Detlev "Det" Ansinn, Jr.
Chair
BS, Electrical Engineering, CoE, 1995
As a serial entrepreneur, Mr. Ansinn has been developing software solutions for over 35 years. Mr. Ansinn is the President and Founder of BrickSimple, LLC, a software development studio specializing in cutting edge mobile/VR/AR applications, which he founded in 2002. Additionally, since 2015, Mr. Ansinn has served as Chief Technology Officer and a Board Member at Adherent Health, a technology platform including biosensors and wearable and mobile technologies. He is also a Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at WorkSage, a digital platform provider that introduces job candidates through a network of qualified referral sources and engaged stakeholders.
In addition to his entrepreneurship, Mr. Ansinn has served the Council President of the Borough of Doylestown. He was first elected to Doylestown Borough Council in 2005 becoming its first ever Democratic Council President in 2007. With leadership on local government issues ranging from green sustainable construction to LGBT protections and has served as President of the Bucks County Borough’s Association. Beyond the Borough, Mr. Ansinn serves as a member of the Bucks County Open Space Review Board and is past President of the Bucks County Free Library system. In 2012, he was a convention delegate for Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district and was a participant in the White House Business Council. He is a trainer and facilitator for the national Life Entrepreneurship program of the New Leaders Council. Locally, he is also an active member with the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce and a regular conference speaker on technology, business, and social issues.
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Kamelia Aryafar, PhD
PhD, Computer Science (Machine Learning), CCI, Drexel University, 2015; MSc, Computer Science, CCI, Drexel University, 2010
Kamelia Aryafar, PhD is the director and engineering head of retail AI/solutions in Google Cloud AI where she leads applied artificial intelligence and machine learning teams focused on solving retailer's problems. Prior to Google, Kamelia was the executive vice president, Chief Algorithms and Analytics Officer, and board member for Overstock.com, where she led the company’s analytics, data platform, technology, machine learning, data science, data engineering, and algorithmic products. Kamelia joined Overstock.com, after several years at Etsy where she worked with different product teams across several platforms to integrate analytics, ML and AI algorithms throughout the organization. Kamelia holds a PhD and MSc in computer science and ML from Drexel University and has published several papers in scientific journals. As an active member of the ML community, she frequently speaks at academic and industry conferences focusing on advancing the field of AI, ML, Technology and women in STEM. Kamelia serves on several boards including: The JED Foundation, Initiative of Analytics and Data Science Standards (IADSS), Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University, Overstock.com (formerly), and Women of MENA in Tech.
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Carol Auerbach
Honorary Member
Ms. Auerbach has been a licensed psychologist who has practiced as a family therapist. A former SEI fellow of the Wharton School, she has provided psychological counseling for issues related to the management of wealth and succession planning in family-owned and closely held businesses as well as family foundations.
In the 1990s, as vice president for the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives in Washington, DC, Ms. Auerbach studied violence issues and television. She helped create and develop an anger management program called RETHINK and conducted workshops for TV professionals, educators, parents and teenagers.
Ms. Auerbach is a trustee of the Isaac and Carol Auerbach Family Foundation. In 2014, Ms. Auerbach established the Isaac L. Auerbach Cybersecurity Institute at Drexel, an interdisciplinary hub for educating the next generation of leaders in the field of cybersecurity, advancing the collective understanding of cyber-threats, and developing new capabilities and technologies to counter cyberattacks. The Auerbach family's partnership has fueled Drexel's growing strength in computer and information science. Carol and Isaac Auerbach established the Isaac L. Auerbach Professorship at the College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) shortly before Mr. Auerbach's death in 1992, and Ms. Auerbach has served on the search committee for two CCI deans. Ms. Auerbach is married to Albert Berger, with whom she partnered to create the two cybersecurity labs that were the precursor to the Institute.
An active member of the community and a patron of the arts, Ms. Auerbach serves on the National Advisory Committee for Foundations, Inc., a non-profit committed to improving educational experiences for America's children and youth. She also serves on the Patron Leadership Council for the Manhattan Theatre Club. Ms. Auerbach has served on the boards of the Bellevue Arts Museum, the Jewish Communal Fund, the Association of Israel's Decorative Arts, the Atlantic Theater Company, the Partnership for Effective Learning and Innovative Education, Inc., the Pilchuck Glass School, the former Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education and she served as vice president of the Philadelphia Jewish Federation.
