Ms. Jessica O. Asagwara
Lecturer, Imo State University
Mrs. Asagwara holds a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. She is a member of the Entomological Society of Nigeria and Bio-Pesticide Society of Nigeria and is currently an Assistant Professor of Crop Science and Biotechnology Department in Imo State University.
Obinna A. Ibeje, Ph.D
Professor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
Professor Obinna Ibeje is a Senior lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department at Imo State University. He holds Doctorate Degree in Civil Engineering from Federal University of Technology, Owerri, where he majors in water resource engineering.
Augustin U. Iwuoha, Ph.D
Professor, Imo State University
Professor Augustin Iwuoha holds a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and presently is the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Imo State University. His research interest includes Manufacturing and Industrial Development, Corrosion Control, and Vibration Control.
Ms. Lisa Litherland
Business Architect, IOT and Digital Transformation, CDW
Ms. Litherland is a Business Architect, IOT and Digital Transformation at CDW. In this role, she orchestrates the coordination of CDW’s solution architects and delivery engineers as well as partners to provide robust solutions in areas such as fleet management, wayfinding, smart buildings, and enhanced video surveillance and access control for public safety. Lisa is a corporate entrepreneur, wearing many hats for an innovative group inside a larger organization. Litherland provides consulting engagements with customers to design customized solutions specific for their environment, to take them through digital transformation to provide positive business outcomes. Litherland graduated with a B.Sc. Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois and earned her MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
Solomon Nwaneri, Ph.D
Lecturer- College of Medicine, University of Lagos
Dr. Nwaneri teaches electro-physics, biomedical engineering, medical electronics, Information and Communication Technology, hospital equipment maintenance and management, and biomedical instrumentation at the University of Lagos. He has a broad industry experience which spans over 9 years as a senior IT systems/network engineer in companies across diverse industries including banking, manufacturing, healthcare & IT/telecoms. His research interests include medical instrumentation, medical information systems, pattern recognition and healthcare project management.
Barbara Scheck, Ph.D
Professor of Entrepreneurship, Munich Business School
Professor Barbara Scheck started her career in the German Diplomatic Service before co-founding and heading a financial literacy project established by Allianz, McKinsey & Company, KPMG and Grey. During her Ph.D. she has developed the Social Reporting Standard, guidelines for impact-oriented reporting. Other significant experiences include consulting for a social venture capital fund and projects for development cooperation agencies on social entrepreneurship.
She holds a Diplôme de Grande Ecole and MSc from the European School of Management where she studied International Business Administration in Paris, Oxford and Berlin and a PhD from Technical University Munich. Before joining MBS, Professor Scheck was Assistant Professor for Social Investment at the University of Hamburg. .
Mr. Josh Smith
Product Manager, Google
Mr. Smith is a Product Manager for Google Drive focused on the integration of machine learning as well as lead for Drive’s web front-end client. Smith previously worked in Google’s internal strategy consulting group focused on product development and strategy for new products. Prior to joining Google, Smith was a Manager at Deloitte Consulting and Product Manager in Deloitte’s Innovation and Growth unit focused on natural language processing. He also worked in Deloitte’s in-house think tank – Center for the Edge- researching the intersection of dynamic ecosystems and innovation.
Smith holds an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Farrukh Zia, Ph.D
Professor, New York City College of Technology
Professor Zia earned his Master’s and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University in 1988 and 1996, respectively. Before he joined the CET/EMT department of New York City College of Technology in 2002, he worked for Lucent Technologies in New Jersey as a member of the technical staff. Professor Zia’s PhD research work was related to the applications of neural networks and fuzzy logic in controlling non-linear robotic systems.
Mrs. Nancy Zayed
CTO & Co-Founder, Magic Cube
Mrs. Zayed, is founder and Chief Technology Officer of MagicCube, a digital commerce security start-up located in Silicon Valley. Prior to her current role, Zayed was the Head of Engineering and Operations at innoPath, a founding member of OMA, where she led the global engineering development and service teams responsible for shipping Android, Rex, iOS, