Dr. Maaz Amjad is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Texas Tech University. He earned a PhD in Computer Science with a special focus on Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP). As a researcher in AI for Social Good, his research is centered around the application of AI in addressing pressing societal challenges, and leveraging technology for the betterment of people, health outcomes and society. Dr. Amjad has almost a decade of experience in both Machine and Deep learning and NLP pipeline development. He has worked on projects related to text classification, sentimental analysis, misinformation and hate speech detection, and improving public health surveillance. During his time at UT Austin, he along with other colleagues from UT Austin developed AI models to improve opioid overdose surveillance efforts in Texas. He has served as a main organizer of four international shared tasks to understand and develop ML and NLP solutions to address fact-checking challenges in the main-stream media industry and develop AI methods to automatically check the integrity of the content and hate speech.

Keith is a tenured IT professional with over 30 years experience working with and for public sector institutions. Today Keith is a Customer Engineer within the Google Public Sector division crafting solutions that address the challenges of institutional change while ensuring future sustainability, supportability, and adaptability.

Greg Brandenburg has over 20 years of experience as a technology leader in church, K-12, and higher-ed institutions. He is currently the Vice-President for Information Technology and CIO at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where he is responsible for IT operations and infrastructure, data analytics, LMS support, and media services. He is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University, has a Master’s of Divinity from Western Seminary, a certificate from Johns Hopkins University in School Administration and Supervision, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Tyler.

Brenda Carmona serves as the Director of the Instructional Technology Center at Laredo College, where she spearheads initiatives that integrate technology with pedagogy to create engaging and accessible learning experiences. As the founding member of the campus's Instructional Technology Center, Brenda established the department from the ground up, building a dedicated team to support both faculty and students in their technological and instructional needs.
In addition to her role in Instructional Technology, Brenda is actively engaged with Laredo College’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning’s Open Educational Resources (OER) division. In this role, she collaborates with faculty to make educational resources more accessible and affordable, contributing to the college’s commitment to student-centered, inclusive learning.
Passionate about expanding educational access, Brenda founded a student-led multimedia club and serves as an advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Through these initiatives, she fosters inclusive spaces where primarily Hispanic, bilingual, and economically disadvantaged students can acquire valuable tech skills, connect with peers, and build confidence.
Brenda’s work is driven by a dedication to empower every member of the learning community, helping them reach their full potential and succeed in an increasingly digital world.

Brian Cohen is the Vice President of the Center for Digital Government and Center Digital Education, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government and education. Prior to joining the Center, Brian was Vice Chancellor and University CIO for the City University of New York (CUNY).
As the Vice-Chancellor and University CIO at CUNY, Brian directed the Office of Computing and Information Services (CIS), developed, and managed the enterprise IT vision, strategy and day-to-day technology operations of the University. His areas of focus included academic and business systems, cloud strategies, IT policies and procedures, Cybersecurity, project management, IT resiliency and disaster recovery, and network and telecommunications.
Brain also served in leadership roles with the City of New York. Among his many accomplishments, Brian developed the City of New York’s E-Government strategy, implemented the City’s award-winning nyc.gov website, and managed the City’s effort to address the Y2K technology challenge.

Frank Feagans is the Vice President of IT and Chief Information Officer for the University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to joining UT Dallas in 2015, Frank was the Executive Director of Central IT Services for the University of Arizona. Before his transition into Higher Education, Frank’s career was in private industry, where he held various senior IT leadership positions. His experience includes 15 years within the McDonald’s system, 8 years in IT consulting, and 2 years with US Cellular.
Frank has extensive experience leading all facets of IT, including research computing, application development, enterprise and solutions architecture, project management, infrastructure, operations, and client services. With a keen ability to mitigate systemic risks in complex systems, Frank champions IT as a transformational partner to the business. He emphasizes the importance of strong collaborative relationships with colleagues and service providers and fosters an IT culture rooted in caring and teamwork.
A native of Illinois, Frank holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nassos Galiopoulos leads the development of strengthened systems to support students, faculty, and staff in their academic, research, and administrative pursuits. Nassos has a proven record of success in enterprise service management and performance analytics, bringing two decades of experience in a myriad of industries to his role as CTO and Deputy CIO. As UTSA embarks on our digital transformation, Nassos’ ability to cultivate high-performing teams and drive innovation will play a crucial role.
Prior to coming to UTSA, Galiopoulos served the University of North Texas System (UNTS) as a service operations, analytics, and technology executive. There, he led and directed the enterprise information technology services for the UNT System while advancing partnerships with internal and external entities to optimize the institution’s value and the student experience. Galiopoulos has a passion for analytics and has demonstrated substantial success in using proven process models to provide end-to-end services to customers. Hailing from one of the first higher education institutions to implement ServiceNow’s Performance Analytics, he has presented at numerous conferences.
A first-generation college student and two-time UNT alumnus, Galiopoulos holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an M.B.A. in Information Technology.

Dr. Shiva Jaganathan serves as the Chief Data Officer and Assistant Vice Provost at The University of Texas at Austin, where he leads the Institutional Reporting, Research, and Information Systems (IRRIS) department. In this capacity, he oversees data governance, strategic planning, and business analytics, providing critical data and metrics to support the university’s strategic initiatives.
With extensive experience in transformative IT, Dr. Jaganathan specializes in data warehousing, enterprise analytics, and decision support system development. He has been instrumental in advancing the university’s data culture, leveraging tools like Tableau to deliver crucial insights on class structures, faculty awards, and other key areas.
Dr. Jaganathan is also actively involved in promoting equitable and unbiased health AI for diverse populations. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to develop frameworks and toolkits for responsible AI development in healthcare, focusing on performance monitoring and correction mechanisms to ensure AI models are locally optimized.
In addition to his role at UT Austin, Dr. Jaganathan contributes to the broader data community by sharing his expertise at conferences and events. He has spoken on topics such as data governance and the preparation for AI implementation, advising organizations on best practices for managing and protecting their data.
Dr. Jaganathan’s leadership and expertise continue to drive data-informed decision-making and innovation at The University of Texas at Austin and beyond.

