The Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s (ECE) External Board of Advocates (EBA) was established in recognition of the department’s need to build strong ties with alumni, corporate, and public sector constituents. The EBA counsels the department regarding the priorities of industry and the engineering profession and suggests courses of action to address concerns in the context of the department’s research and education goals. The purpose of the EBA is to support the ECE Department in its goal to produce superior, highly sought-after graduates and ensure the success of the department itself. The EAB holds an on-campus, one-day meeting in October each year and a teleconference in April each year.
EBA Members
Members of the EBA hold or have previously held high-level positions in corporate, industrial, research, government or educational institutions. Each EBA member, listed below, has indicated their willingness and availability to voluntarily assist the department and the board to execute the responsibilities of the EBA.
Jay Besstermann, (S. Director of Managed Networks, CommScope)
Jeff Broomfield (Siemens, VP for Strategy & Strategic Projects)
Brian Brown (Aeronix - Vice President, Retired)
Bruce Churchill, PE (Ciena Corporation)
Dr. Randall Cooper (Texas Instruments - Director of Engineering, Battery Mgmt. Solutions);
Mike Deller (Comporium Group, Senior VP Engineering & Planning)
Tracy Gregory (SAS Institute, Software Developer)
Dave Haeussler (Senior Group Director, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.)
Tom Hentges (Nokia, Director of Research Development Engineering)
John Jenne (Dell Technologies, Distinguished Engineer)
Jason Kekas (Former founder & CTO for ImagineOptix Corporation)
Joe Law (Executive General Manager-Controls, GE Gas Power)
Cedric Lloyd (Duke Energy, Senior Manager, Systems Operations)
Kendra Settles (PowerSecure, Electrical Engineering Manager)
Joey Simpson (BellSouth Corporation - Retired)
Ruhi Sarikaya (Amazon Alexa, Vice President, L10)
Bill Turner (Dominion Energy - General Manager, Electric Operations)
Chris Wagner (Director- Transmission Planning R&D, Santee Cooper)
Warren Weeks (Wolfspeed - Vice President and General Manager of semiconductor materials, RF and Power division)
Parks Workman (Principal Patent Attorney, Dority & Manning, P.A.)
Emeritus Members
Brian Brown
Bruce Churchill
Milton Holcombe
Joey Simpson
Bill Turner
EBA Responsibilities
In fulfilling its important role for the ECE Department, the EBA
• Recommends programs and activities for electrical and computer engineering related education, and brings the industrial and public sector point of view to bear on curriculum and research projects;
• Counsels the department on matters pertaining to education, research, scholarship, and service;
• Serves as a platform to analyze and discuss current educational affairs and their impact on the industrial and public sectors;
• Serves as an ambassador for the department and the university by keeping other constituents informed about the progress and needs of the department;
• Aids in the recruiting of outstanding high school and community college graduates and encourages qualified bachelor's degree students to undertake graduate work through industrial fellowships and research contracts/grants; and
• Leads and supports the fundraising and advancement campaigns of the department.