PISCATAWAY NJ – 27 NOVEMBER 2023 – IEEE Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) is excited to announce that the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) Board of Governors welcomed six new members at its last meeting held on 9 November, 2023. The governors will take office on 1 January 2024.
Dr. Ryan Bales, Gamma Theta Chapter, will lead the honor society in 2024 as President. He served as IEEE-HKN Governor At-Large from 2020 to 2022. Dr. Bales is a Principal Research Engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Lab and has 17 years of experience in applied research in embedded systems and electronic warfare. He has led the development of the digital signal processor for the Angry Kitten advanced electronic warfare program since its inception in 2011. He mentors junior engineers in the areas of embedded system design and signal processing and encourages service as part of their professional growth.
Dr. Sean Bentley, Gamma Theta Chapter, was elected to serve as the 2024 President-Elect. Dr. Bentley currently is an Associate Professor of Physics at Adelphi University. He has previously served IEEE-HKN as a Regions 1 & 2 Governor in 2018-2019 and the HKN Faculty Advisor Committee from 2018-2020. He is currently a member of THE BRIDGE Magazines Editorial Board. His outstanding teaching contributions have been recognized by the American Association of Physics Teachers who awarded him with the David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching in 2022 as well by Adelphi University where he was awarded the Tenured Teaching Excellence Award in 2013.
Dr. Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan, Epsilon Delta Chapter, led the society as President in 2023 and will serve as its 2024 Past President. As President, Veeraraghavan made significant progress in developing global partnerships for HKN. He is best known for his technological innovations in addressing global humanitarian and sustainable development challenges. He has successfully delivered cutting-edge technologies in areas of conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Understanding, cloud computing, enterprise systems, infrastructure technologies, and assistive and sustainable technologies.
Dr. Colleen Bailey, Lambda Zeta Chapter, will serve as the Region 5-6 Governor for a three-year term. She is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of North Texas and the Principal Investigator of the Optimization, Signal Processing, and Control Algorithm Research Laboratory. In addition to serving as the Advisor for the Lambda Zeta Chapter, Dr. Bailey is the IEEE Fort Worth Section Chair and IEEE Fort Worth Computational Intelligence Society Chair. She is the recipient of the UNT College of Engineering Faculty Teaching Award in 2023 and the UNT Advisor of the Year Eagle Award in 2022.
John McDonald, Beta Chapter, was elected to serve a three-year term as a Governor At-Large. John D. McDonald, P.E., is Smart Grid Business Development Leader for GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business. John has 49 years of experience in the electric utility industry. As an IEEE Life Fellow, McDonald has a long history of service to IEEE including being the IEEE Power & Energy Society Past President 2006-2007, IEEE Board of Directors, Division VII Director 2008-2009 among other positions. More recently, he has been the Director of the IEEE Foundation 2021-2023. He was awarded the IEEE Millenium Medal in 2000, IEEE PES Meritorious Service Award in 2015 and the Purdue University Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2023. His generosity made the IEEE-HKN Chapter Grants program possible, and he serves as a mentor to many HKN students.
James Jefferies, Beta Psi Chapter, will be serving a three-year term as the MGA Governor At-Large. He is a retired AT&T and Lucent Technologies executive who in 33 years rose from a manufacturing engineer to vice presidents. He was the 2015 President of IEEE-USA supporting globalization of its policy initiatives, and in 2018 he served as the IEEE President and CEO. He also played pivotal roles in the following IEEE activities: IEEE Board of Directors 2012-13, 2015, and 2017-19; IEEE-USA Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy Committee 2008-16; IEEE Employee Benefits and Compensation Committee 2015-16; Region 5 Director 2012-13; IEEE Audit Committee 2012-13; IEEE-USA Board of Directors 2009-16; IEEE-USA Vice President – Professional Activities 2009; IEEE-USA Vice President – Government Relations 2010-11; IEEE-USA Government Activities Committee 2006-11; IEEE-USA R&D Policy Committee 2005-08; IEEE Member services Committee 2011.
Obafemi Jinadu, Epsilon Delta Chapter, was elected to a one-year term as Student Governor. He is a Ph.D. student at Tufts University conducting research in the field of AI and computer vision. He earned his undergraduate degree in 2019 at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria where he was awarded the Chevron/Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Joint Venture National University Scholarship award and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) local scholarship scheme undergraduate award. As a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Black in AI (BAI) communities, he is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within and beyond the field of engineering.
Trinh Huynh, Mu Mu Chapter, was elected to a one-year term as Student Governor. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Robotics at the University of Michigan. She served as the President of the Mu Mu Chapter in 2022-2023 where she was instrumental in revitalizing her chapter including facilitating tutoring sessions, organizing fundraising activities, and sponsoring seminars and workshops for the benefit of her fellow students. In 2021, she was selected as one of the inaugural cohorts for the Women Leadership Initiative, where she underwent specialized training in leadership skills. Additionally, her commitment to academic excellence and being a first-generation college student was acknowledged through her induction into the Tri-Alpha Honor Society.
