External Advisory Council

Sasha Oster is the Associate Director of the Directional Electromagnetic Systems team within the Advanced Technology Center at Rockwell Collins, located in Cedar Rapids, IA. Her team specializes in research and development of electronically steered arrays (ESAs) system up through millimeter-wave frequencies. Sasha’s expertise is in millimeter-wave, RF, and photonic systems research and development. Previously, Sasha worked at Intel Corporation in advanced microelectronic packaging research, working on millimeter-wave, sensors, wearable, and silicon photonics. Sasha received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Chaz Beck (BS SE ’09) is a Software Engineer II at Microsoft in Fargo, ND. After graduating from Iowa State’s Software Engineering program, Beck joined Microsoft as a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) with the Microsoft Dynamics Corporate Performance Management (CPM) team. The CPM team develops and maintains two Microsoft products, Management Reporter and Connector for Microsoft Dynamics.

As an SDET, Chaz developed test automation and tools focused on Management Reporter, a financial reporting product used to integrate and report on data from other Microsoft Dynamics ERP products. Beck helped develop a globalization tool used throughout Microsoft that allows test automation to change Windows user locale. Chaz has also developed several testing frameworks used at Microsoft internally for distributing and executing test automation, leveraging other Microsoft technologies that are part of Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server.

Beck currently is a Software Engineer II with the CPM team. In this role, his work has expanded to include not only test automation but also product development.

Rob Bowen (BSCpE ’94; MSCpE ’96) received his BS and MS in Computer Engineering from ISU.  Mr. Bowen has held several positions related to ASIC and FPGA design at Collins Aerospace over his 30 year tenure.  He is currently Associate Director, Advanced Data Link Waveforms Architect responsible for defining and maintaining several waveform technology roadmaps across the Data Links portfolio.  While employed at Collins Aerospace, Rob has served as an adjunct faculty member for Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy University teaching introductory courses in circuits and embedded systems.

John E. Derrick (BSEE’91) is the CEO of Authentrics.ai (Authentic + Metrics + AI).  Authentrics.ai provides a solution to Measure, Control, and Explain AI.

Jerry Doorenbos (BSEE ’88) is a TI Fellow and Chief Technologist for the Amplifiers Business Unit at Texas Instruments. Jerry’s previous roles include mixed signal design engineer and engineering manager. He has developed many integrated circuits including amplifiers, ADCs, DACs, and temperature sensors. Jerry is involved in TI’s university research and recruiting programs and has frequently recruited at ISU. Jerry is also a member of the Arizona State University ECEE Advisory Board. Jerry and his family live in Tucson, Arizona. One of his daughters is currently attending Iowa State University.

Justin Dorhout (MS EE ’06) joined Micron Technology in 2006 after completing his M.S.E.E. at Iowa State University under Professor Gary Tuttle. Justin’s initial work was a fab line engineer in Boise, Idaho. Justin transitioned to Lithography and Process Integration research and development in 2008, where he worked on several generations of planar and 3D NAND memory technologies. He has authored and contributed to more than 50 U.S. and International Patents.

Sam Ellis (BSComS ’83) is Program Director for Hybrid Cloud Development at IBM in Rochester, Minnesota, and a member of the IBM Faculty Academy. In prior roles within IBM, he was Software Program Manager for the development of the BlueGene supercomputer, and led Development and Research projects on Stream Computing, Hypervisor Technologies, Systems Performance, and Operating Systems. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Iowa State University in 1983, and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, in 2010. Ellis also is the IBM Campus Relationship Manager for Iowa State University, focusing on recruiting and research collaborations. He is a member of the external advisory boards for the Software Engineering program at Iowa State, and the MBA program at Iowa State. Sam joined the ECpE External Advisory Board at Iowa State in 2010.