Kendra Ketchum is the inaugural Vice President for Information Management and Technology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In this launching role, she superintends the university’s overarching technology environment, including critical IT enablement for research and teaching activities of faculty and students, all information applications and infrastructure related to administrative information technology, information security, and technical services for faculty, staff and students. With the conviction that the success of any organization starts with its people, Ketchum cultivates leadership and teamwork to implement visionary IT strategies that have resulted in UTSA’s advancement as a Carnegie Classification R1 Research Institution.
Prior to joining UTSA, Ketchum served as Chief Technology Officer of IT Shared Services at the University of North Texas. She brings more than 25 years of technology experience in higher education and government organizations, including leadership roles at Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Northwestern Ohio, and Bowling Green State University.
In addition to her CIO and VP role, Ketchum is an active member of the community. She serves as Chair for the LEARN Board, is on the Leadership Board for CIOs in Higher Ed (LBCIO) as well as Dell’s Women in Action Leadership Program North America, serves on the Dell CIO Advisory Board, a member of Dell's IT Advisory Council (ITAC), volunteers for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, is involved with EDUCAUSE Hawkins Leadership, and serves on the Microsoft Higher Education Customer Advisory Board and the Dell Higher Education Customer Advisory Board.

Stephanie is the Assistant Vice President of Information Technology for the University of Texas at Dallas. Her responsibilities include leading budgeting and financial processes for IT, contract negotiation and vendor relationship management, strategic services, leadership development, and personnel management. She has over 17 years of experience in higher education and is a 2024 ELITE graduate. Before her role in higher education, Stephanie was an Assistant Controller at Flowers Foods.
Stephanie has considerable experience in budgeting and planning within higher education. Prior to her role at the University of Texas at Dallas, she worked for 15 years at the University of North Texas System. During her time there, she developed a cost-by-service budgeting model that helped campus CFOs understand the total cost of ownership for each service consumed by their campus. In the past decade, her focus has been on building relationships and collaboration with campus partners, as well as fostering a culture of accountability and autonomy for employees.
She holds an undergraduate degree, as well as a master's degree in education focusing on higher education administration, both from the University of North Texas.

I am an accomplished leader in information technology and cybersecurity with experience in the financial services, higher education, academic healthcare, and technology industries. I served on M&A planning committees in the private sector and managed product development for an expert systems start-up. I know the benefits and risks of advanced technologies, the complexities of integration in an M&A process, and how organizational culture is a critical success factor in major initiatives. My cross-industry experience prepared me to address changing technology related challenges of contemporary enterprises.
I recently retired as CISO for the University of Texas System, a $29B enterprise comprised of highly varied institutions. I developed a strategic program to strengthen the security programs of 8 higher education and 6 healthcare/research institutions across the state of Texas. I briefed the Board of Regents and recommended initiatives that will provide system-wide benefit.
I currently serve as an independent Board member, and Vice Chair of the Technology Committee for the National Student Clearinghouse (https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/). The NSC is the source for trusted and secure education data insights.
My professional experience stretches across the private sector, non-profits, higher education, and healthcare. I was successful in technology start-ups and F500 organizations. This diverse experience required me to adapt to varied corporate cultures and taught me a variety of problem solving approaches. No one ever hired me to 'just do what the last guy did". I have been drawn to turn around situations, technology transformation initiatives, etc. My educational background is eclectic: it included modeling experience and analyzing economic processes; skills that enabled me to join the technology field in its early days. I am a master at translating between technical staff and executive management.
Outside of work I enjoy watercolor painting, domestic and international travel. I was a foreign exchange student to India at age 16 and I've been hooked on exploring other countries ever since.
My wide range of experience and adaptability make me a strong candidate to serve on Boards. Business priorities should drive technology strategy. Cyber risk management is in the top 5 enterprise risks for all organizations and technology based transformations often fail. I have developed and implemented cyber security strategies, managed critical business-driven technology transformations and coached executives through ransomware incidents.

After earning his PhD at Stanford in '82, George Otte spent over 4 decades in higher education, most of that at the City University of New York. In 2001 he was named Director of Instructional Technology for CUNY; the title changed to University Director of Academic Technology in 2008, the same year he became chief academic officer of the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the home of the University's first online degrees. He oversaw the development of so many (by 2022 more than two dozen) that he gave up his position with CUNY Central (as AT director) in 2018. In 2022, he stepped down as the CAO of CUNY SPS.

Richard Rose, a tenured leader of Solutions Architects at Verizon, leverages over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors to guide organizations through digital transformation. His career began in the United States Air Force, followed by an extensive journey in information technology, giving him a deep understanding of how cutting-edge technologies can revolutionize operations and services. Richard is passionate about collaborating with higher education and public sector organizations to leverage technology—particularly 5G and mission-critical networks—for enhanced learning, research, and operational efficiency. Richard excels in translating complex technical concepts into actionable solutions, empowering organizations to achieve their strategic goals through innovative technology adoption.