Governor to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade on January 2nd, 2023. Prior to that, she had served as the Chief Policy Advisor and Legislative Counsel for Governor Jared Polis for all four years of his first term. She managed the legislative policy and federal affairs teams and oversaw many successful Governor priorities, including the passage of Free Full Day Kindergarten, the implementation of universal preschool, historic investments in transportation, and economic recovery programs.
Eve served over ten years on Capitol Hill, working as Governor Polis’ Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director and then Chief of Staff when then-Congressman Polis represented the 2nd Colorado Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Eve also served on the Rules Committee in her capacity working for another senior member of Congress. Eve earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended law school at the George Washington University Law School, completing her Juris Doctorate in 2011. During her time in law school, Eve served as a Law Clerk for the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, for a DC Superior Court Judge, for the House Judiciary Committee, and for the US Department of Justice. Eve lives in Denver with her husband and two children.
Keith Molenaar
Dean, College of Engineering & Applied Science, CU Boulder
Keith Molenaar’s term as interim and acting dean started in January 2020. From a transition perspective, Molenaar offered consistency and continuity when it came to the college, campus and university vision. “Embracing our public educational mission is something I feel strongly about, and global engagement has long been a passion of mine,” he said. Molenaar was awarded the CU Campus Global Citizen of the Year Award in 2017. “But one of the things that I really want to focus on is enriching our professional environment. We, as a team, make this a place where you want to work and want to be. I would like us to continue down that path.” His ties here date back to his time as an undergraduate in architectural engineering in the late 1980s. After working for a successful construction management start-up company, he returned to earn his MS and PhD in civil engineering in 1997. After starting as an assistant professor at Georgia Tech, he took the opportunity to return to the civil engineering faculty at CU Boulder. He became a full professor in 2011. Molenaar’s teaching and research focus on risk and decision analysis, construction engineering and cost estimating for buildings and infrastructure projects. That has led to work on regional projects such as the skylights over the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to international efforts like the Panama Canal expansion project and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in France—the project he said he’s most proud of in his career.
Lindsay Pack
CEO, InnovaFlex Foundry
Lindsay Pack is the Chief Executive Officer at InnovaFlex Foundry. Lindsay brings a unique perspective to delivering creative technological solutions having worked in a variety of roles across the public, private, and government sectors. Before joining InnovaFlex as the CEO, she has spent time running global businesses with customers and manufacturing around the world for companies such as Philips and Becton Dickinson. With her engineering background, Lindsay has been deeply engaged in developing cutting edge technology, but she is also passionate about the total product lifecycle and ensuring that manufacturing capabilities and processes are part of that design. She used this industry experience and knowledge to guide her recommendations as she spearheaded the total product lifecycle reorganization at the Food and Drug Administration where she was both a lead scientist and manufacturing engineering reviewer. Lindsay wants to invest in her community and country, so she serves on the board for both the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Center and the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association and executive committee for the El Paso County Early Childhood Business Council. Lindsay is the mother of four boys and in her free time enjoys their adventures outdoors.
Jared Polis
Governor of Colorado
Governor Jared Polis is an entrepreneur, education leader, and public servant. After launching several successful companies, including one out of his college dorm room, Polis committed himself to making sure other Coloradans had the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Polis founded schools for at-risk students and new immigrants and started nonprofits to help veterans and entrepreneurs. Prior to serving as Governor, Polis served on the State Board of Education where he worked to raise pay for teachers and reduce class size for students, and represented Colorado's 2nd Congressional district, where he was rated the most effective member of the Colorado delegation. As Governor, Polis has focused on saving Coloradans money, keeping our economy strong, and preserving our Colorado way of life. Polis delivered universal free full-day kindergarten, signed a number of bills to save families money on health care, and made significant progress towards the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040, all while cutting taxes for small businesses and investing in affordable housing and transportation. His efforts to expand health care access to medically underserved communities and to ensure that equity and justice remain central to building a Colorado for All have produced impactful legislation and made progress toward his administration’s bold vision.
Dennis Pretti
Senior Member of Technical Staff, Micron Technology
Dennis Pretti received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado (Boulder, Colorado USA) in 1995. He started at Micron Technology, Inc. in Boise, Idaho in 1995 where he worked as a Parametric Test Device Engineer in Fab 3 High Volume Manufacturing until 2000. Dennis has been a team member of Scribe Design in Technology Development from 2000 – 2022. In 2000 he developed and led a team of engineers as a Parametric Test Device Designer until 2013. From 2013 - 2019 his work focused on CMOS Automation, test device & optical design quality optimization. From 2019 - 2022 his efforts were focused on test device and optical design roadmap initiatives. From 2022 – his current efforts have been focused on STEM outreach (K-12), University technical engagement, and Technical Leadership Program (TLP) engineer pipeline development and advancement. Dennis joined the TLP community in 2015 as a Senior Member of Technical Staff, where he has held many rolls of leadership, influence, mentoring, technical expertise, and innovation. Dennis’ involvement in TLP has given him some of the greatest experiences and memories of his professional career. Some highlighted areas are as TLP TD Seminar General Chair (2017 – 2019) and as CU Boulder TD Ambassador, technical advisor, and ECEE External Advisory Board member. Dennis holds one U.S. patent and 5 publications. Dennis looks forward to continuing his efforts towards STEM outreach, while continually being an advocate for Micron Technology and CU Boulder technical engagement, curriculum development, and student mentorship.
