Brooks Raiford has served as President + CEO of the North Carolina Technology Association since 2008.

NC TECH is the statewide industry association for the tech sector, representing more than 600 member companies and organizations that collectively employ over 250,000 North Carolinians.

Early in his career, Brooks served as a policy aide to the Governor of North Carolina, where a key focus area was information technology and its impact on a variety of public policy areas. Subsequently, he has held leadership positions in North Carolina’s nonprofit and business sectors.

Current and previous leadership activities include serving as an appointee of the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court to the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice; Vice Chair (and US Policy Chair) of the Board of Directors of the Technology Councils of North America; member of the Board of Advisors for CyberUSA; member of the North Carolina Advisory Committee of the US Global Leadership Coalition; member of the UNC-Wilmington MHA Healthcare Advisory Board; member of the Corporate Advisory Board of the Independent College Fund of North Carolina; Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Guilford College; President of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and a founding member of the Dean’s Strategic Advisory Board for the College of Engineering at NC State University, where he is a former Student Body President and University Trustee.

Brooks is a past recipient of the national Tech Voice Champion Award from the Computing Technology Industry Association; he is a Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Marshall Memorial Fellowship; and has been named to the Information Technology Power List multiple years by Business North Carolina magazine.

Greg Mulholland is the founder and CEO of Citrine Informatics. Citrine Informatics, founded in 2013, is the leader in AI for materials and chemicals, with customers including B Braun, Coorstek, LyondellBasell and universities and automotive companies in Japan.

Greg is an internationally recognized materials technology leader with invitations to speak at global conferences on six continents, chaired a session entitled “Big Data and AI for Materials Efficiency” at the 2018 World Materials Forum, was named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2017, a member of the World Economic Forum Future of Production Working Group, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2015.

He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MPhil in Materials Science from Cambridge University, and Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NC State University where he was a Park Scholar.

Doug Edgeton became president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in September 2014. He brings extensive executive-level experience in health care from major academic medical centers, research park development and business administration, including an emphasis on community service.

Edgeton targets state investment and staff expertise to help North Carolina’s life sciences companies grow, create jobs, and bring life-changing technologies to market.

Edgeton received his B.S. degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and MPH and MBA degrees from University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Phil Emer has spent over 35 years working at the intersections of network technology, research, academia and business – splitting time between the public and private sectors. In the private sector Phil has worked as a technical business development manager with Amazon Web Services (AWS), as an engineer with IBM, as a technology executive with venture-backed Carolina Broadband, and as a member of the leadership team with not-for-profit MCNC. In the public sector Phil directed voice, video, and data communications at NC State University and served as Senior Director of Technology Planning and Policy with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

Phil currently serves as Vice President Business Development at MCNC, a North Carolina not-for-profit corporation that functions as the single State education service agency supporting K-20 with connectivity, cybersecurity, hosting, and related technology services.

Phil has served on the NC eLearning Commission, the advisory board of the Institute for Next Generation IT Systems, the architecture review board of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the NC Innovation Council, and has served as adjunct faculty in the department of computer science at NC State University. Currently, he serves on the Board of the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina.

Phil earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and an M.S. in computer engineering from NC State University.

Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park is the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining UCLA in 2023, she was the Lenfest Earth Institute Professor of Climate Change at Columbia University, where she also served as the Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy. Her research focuses on sustainable energy and materials conversion pathways with an emphasis on integrated Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies.

Park received many professional awards and honors, including the ACS Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal, AIChE Program Committee’s Leadership Award for Innovations in Green Process Engineering, ACS ENFL Distinguished Researcher Award, IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award, the AIChE PTF Shell Thomas Baron Award, AIChE PTF PSRI Lectureship Award, U.S. C3E Research Award, and NSF CAREER Award. She also led key global and national discussions on CCUS, including the Mission Innovation Workshop in 2017.

Park is a Fellow of AIChE, ACS, CIFAR, RSC and AAAS. She received her B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Ohio State University.

Raheem Beyah assumed the role as Georgia Tech’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs on Nov 1. Known for his mentorship and collaborative leadership, Beyah is the Institute’s chief academic officer — leading and supporting all academic and related units, including the Colleges, the Library, and professional education. He also oversees the Institute’s academic and budgetary policies and priorities.

Previously, he served as dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair at Georgia Tech since 2021. Under his leadership, the College strengthened its national and global reputation for innovation, research excellence, and student success, earning top-10 national rankings across every engineering discipline.