At Drexel, Ms. Auerbach has served as a member of the CCI Dean's Executive Board and a member of CCI's Task Force.
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Albert "Al" Berger
Honorary Member
Mr. Berger was the CEO and chairman of the board of Allied Holdings, the parent company of Allied-Universal (formerly Allied Barton Security), the largest American-owned security officer services company. The company was sold in 2005 to MacAndrews & Forbes holdings, Inc. Prior to Allied, Mr. Berger served as chief executive officer of SpectaGuard from 1998 to February 2003 and remained as a board member through 2008. From 1994 through 1998, he redeveloped a hotel property and served as a consultant with Gryphon Investors and others in the security business. Mr. Berger served as director, president, and vice chairman of Pinkerton from 1990 to 1994 and as a director of California Plant Protection from 1975 to 1987. He had also served as President of HCC Industries from 1985 to 1987, and from 1961 through 1985, Mr. Berger held various positions in the chemical industry and owned a specialty chemical business from 1965 through 1985.
Mr. Berger is a member of the National Advisory Committee for Foundations, Inc. He serves as a member of the Patron Leadership Council for the Manhattan Theatre Club and he served on the board of directors. He also served as a member on the board of the Bellevue Arts Museum.
Mr. Berger's wife, Carol Auerbach, is a trustee of the Isaac and Carol Auerbach Family Foundation. In 2014, Ms. Auerbach established the Isaac L. Auerbach Cybersecurity Institute at Drexel, an interdisciplinary hub for educating the next generation of leaders in the field of cybersecurity, advancing the collective understanding of cyber-threats, and developing new capabilities and technologies to counter cyberattacks. The Institute is named in honor of Carol Auerbach's late husband, Isaac Auerbach, who passed away in 1992.
At Drexel, Mr. Auerbach has served as a member of the CCI's Board.
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Thomas Eric "Rick" Berk
BS, Computer Science, College of Computing and Informatics, 1986
Rick is a Partner and Head of firm wide Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management at Brown Brothers Harriman, a Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is a privately owned and managed financial services firm which serves individuals and institutions globally, with expertise in Private Banking, Investment Management, and Investor Services.
Prior to this role, he served as Co-Head of the Investor Services Technology Services Division, Head of Investor Services Product Management, and Chief Information Officer. During Rick’s tenure, BBH delivered bespoke applications and enterprise technology and data solutions that help global banks and asset managers manage their most complex and difficult business requirements, helping to position BBH as a technology leader in the financial services industry.
Prior to joining BBH, Rick was the vice president of global accounts development at ADP BISG, where he was responsible for developing systems and servicing ADP’s largest clients. He also spent several years in the communications technology industry.
Rick has a BS degree in Computer Science from Drexel University and is an active member of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He has also been a Trustee of the South Shore Health System in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
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Michelle Diliberto
Parent
Michelle Diliberto is an active philanthropist and community advocate. Since leaving her career in the early online sector at Prodigy Services Company, News Corp’s iGuide, and News America Digital Publishing, she has dedicated herself to improving the condition of others while raising her family. In addition to serving on school governance councils and supporting community enrichment philanthropies, Michelle has taken leadership roles in several organizations, with particular emphasis on fundraising and development. A sustaining long-term donor and supporter of the sexual assault crisis center in Stamford, Connecticut, Michelle served as the Development Chair on the Board of Directors for 3 years. She currently is the Board of Directors Stewardship Chair at The Babies Heart Fund, which raises awareness of pediatric heart disease and raises funds for research and fellowship training programs in Pediatric Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center in NYC. Her leadership and innovation have grown its largest fundraiser, “The Babies Heart Fund Gala,” from modest beginnings to more than a million dollars in contributions.
Michelle joined the Drexel President’s Parents Council in 2018 when her son matriculated as a freshman.