Bob Erger is a senior staff software engineer at Schneider Electric in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Iowa in 1993, he joined the Square D Company, which later became Schneider Electric. He has participated in the hardware and software development  of many electrical distribution products and is involved in the development and review of the safety aspects of embedded firmware in these products. Erger is also a member of the ECE Advisory Board at the University of Iowa.

Benazir Fateh (PhD CprE ’13) works as a AI/ML specialist at Google helping Google Cloud’s largest customers transform their businesses by solving problems that they face with creating scalable, end to end machine learning solutions. Prior to Google, Benazir worked in retail and precision agriculture industries leading multiple design and implementation projects. Benazir is a hands-on data scientist with diverse experience in research and in delivering scalable and  productionizable machine learning solutions. She serves on the board of SpeakHire, a New York City based NGO committed to helping individuals from immigrant families become leaders in the workforce. She is an ambassador with the Women in Data Science organization and volunteers her time to mentor young professionals and seniors in school.  Benazir earned a PhD degree in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University in May 2013 and was awarded the Young Alumni Award from ISU in 2021. She is originally from India and currently resides in the San Francisco bay area.

Ryan Hammond is the Chief Engineer of Mission Defense for Boeing’s Missile & Weapon Systems division. In this role, he is responsible for providing leadership and ensuring quality of cyber security, nuclear surety, system safety, and program protection on weapon platforms. He is also responsible for cyber security technical strategy across Boeing Defense to create new capabilities for platforms and open new business opportunities. Ryan is passionate about helping Boeing become a leader in developing new and innovative cyber capabilities for our platforms that give Boeing incontestable advantages over competitors. Prior to this, Ryan was the Chief Scientist of Cyber Security R&D in Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T). In this role, he was responsible for driving operational excellence through planning and execution of cyber security research projects, development and writing of research proposals, establishing customer relationships (internal and external to the company), and setting the vision for how cyber security will protect Boeing products in the second century. Ryan joined Boeing through BR&T in Seattle, WA as a software engineer focusing on embedded cyber security products to withstand nation-state attacks. He led numerous research projects for BR&T in the domain of cyber security, including developing security related avionics devices, and was the technical point of contact between Boeing and the Government agencies involved in certification efforts. One notable device was awarded a Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 5+ certification, a first for The Boeing Company. To this date, this device is the most secure operating system kernel ever analyzed by the National Security Agency. Ryan is a recipient of numerous Boeing awards, and is an author and recipient of multiple patents. Ryan also leads collaborative research with four Universities (MIT, CMU, UIUC, ISU). He is a member of the External Advisory Board for ISU College of Engineering and an Advisory Board member at MIT CSAIL. Ryan holds a MBA degree at University of Washington Foster School of Business and a M.S. degree in Computer Science/Information Assurance from Iowa State University. Before joining Boeing, Ryan began his career at the National Security Agency (NSA). While at the NSA, Ryan was a security engineer analyzing military systems for cyber vulnerabilities, many of which were developed by Boeing.

Nicholas J. Multari is the senior advisor for research in cybersecurity at the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) in Richland, Washington.  He establishes the direction and leads the execution of the various research projects resulting in a rigorous foundation upon which security concepts are matured and implemented.  Prior to joining PNNL,  he was the manager for trusted cyber technology at Boeing Research and Technology in Seattle, Washington. In that position, Nick directed and led a group of researchers conducting research, development, and technology assessment of cyber and information assurance technologies in support of Boeing Business Unit needs. In 2008, he served as a consultant to the USAF Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) investigating the effects of the contested cyber environment on the USAF mission. In addition to being a Senior Security Engineer with Scitor Corporation in Northern Virginia, Nick spent 20 years as a computer scientist in the Air Force retiring as a Lt. Col. In the Air Force, his positions ranged from system acquisitions to networking to computer security management. He then spent five years with a firm supporting the government in addressing enterprise level information assurance issues. He received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Manhattan College, New York; a master’s degree in computing and information science from Trinity University, Texas; and a PhD in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Alan Naumann hails from Minnesota and received a BS in Computer Engineering, graduating with honors and distinction from Iowa State University. Prior to joining Contrast in 2016, Alan served as the Chief Executive Officer at 41st Parameter Inc. (a Kleiner-Perkins backed company) up to its successful acquisition by Experian. Alan has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of CoWare, Inc. (a Greylock backed company) until its acquisition by Synopsys. He has more than 25 years of technology management experience in the cybersecurity, e-commerce, and computer industries. Mr. Naumann previously served as an executive at Calico Commerce, Cadence Design Systems, and Hewlett-Packard. He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurial Studies at Wake Forest University.

