Advisory Board
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 and 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.
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 in executing the responsibilities of the EBA.
Our Members
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.
Responsibilities
In fulfilling its important role for the ECE Department in providing the department with advice on the priorities of industry and the engineering profession, 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.