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Greg Driscoll
BS, Information Systems, College of Computing & Informatics, 1990
As enterprise Chief Information Officer for Penn Mutual, Greg is driving business results through the delivery of ever-increasing capabilities and adoption of new technologies that support the strategic direction of the company. He plays a key role in helping Penn Mutual meet business goals through collaboration across the organization with a focus on current operations and continual enhancement of the company’s business capabilities and has positioned Penn Mutual as a company that is powered by it’s people and enabled by technology.
Greg joined Penn Mutual as assistant vice president within Information Management and Technology in 2004. After successfully aligning Penn Mutual’s technology delivery with its business needs and direction, he was promoted to vice president of Technology Architecture and Services in 2006. In that role, Greg was responsible for streamlining the architecture that services all of Penn Mutual’s stakeholders through technology capabilities and maintaining the ongoing reliability of the operating environment. In 2009, he was named the company’s Chief Information Officer and in 2015 Greg’s responsibilities extended to include adviser and client service operations.
Greg’s previous positions include assistant vice president of Disability Management Applications, and director of Architecture and eBusiness Development for CIGNA Health Services/Intracorp, a subsidiary of CIGNA Corporation. Prior to joining CIGNA, Greg worked in the Advanced Technologies area at The Vanguard Group.
Greg graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and earned a Masters in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University.
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Diane Marie Fanelli
BS, Accounting, Bennett S. LeBow College of Business, 1987
Ms. Fanelli is Chief Operating Officer at iCIMS, Inc., the market-leading cloud recruiting platform provider. Fanelli leads worldwide customer and partner operations for iCIMS’ community of more than two million users and the industry’s largest recruiting ecosystem of partners.
Prior to her position at iCIMS, Ms. Fanelli served as Vice President of Global System Integrators for Citrix where she developed and enhanced partnerships. Prior to Citrix, she served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Platform Channels at SAP where she led a global team that was responsible for expanding SAP’s ecosystem and bringing SAP innovations to market in the areas of PaaS, mobility, analytics, database, technology and IoT. Before SAP, she was the assistant controller at Pincus Bros. Inc. and senior auditor at Laventhol & Horwath.
At SAP, Ms. Fanelli also served as the Global Customer Operations Executive Sponsor on Diversity and took part in the company's Autism at Work program. She was an Executive Sponsor of the SAP Veterans to Work program, which was established to alleviate the shortage of highly skilled talent in the technology industry.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Fanelli has served in a variety of positions including as Chief Operating Officer - Platform Solutions Division; Senior Vice President - Global Presales and Solutions; Senior Vice President Business Development; Senior Vice President for SAP Asia Pacific and Japan; Vice President of Business Development; Vice President - Presales; and other various consulting sales and delivery roles.
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Adit Gupta
PhD Candidate, Computer Science; MS, Computer Science, 2021 and BS, Software Engineering, 2019 from Drexel's College of Computing & Informatics
Adit Gupta is the co-founder & CEO of Lula, Inc. — an institutionally-backed delivery tech company used by retail stores across the US. Adit started Lula after his parents' convenience store closed down during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He is also a PhD candidate at Drexel University, with research interests in Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction. Adit graduated from Drexel University with a BS in Software Engineering and has worked for several Fortune 50 companies. Adit enjoys playing tennis and traveling.
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Kisha Hortman Hawthorne, PhD, MHA, MBA, FACHE
PhD, Information Studies, College of Computing & Informatics, 2018
Dr. Hawthorne is the Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Care Network/Behavioral Health Services at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In this capacity, she serves as the operational and strategic leader of CHOP’s Care Network/Behavioral Health Services consisting of 31 regional primary care centers, 15 regional outpatient specialty care centers, four urgent care centers, four behavioral health centers, and eight hospital affiliate partnerships. With a healthcare career spanning more than 20 years, Dr. Hawthorne has extensive experience in hospital operations, revenue cycle and project management. In addition, she possesses expertise in strategic planning, comprehensive business plan development, information services, complex information technology projects, and budget management. As COO of the CHOP Care Network/Behavioral Health Services, Dr. Hawthorne manages a net operating revenue of $202 million across five profit & loss service lines. She leads network growth and business development strategy, along with establishing strategic alliances with regional healthcare systems including Penn Medicine, Virtual Health and Atlanticare Health System. She champions diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives focusing on employee recruitment, development and retention, as well as community programming promoting health equity and access to services. Prior to her current role, Dr. Hawthorne served as CHOP’s SVP and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for seven years. As CIO, she was responsible for strategic leadership of the Information Services (IS) department, managing a $50 million capital budget, a project portfolio of more than 90 large and mid-size projects, and 550 full time staff members, ensuring organizational information security and protection of patient and family health data. Dr. Hawthorne is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. She earned a PhD in Information Studies from Drexel's College of Computing & Informatics, a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Florida A&M University.