Chris Richards
Managing Director and Partner, Denver, Boston Consulting Group
As a member of Boston Consulting Group's Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) and Operations practices, Chris Richard focuses on all aspects of the semiconductor industry—especially operations. He works with semiconductor and high tech-clients in the US and worldwide.
Chris's unique background in engineering, systems design, supply chain, manufacturing, and leadership, informs his work in supply chain and manufacturing operations, operational excellence, and supply chain strategy. He joined BCG in 2022, bringing over 30 years of experience helping clients solve their most complex problems with a mix of innovative thinking and pragmatic implementation and change management practices. In his current role, he helps clients solve strategy and operational issues through digitally enabled transformations—using modern technologies to address age-old supply chain challenges.
Prior to joining BCG, Chris was a partner at PRTM Management Consultants, A. T. Kearney, and Deloitte Consulting. Before becoming a consultant, he served in a number of operations and engineering leadership roles at Intel Corporation. He started his career as an officer in the US Army.
Massimo Ruzzene
Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, CU Boulder
Massimo Ruzzene became vice chancellor for Research and Innovation and dean of the institutes at CU Boulder in March 2023. Previously, he served as acting vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Ruzzene is the Slade Professor of Mechanical Engineering and holds a joint appointment in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department. He joined CU Boulder in the summer of 2019, after serving as the Pratt and Whitney Professor in the Schools of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Ruzzene received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) in 1999 and is author of 2 books, more than 200 journal papers and 280 conference papers. Most of his current and past research work has focused on solid mechanics, structural dynamics and wave propagation with application to structural health monitoring, metamaterials, and vibration and noise control. Ruzzene has participated as a PI or co-PI in various research projects funded by government agencies such as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), NASA, the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, DARPA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as companies such as Boeing, Eurocopter, Raytheon, Corning and TRW. Ruzzene is a Fellow of ASME and SES, an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and a member of AHS, and ASA. He served as Program Director for the Dynamics, Control and System Diagnostics Program of CMMI at the National Science Foundation between 2014 and 2016.
Daniel Salvetti
Semiconductor Industry Manager, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
Dan Salvetti is the semiconductor industry manager in the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. He will support the continued growth of Colorado’s semiconductor industry and play a key role in implementing new OEDIT programming to aid Colorado companies in benefiting from the federal CHIPS and Science Act. Salvetti joined OEDIT in February 2018 as a member of the Strategy and Analytics team, where he provided analytical support to meet Colorado’s data-driven economic development goals. This work included collecting, organizing, and analyzing data to support a variety of outcomes, including bringing companies to the state, supporting businesses during the pandemic, and providing funding and support for expansion, among others. His efforts were a significant contributor to the job growth that OEDIT’s programming supported throughout the last five years.
Rod Schroeder
Senior Director of Fab 5 Operations, Microchip
Rodney earned Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1995 and started at Microchip Technology Inc as a new college graduate. For the first 25 years of his career he worked primarily in Process Engineering and spent time in all three of Microchip’s large wafer manufacturing sites. He became Director of Operations in Fab 5 Colorado Springs in May 2000. He is married with two teenage children and enjoys golf and hiking.
Sean Sheheen
Professor
Professor, ECEE Department • Professor by Courtesy, Department of Physics • Faculty of the Materials Science & Engineering Program • Fellow, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) • Joint Appointee, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Photonics for Energy
Kim Vo
Vice President, Legal for AI and R&D Organizations, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Kim is Corporate Vice President of Legal at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), which designs and productizes microprocessors, graphics processors and field programmable processors. She currently supports AMD’s AI and R&D organizations that design and develop the microprocessor and graphic processors, including AI products. Kim has previously supported a variety of AMD’s business units. Before practicing law, Kim earned her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Economics (1998) and her M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering (1999) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kim worked as an engineer at both NASA and Motorola before becoming a patent agent and working as a member of Motorola’s Law Department. Subsequently, she obtained a J.D. from The University of Texas, where she graduated with honors. Kim worked as an attorney at Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (formerly Motorola) primarily preparing and prosecuting patents and working on technology projects and agreements until she joined AMD in 2010. Kim holds licenses from the State Bar of Texas and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is past Board Member and President of the Austin IP Law Association. Kim is also a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of The Honorable Lee Yeakel Inn of Court, for which she serves on the Executive Committee.