Beyah held several leadership roles at Georgia Tech prior to serving as dean, including associate chair for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), interim Steve W. Chaddick ECE School Chair, executive director of the online master’s in cybersecurity program, and vice president for Interdisciplinary Research.

He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech in 1999 and 2003, respectively. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1998. A native Atlantan and a graduate of the Atlanta Public Schools system, he continues to give back to his community through active involvement at both the state and local levels. He is also a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and Leadership Georgia.

He received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2009 and was selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Computer Science Study Panel in 2010. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Engineering Education, and a lifetime member of the National Society of Black Engineers. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and an Association for Computing Machinery Distinguished Scientist.

Beyah is a cybersecurity expert and co-leads the Georgia Tech Cyber-Physical Security Lab. He is also the co-founder of Fortiphyd Logic Inc., an industrial cybersecurity company

Jeyhan Karaoğuz earned his M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1992) degrees in Electrical Engineering from the North Carolina State University. In the first decade of his career, he held technical and research management positions at IBM Research Triangle Park, IBM Zurich Research Labs, and Motorola Labs, where he made key technical contributions to the development of early industry standards for fast ethernet and cable modems. He also served as the editor for the physical layer of multiple IEEE industry standards.

In 2000, he joined Broadcom Corporation as a principal engineer and has held various engineering positions in research and development for more than 20 years, most recently as Vice President and General Manager of Intellectual Property.

Dr. Karaoğuz conducted pioneering research and development in broadband network access, wireless connectivity, and mobile devices in their early days. He is a prolific inventor with 764 US patents awarded to his name. His innovations span a wide range of digital living technologies, powering everyday essentials like mobile devices and wireless networks.

Kim Humphrey is the Vice President of Customer Success and Client Value at IBM, where she leads a global organization dedicated to delivering exceptional client experiences and maximizing the value of IBM’s technology investments. With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and customer-centricity, Kim drives strategic initiatives that help clients achieve their business outcomes while fostering a culture of excellence across IBM teams worldwide.

Throughout her career, Kim has demonstrated a passion for solving complex technical, business, and cultural challenges. Her leadership is defined by a relentless commitment to delighting clients and empowering IBMers to succeed. Prior to her current role, Kim led the development of IBM’s developer-facing products under the Rational Software brand, where she played a pivotal role in shaping tools that support software engineering and innovation.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Manhattan College and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her academic foundation, combined with decades of industry experience, informs her strategic perspective and fuels her dedication to mentoring the next generation of technology leaders

Ryan L. Hester, P.E., LEED AP BD+C is a licensed Professional Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional with nearly 25 years of experience leading engineering, construction, and commissioning of high-performance, mission-critical facilities.

Currently a Senior Manager in Data Center Capacity Delivery at AWS, he oversees construction commissioning and operational readiness for large-scale data centers across the Americas, ensuring quality, safety, and performance across multidisciplinary teams.

Prior to his role at AWS, Ryan was a Senior Manager for Technical Operations in Customer Fulfillment Design and Construction.

Known for blending technical expertise with strategic leadership, Ryan is committed to sustainable design, engineering excellence, and developing processes and teams that deliver impactful results in fast-paced, technically demanding environments.

Ryan was a legacy student and 2002 graduate of the NC State College of Engineering, past president of the NC State Board of Directors, and founder of the Seattle Alumni Network

Pam earned her BS Civil Engineering ’84 and her MS Civil Engineering ’87 from NC State. She is a strong advocate for NC State and has served on the Civil Engineering Advisory board, the Engineering Foundation Board and the Board of Visitors, and chaired the Paul Zia Lecture committee. She has been recognized as a College of Engineering Distinguished Alumna, and is an inductee to the Civil Engineering Hall of Fame. Pam retired from a multi-decade career as an executive in the consulting engineering industry, to pursue her passion of coaching. She is the founder of Townsend Catalyst Coaching, LLC.

Pam’s efforts to support the state of North Carolina include appointments to the Joint Legislative JOBS (Joining our Business and Schools) Commission, the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Building and Infrastructure Needs of the State, and the NC Works Commission. She served on the leadership team for the creation of the WAKE/NC State STEM High School developed for students underrepresented in STEM, and focused on project based learning based on the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges. Pam also helped to bring the NC Future City Middle School outreach competition to the State. She has served as President of Professional Engineers of North Carolina, and the PENC Educational Foundation, and is a PENC Fellow. She currently serves on the Centennial Authority with the responsibility of the Lenovo Center, the home of the NC State men’s basketball and Carolina Hurricanes.