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Dave Kaganovsky
BS, Information Studies, CCI, 1995
David is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Landor, a WPP agency specializing in Branding and Design. Previously David was the CTO at GO Subscription, a startup to revolutionize the way US consumers access new cars at better prices. At GO David has spearheaded the development and overall technology function of GO's disruptive automotive subscription platform. Prior to his role at GO, David spent nearly 10 years in global positions, with the last four years as the CTO for Wavemaker, a $1 billion media agency within WPP. While at WPP David was also the global Applications Director for GroupM and CIO for Maxus. Before joining WPP, David served as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Ernst & Young (EY), specializing in CIO Advisory services. His extensive experience in providing strategic technology consulting to organizations of various sizes and industries has honed his ability to deliver innovative solutions and drive business growth. In 2017, he was elected to chair the Drexel University’s Alumni Association Board of Governors. As chair, he also serves as a member of the Drexel University Board of Trustees. He has also served on the President's Leadership Council from 2011 to 2015. In addition, he has been the president of the Alumni Corporation of Alpha Pi Lambda Fraternity. In 2015, he was nominated by Drexel and named to the Hall of Fame of the World Association of Co-operative Education.
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Jo Mason
As executive vice president and chief human resources officer for DXC Technology, Ms. Mason leads all aspects of human resources, including talent recruitment and retention, policy, benefits and compensation, workforce development and organization effectiveness, staffing and training, along with global inclusion and diversity. DXC Technology was created by the merger of CSC, a provider of information technology services and professional services, and the Enterprise Service business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, in April 2017. In May of 2018, DXC Technology is expected to merge with Vencore Holding Corporation and Keypoint Government Solutions; the new company will be named Perspecta.
Prior to DXC, Ms. Mason was the chief human resources officer and chief of staff at CSC, where she reported to former CSC chairman, president and CEO Mike Lawrie, a Drexel MBA alumnus and Drexel Trustee, who will serve as the chairman of Perspecta, upon the close of the merger, in May 2018. She joined CSC in March 2012 as the chief of staff and head of the change management and execution office. From October 2006 to March 2012, she served as the chief of staff and operation director at Misys plc. She served in various management roles at Zouk Capital from 2004 to 2006, Lendlease Group from 2002 to 2004 and Energis Communications Ltd. from 1999 to 2002.
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Mary Odabashian
BS, Finance and Marketing, CoE, 1989
As a global marketing VP at SAP, Mary Odabashian plays a key role in marketing the SAP Services and Support brand throughout the buyer’s journey and customer lifecycle; to grow reputation, fuel profitable growth and maximize business success for customers, SAP and business partners. During her career at SAP, Mary has held leadership roles in consulting, presales, strategy development, marketing and communications, and she has lived abroad in Germany and Australia. She brings a unique blend of international, cross-industry experience into crafting a brand voice and story that makes the strategic plan of a business understandable and relatable for employees, clients and influencers. She excels at building marketing and communication strategies that support long-term business growth, employee engagement and profitability. Mary is ever-focused on living the life she imagines. She was a co-founder of the Business Women’s Network at SAP in North America and as a certified coach she is obsessed with giving people the tools they need to live their lives with joy and fully aligned with their value system. Mary earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel’s LeBow College of Business in finance and marketing and a specialization in international business.
