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 Bestermann
Sr. Director of Product Management, Connect Portfolio
Jeff Broomfield
Siemens, Retired
Dr. Randall Cooper
Texas Instruments - Director of Engineering, Battery Mgmt. Solutions
Stephanie Dean
Eaton Corporation, Product Manager, Medium-Voltage Switchgear Portfolio
Mike Deller
Comporium Group, Senior VP Engineering & Planning
Ethan Farquhar
Savannah River National Laboratory, Division Director, Advanced Technology and Analysis Division
Tracy Gregory
SAS Institute, Software Developer
Dave Haeussler
Senior Group Director, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
John Jenne
Dell Technologies, Distinguished Engineer
Jason Kekas
Former founder & CTO for ImagineOptix Corporation
Thomas Kuckhoff
OMRON Americas, Senior Product Manager, Core Technologies
Joe Law
Executive General Manager-Controls, GE Gas Power, Retired
Cedric Lloyd
Duke Energy, Senior Manager, Systems Operations
Gene Pitts
Agility Robotics, Director of Hardware Engineering
Ruhi Sarikaya
Amazon Alexa, Vice President, L10
Chris Wagner
Director- Transmission Planning R&D, Santee Cooper
Warren Weeks
Wolfspeed - Retired
Parks Workman
Principal Patent Attorney, Dority & Manning, P.A.
Emeritus Members
Brian Brown
Bruce Churchill
Joe Guy
Scott Henry
Joey Simpson
Bill Turner
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.