Dr. Eric S. Warren has had a distinguished 28-year career in motorsports. He earned his BS (1991), MS (1993), and PhD (1997) in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University through the support of NASA-Langley Research Center. In 1997, his career in motorsports began when he accepted the chief aerodynamicist role with NASCAR’s Kranefuss-Haas Racing.

Over the next three decades, Dr. Warren held transformative technical and management roles at Penske-Kranefuss Racing, Evernham Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing serving in various roles as the chief aerodynamicist, chief engineer, technical director, vice president and chief technology officer.

In 2020, after an 8-year tenure at Richard Childress Racing as the vice president and chief technology officer, Dr. Warren joined General Motors as the Director of Motorsports Competition NASCAR Programs.  In March 2023, Dr. Warren was promoted to Executive Director, Global Motorsports Competition, with expanded responsibility including competition oversight of GM’s global racing programs including NASCAR, INDYCAR, IMSA, WEC, and F1.

At General Motors, Dr. Warren has led the development of the GM Motorsports organization, focusing on strengthening engineering competencies and technology transfer between motorsports and production vehicle engineering.  Active research interests include optimal control methods for optimization of vehicle performance, DiL/XiL simulation, tire modeling, aerodynamics, real-time data analytics, AI/ML race strategy optimization, and motorsports digital engineering architecture.

April Montgomery is the Chief Development Officer of EIP Storage. She has over two decades of experience in project development, including wind, solar and storage projects. Her work has supported gigawatts of clean energy projects across the country.

Prior to joining EIP, April served as Client Services Director – Generation for SWCA Environmental Consultants, a national environmental services firm company that acquired REAP in 2019. REAP was founded by April in 2013 to assist public and private sector clients build sustainable projects that balance environmental and economic development. April graduated with a BA in History and Design from Florida State University and a Master of Art in Urban Planning from the University of Florida.

Laura Gunter leads the North Carolina Life Sciences Organization as its president and directs the work of the life science advocacy association in conjunction with its Executive Committee and Board of Directors. NCLifeSci promotes policy initiatives that encourage the growth and success of life science companies doing business in the state by advocating for the industry before the NC General Assembly and the NC Congressional delegation. She works closely with state and federal partners on the advocacy and policy front.

Before becoming president, Gunter served as NCLifeSci’s membership development and government affairs director where she recruited new members to the organization; created forums, meetings and networking events for members; and coordinated outreach to state and federal legislators.

Before joining NCLifeSci, Gunter served as business development director for NCBiotech and as a technical sales representative for Fisher Scientific. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia and earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nelson Peeler serves as Duke Energy’s senior vice president of grid strategy, planning and integration. He leads the organization responsible for long-term grid planning including, energy storage; transmission and renewables planning and integration; transmission planning and operations strategy; grid solutions development; and strategic projects. Before assuming his current position in March 2024, Peeler served four years as Duke Energy’s senior vice president of transmission and fuels strategy and policy, managing fuel supply, system optimization, long-term transmission planning, and developing strategies and investment proposals. And from 2016 to 2020, Peeler served as the company’s chief transmission officer, overseeing the safe, reliable and efficient operation of Duke Energy’s electric transmission system.

Peeler has more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry. He joined Duke Energy in 1988 and has held a variety of leadership positions in power delivery, system planning and operations, performance support, engineering, construction, business planning, contract management, process improvement and training.

The Faith, N.C., native graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Queens University. He is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and South Carolina. Peeler is a former board member of SERC Reliability Corporation and currently serves on the boards of directors of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council and as board vice-chair of Reliability First Corporation. He is a current board member and former board chair of the North American Transmission Forum and is a member and former chair of the Reliability Issues Steering Committee (RISC) for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Additionally, he is past president of the North Carolina State Engineering Foundation and a member of the N.C. State Electrical and Computer Engineering Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Lorie, have a son, daughter and three grandchildren.

Dr. Chopra has over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor equipment industry, driving product innovation and commercializing Epitaxial technologies. He began his career at Applied as a New College Graduate and has held various roles in technology development, customer support, product marketing, technology management and customer engagement management.

Dr. Chopra holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. He holds more than 40 patents and has authored more than 50 technical publications.

As Chief Security & Trust Officer at Cisco, Anthony Grieco leads an organization of security and privacy experts that manage risk, build resilient digital infrastructure, protect Cisco’s enterprise, and enable customer and partner success. It drives cyber resilience across the company’s operations, people, products, and services that aims to provide a secure foundation for our digital world. Under Anthony’s leadership, Cisco has built strong partnerships with customers, governments, and partners globally to enable business growth and transformation by accelerating the use of trusted technology, development and implementation of secure processes, policies, and culture.