Chris Ruckman is the Energy Storage Director for Burns and McDonnell’s Energy Division where he oversees the development of energy storage solutions to meet growing electrical grid challenges. An electrical engineer with more than 24 years of experience, Chris combines a passion for sustainable solutions with his deep technical understanding of the utility industry to develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy storage solutions. Chris is an active member of the IEEE PES Power System Relaying Committee, served as Vice Chairman for the Synchronous Generator Protection Tutorial and currently serves as Chairman for a working group investigating black start generation protection complexities. Chris is a graduate of William Jewell College with a B.A. in Physics and The University of Kansas with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.  He is a registered professional engineer in ten states.

Terry L. Ryan (BSEE ’85) is retired and the former manager of Electrical, Electronic, Hybrid & Software Development for the Construction and Forestry Division of John Deere, in Dubuque, Iowa. Before retiring, Terry worked for the John Deere Construction and Forestry Division for 29 years. He spent the last 20 years of his career leading and growing the electrical and software development community in the division.

Terry earned a BSEE from Iowa State University in 1985 and an MBA from the University of Iowa in 1991. Terry began his career at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, IA, where he designed hardware and software from 1986-1990.

Brian Sander (BSEE ’85) is a second-generation graduate of Iowa State, born in Ames, Iowa. He grew up in Silicon Valley and watched it transform from a fairly small number of technology companies to the massive center of technology that it is today. Throughout his career, he has been focused on System Design and leading System Development Teams. He has an extensive background in Digital Integrated Circuit Design, Printed Circuit Board Design and System Validation. Brian has worked in small startups and twice at Apple. Most recently at Apple, he was in charge of the System Engineering team responsible for all iPod products. This was during a magical time at Apple in the 2000s when the company was re-inventing itself and building toward the massive business it is today. Brian had the unique opportunity to participate and interact with the executive leadership team during this time. Most recently, he co-founded and ran the day to day business operations for a startup in the Bay Area. Brian is semi-retired and enjoying life in Monterey, California.

Bryan Sulzer (BSEE ’01, MSEE ’08) is the Engineering Manager for excavator technologies at John Deere in Dubuque, IA.  In over 20 years of experience with John Deere, he has been involved with development of machine automation,  precision GNSS machine control solutions, micro-controller system design and testing, electromagnetic system and component compliance testing, machine telematic data services, and electro-hydraulic systems development.

Tim VanGoethem is the Vice President of Advanced Mobility Solutions in HARMAN’s Corporate Technology Office. In this role, he and his team are responsible for driving a pipeline of innovation for HARMAN’s transportation offerings – particularly in the areas of connected solutions, artificial intelligence/machine learning, distributed computing, next-generation automotive architectures, and alternate transportation. Tim joined HARMAN in 2012 as Senior Director, Product Line Management and was appointed as Vice President Infotainment Platform Group in 2014 where he led the definition, development, business creation, and business model for HARMAN’s infotainment platforms. Prior to HARMAN, Tim worked at Motorola for 20 years – holding positions in engineering, strategy, and business development with increasing responsibilities in their semiconductor, automotive, corporate innovation, and mobile device business that was acquired by Google – and at DSC and Electrospace Systems Incorporated where he architected and designed communication equipment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University.