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Vicki Poponi
BS, Chemical Engineering, Drexel University; MBA, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Vicki Poponi is a vice president at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., whose current responsibility is to lead the enterprise-wide alignment of Honda's digital services across all product lines, including automobile, powersports and power equipment and their sales, service and finance functions.
Poponi joined Honda in 2005, as the assistant vice president of automobile Product Planning, with responsibility for Honda and Acura product planning, strategic planning, market research and coordination of quality assurance efforts. Her key efforts focused on improving the company's product planning and launch planning processes to create a market-driven culture across all departments. In 2013, Poponi joined the Parts, Service & Technical Division as the assistant vice president of Service Engineering, leading the technical operations, with responsibilities for monitoring the U.S. and export markets to identify and address emerging market issues, providing technical guidance to dealership service technicians and working with R&D teams to ensure the serviceability of future products by dealers. In 2015, Poponi became vice president of the Export Sales Division, with P&L responsibility for sales of automobiles and parts built in the U.S. and North America to more than 84 countries and 15 Honda assembly plants around the world. In April 2017, Poponi became the vice president of Auto Sales Operations, where she was responsible for all market support activities for Honda and Acura vehicle sales, which included marketing operations, dealer franchise planning and operations, dealer sales training and communications. Poponi assumed her current role on April 1, 2019.
Prior to joining AHM, Poponi held key leadership roles, including P&L responsibility, with Honeywell's Garrett Turbocharging Systems, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Scott Paper Company.
Poponi received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University, and holds a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Rick Rioboli
Rick Rioboli serves as executive vice president and chief technology officer of Comcast Cable. In this role, he leads the technology organization that drives the innovation, development and management of the global platforms that power both customer and employee experiences, as well as the technology, architecture, and tools that underpin them. Over the past 18 years, Rick’s teams have been instrumental in the technology transformation propelling critical strategic initiatives at Comcast in customer experience, digital first, data privacy and artificial intelligence. They have been awarded three Technology and Engineering Emmy® awards as recognition for the impact of their work on television engineering.
Rick has more than 25 years of experience leading product and engineering teams focused on bringing innovative technologies and customer-facing products to market. He has been recognized as a Forbes "CIO Top 50 Innovative Technology Leader" and has received the Philly CIO of the Year Leadership and the Cable TV Pioneer awards.
Rick received his bachelor's in electrical engineering from Penn State University and his master's in computer engineering from Villanova University. He holds two patents related to wireless technology. In addition to his service on the Dean's Executive Advisory Council, Rick is an advocate for ongoing education and career development both at Comcast and across the Philadelphia tech community.
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Walter W. Straub
Former Trustee; BS, Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, 1965; MBA, LeBow, 1970; Honorary Degree, 2012
Mr. Straub is the chairman of the board of Vangard Voice Systems, a developer of voice software tools for mobile workforce and smartphone applications. He is also a director of mSIGNIA, a company which operates a platform to help authentication and online service providers in the lifecycle management of their mobile-based private data.
Mr. Straub was a co-founder of Rainbow Technologies, Inc., a computer and information security company. He led Rainbow's initial public offering in 1987 and its secondary offering in 1991. He was chairman of the board, CEO and president of Rainbow from 1984 until March 2004, when Rainbow merged with SafeNet, Inc. Mr. Straub then became a director of SafeNet, Inc., and he was named chairman of the board and CEO of the company in 2006. SafeNet was sold to a private equity group the following year. From 1989 until 2008, Mr. Straub was also a director of CAM Commerce Solutions, Inc., a provider of commerce solutions for traditional and web retailers. He serves on the President's Advisory Council of Concordia University, Irvine.
As a student he was an active member of Drexel Hillel. From May 1993 to May 2008, Mr. Straub was a member of the Board of Trustees of Drexel University. He has also served as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, the CCI Task Force, and the CCI Dean's Executive Board. Mr. Straub was inducted into the Drexel 100 in 1992 and into the World Association of Cooperative Education Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2017, he was the keynote speaker at the commencement for Drexel's College of Computing and Informatics. He is a Charter Member of the College of Engineering Alumni Circle of Distinction.
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