C.D. Mote, Jr., Ph.D.

C.D. Mote, Jr. is president of the National Academy of Engineering and Regents’ Professor on leave from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a native Californian who earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees at the University of California, Berkeley in mechanical engineering between 1959 and 1963. After a postdoctoral year in England and three years as an assistant professor at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, he returned to Berkeley to join the faculty in mechanical engineering for the next 31 years. In 1998 Dr. Mote was recruited to the presidency of the University of Maryland, College Park, a position he held until 2010 when he was appointed Regents’ Professor. His goal for the university was to elevate its self-expectation of achievement and its national and global positions through proactive initiatives. During his tenure the number of Academy members on the faculty tripled, three Nobel laureates were recognized, and an accredited school of public health and a new department of bioengineering were created. He also founded a 130-acre research park next to the campus, faculty research funds increased by 150 percent, and partnerships with surrounding federal agencies and with international organizations expanded greatly. The number of students studying abroad tripled, and he created an annual open house day that attracts over 100,000 visitors, founded a charitable foundation for the campus whose board of trustees launched and led a successful $1 billion capital campaign, and took to lunch every student that wanted to go. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked the campus #36 in 2010 and it’s Engineering School #13. The NAE elected him to membership in 1988 and to the positions of Councillor (2002–2008), Treasurer (2009–2013), and President for a six-year term beginning July 1, 2013. He has served on the NRC Governing Board Executive Committee since 2009. Dr. Mote’s recognitions include the NAE Founders Award, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Medal, and the Humboldt Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany. He is an honorary fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, honorary member of the American Society for Engineering Education, and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Academy of Mechanics, Acoustical Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. He holds four honorary doctorates and three honorary professorships. Dr. Mote was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2015 and as an honorary academician of the Academia Sinica, Taiwan in 2016. As president of the NAE Dr. Mote is committed to ensuring highly competitive talent in the US engineering workforce, facilitating public understanding of engineering, demonstrating how engineering creates a better quality of life and engaging the academy in global engineering issues in support of national interests. A highlight of global engineering engagement is the promotion of the NAE’s fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering from 2008 whose solutions are needed to achieve the global vision “Continuation of life on the planet, making our world more sustainable, safe, healthy and joyful.”

José M F Moura, D.Sc.

José M F Moura is the Philip L. and Marsha Dowd University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. His interests are in signal processing and data analytics. He has published over 550 technical papers and has been issued 15 patents; the technology of two of his patents (coinventor Alek Kavcic) is found in over three billion disk drives in about 60% of all computers sold in the world in the last 15 years. He is a Fellow of IEEE, AAAS, and of the National Academy of Inventors, a corresponding member of the Academia das Ciências de Portugal, and a member of the US National Academy of Engineers. He is the 2019 IEEE President and CeO.

Shay Bahramirad, Ph.D.

Dr. Shay Bahramirad serves as a strategic business leader in Commonwealth Edison, the electric utility serving Northern Illinois including Chicago, working on the 21st century power grid transformation and the new energy economy. She holds executive responsibility for ComEd’s vision of the grid of the future, ComEd system reliability, engineering, and planning, as well as developing frameworks for emerging technology roadmaps and investment strategies. Bahramirad is an Editorial Board Member of Electricity Journal, an Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the IEEE/PES Vice President of New Initiatives and Outreach, overseeing the organization’s engagement with policy makers globally, and developing strategies for next generation of standards and frameworks, including Smart Cities.

Prior to assuming her current role, Bahramirad was the Director of Distribution System Planning, Smart Grid & Innovation at ComEd, where she acted as technical lead regarding projects including the Bronzeville Community Microgrid, forming a storage road map, and headed an effort to develop transactive energy models. In addition, she provided technical analysis for policy issues relating to electrification, the Future Energy Jobs Act, and the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Next Grid process, while fostering a crossorganizational culture of innovation. Before joining ComEd in 2013, Dr. Bahramirad served in a number of engineering roles for over a decade.

Shay serves on the Auxillary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Leader Council of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, the Board of Directors of HFS Chicago Scholars, the Board of Directors of Chicago Architecture Foundation, and actively fundraises for the Chicago Special Olympics, St. Jude Hospital, and the American Heart Association, amongst others. She is the founder and a member of the board of PES Women in Power.

Dr. Bahramirad holds multiple advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and both an M.Sc. in Electric Power Engineering, and Computer Science, from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. She is also a graduate of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern Women’s Senior Leadership program and Finance for Executives.

Pramod Khargonekar, Ph.D.

Pramod Khargonekar received B. Tech. Degree in electrical engineering in 1977 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India, and M.S. degree in mathematics in 1980 and Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in 1981 from the University of Florida, respectively. He was Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from 1997 to 2001 and also held the position of Claude E. Shannon Professor of Engineering Science at The University of Michigan. From 2001 to 2009, he was Dean of the College of Engineering and Eckis Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida till 2016. After serving briefly as Deputy Director of Technology at ARPA-E in 2012-13, he was appointed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to serve as Assistant Director for the Directorate of Engineering (ENG) in March 2013, a position he held till June 2016. Currently, he is Vice Chancellor for Research and Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. His research and teaching interests are centered on theory and applications of systems and control. He has received numerous honors and awards including IEEE Control Systems Award, IEEE Baker Prize, IEEE Control Systems Axelby Award, NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, AACC Eckman Award, and is a Fellow of IEEE, IFAC, and AIAA.