Over his 25 years at Cisco, he has held a variety of leadership roles in development engineering, product management, marketing, and strategic planning. Anthony has made multiple contributions to industry standards through his time spent with working groups at the World Economic Forum, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Communications, Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council. As a trusted advisor he is regularly asked to share insights at industry events and is sought out by global governments and industry leaders for his perspective on cybersecurity trends and best practices.

Anthony earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Alabama Birmingham and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.

Kim Hazelwood is a renowned engineering leader with over 20 years of experience in the field of scalable computer systems and applied machine learning. She currently serves as the Director of Engineering at Facebook AI Research (FAIR) where she leads the Systems and Machine Learning Research team in California, New York, and Boston. In addition, she also serves as the West Coast Head of Engineering for FAIR in Menlo Park, CA, and Seattle, WA.

Prior to joining Facebook, Kim held several leadership roles in the tech industry, including Director of Research at Yahoo Labs, Software Engineer at Google, and Research Scientist at Intel. She has also served as a tenured Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia. Kim holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Harvard University and has authored over 50 publications and one book. Kim is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the MIT “Top 35 Innovators under 35” award, the ACM SIGPLAN “Test of Time” Award, the Anita Borg Early Career Award, and an NSF Career Award. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Computing Research Association.

Kim’s expertise lies in developing and implementing software frameworks for applied machine learning in Facebook’s production and mobile applications. She has also worked extensively on global data center performance analysis, server and storage hardware roadmaps, and internal tools. Her tech stack includes AI, Research Scientist, Senior Software Engineer, ML, infra, test, Software Engineer, and Mobile.

Overall, Kim Hazelwood is a highly accomplished engineering leader with a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions at scale. Her expertise in applied machine learning and scalable computer systems makes her a valuable asset to any organization in the tech industry.

Barbara graduated from NC State magna cum laude with BS and Masters Degrees in Civil and Structural Engineering. Entrepreneurial by nature, Barbara founded Mulkey Engineers & Consultants, Inc. in 1993, an engineering consulting firm specializing in engineering and related services for both the public and private sectors. Begun at her kitchen table, the company grew throughout the Southeast and made the list of Top 500 Engineering Companies nationally multiple times while under her leadership. Today she is heralded as one of the most respected transportation experts in the state, as evidenced by her induction into the NC Transportation Hall of Fame.

At NC State, Barbara served for eight years on the Board of Trustees, including two years as Chair. Barbara and her husband Jim are benefactors of the Mulkey/General Hugh Shelton Leadership Award, an endowed scholarship that recognizes values-based leadership in engineering students at NC State.

In 2016, Barbara accepted the position of Director of the Shelton Leadership Center at NC State University. The Center provides academic courses and programs to prepare the next generation of values-based leaders. In five years, Barbara led the significant expansion of endowments, restructured the organization, and oversaw a successful rebranding effort. During her tenure, dynamic staff created and led a new Minor Degree in Global Leadership and as well as endowed and expanded the Chancellor’s Leadership Development Program.

Today, Barbara serves her community as Chair of the Research Triangle Foundation Board of Directors, a board that manages and oversees a 7,000 acre region that is roughly half the size of Manhattan and includes over 375 companies and 6,000 employees. Its mission is to facilitate collaboration between the Triangle universities, promote cooperation between universities and industry, and create an economic impact for residents of North Carolina.

In her free time, Barbara loves spending time with family, especially her three grandchildren who are the delights of her life.

Tonya L. Peeples became the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering on January 1, 2024. She joined Penn State in 2018 a professor of chemical engineering and as the inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion in the College of Engineering. In 2023, prior to being named interim dean, she was appointed senior associate dean.

Among her responsibilities and accomplishments, Peeples has led the Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion, developed the college’s equity action plan, and helped to establish the A. James Clark Scholars Program at Penn State for promising engineering undergraduate students with significant financial need.

As dean, Peeples oversees all aspects of the college, including:

• Pursuit of excellence and innovation in engineering education and research
• Initiatives to attract students, faculty and staff and support their development
• Ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Stewardship of the college’s financial resources
• Continuation of a major campus facilities modernization

Previously, Peeples served as the associate dean for diversity and outreach, and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. She earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University and a doctorate in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Peeples is a member of the American Society of Engineering Educators, the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, the National Association for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the American Chemical Society. She also is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.