Brenna Berman

Brenna Berman serves as Executive Director of the City Tech Collaborative, an IoT urban infrastructure lab that transforms cities into testbeds for new ideas. City Tech remakes essential services and infrastructure, from skills to skyscrapers and expands those solutions to other cities, thus increasing the world’s odds of solving big, urban problems. City Tech is currently easing subway congestion during large events; creating a digital map of Chicago’s underground; and launching a digital directory of public health services in Chicago. Prior to joining City Tech, Brenna served in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, which she joined in 2011. She served as the Chief Information Officer for the City and Commissioner for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) from 2012 to spring of 2017. In that time, she focused on transforming the team at DoIT to provide the skills and expertise to implement the Mayor’s vision of data-driven resident services and of a more efficient, effective, and innovative City government. This meant adding new skills to the team to increase the focus on software engineering and analytics, improving the department’s commercial partnerships to drive savings for the City, and identifying ground-breaking civic partnerships. During her tenure as CIO, Brenna delivered on the Mayor’s commitment to a robust open data program, integrated advanced analytics into many city departments, drove IoT innovation for the City through unique partnerships at UI LABS and the founding of the Midwest IoT Council, and, in partnership with the University of Chicago, realized the vision of urban-scale sensing with the Array of Things. Prior to joining the Emanuel Administration, Brenna built a career promoting government innovation over 10 years at IBM, where she worked closely with government agencies in cities and countries across the world to leverage technology and analytics to improve the services they provide to their residents. She advised governments on a variety of issues, from targeting personalized services through analytics to normalizing program offerings to simplify the delivery process and make them understandable to residents. Throughout her time at IBM, Brenna tailored cutting-edge business and data models, from processes to analytic algorithms for large government organizations in order to accelerate their own modernization efforts, providing an incredibly valuable skill set for the work she continues at UI LABS. Brenna earned her bachelor’s degree and Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

General Alicia Tate-Nadeau

Alicia Tate-Nadeau was appointed by Mayor Emanuel to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) on June 20, 2016.

Tate-Nadeau brings to the OEMC more than three decades of experience in national security, emergency management, and public safety issues. She recently retired from the Illinois National Guard, where she served as the Assistant Adjutant General, and concurrently as the Deputy Commanding General, Army National Guard, United States Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In 2015, Tate-Nadeau made history by becoming the first female in Illinois’ history to be promoted to the position of General.

Prior to this appointment, and as part of her work with the Illinois National Guard, Tate-Nadeau served in Israel from 2011 to 2014, where she planned, coordinated, and conducted emergency management exercises with international partners. While in Israel, she helped oversee the first-ever exercise between the United States, Israel, and Germany regarding Search and Rescue operations in urban areas.

Tate-Nadeau also served in Iraq, where she was stationed from 2005-2006. While in Iraq, Tate-Nadeau advised and assessed military operations, and also worked with the Iraqi population to promote civic engagement with the local and national government. In recognition of her work in Iraq, Tate-Nadeau was awarded the Legion of Merit, as well as the Bronze Star, which is one of the highest decorations awarded to members of the United States military.

Tate-Nadeau was a core member of the Secretary of Defense’s Tiger Team that was instrumental in the development of Defense Reform Initiative 25: Weapons of Mass Destruction Domestic Preparedness, which helps states prepare for domestic and international threats.

As the Executive Director of OEMC, Tate-Nadeau brings these experiences and more in overseeing the department’s mission to coordinate the City’s public safety efforts and ensure the security of every resident. To that end, her expertise in operations supports the OEMC’s endeavors in public safety, technology, communications, and city services. From managing the city’s 9-1-1 center to protecting people and property during large-scale incidents, the OEMC manages the city’s public safety efforts swiftly and seamlessly.

Peter Kilpatrick, Ph.D.

Dr. Peter Kilpatrick joined Illinois Institute of Technology as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in August 2018. Previously, he was the engineering dean at the University of Notre Dame. He served as chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and was a member of the NCSU faculty for a total of 25 years, prior to joining the University of Notre Dame. During his time at Notre Dame, the College of Engineering grew by more than 60 percent in its number of faculty members, increased its enrollments by nearly 70 percent, and more than doubled its external research funding to $50 million per year. Enrollment of women within the incoming classes of engineering students increased from 26 percent in 2008 to 36 percent in 2017. Kilpatrick is the author of more than 100 refereed journal articles in the areas of colloid and interfacial science, emulsion science, and molecular self assembly, particularly as they apply to energy and to bioseparations. According to Google Scholar, his work has been cited nearly 5,200 times, largely in the areas of emulsions and interfacial and colloidal phenomena. He is also the holder of 12 patents and has been actively engaged in two startups. Kilpatrick earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Occidental College in Los Angeles and his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.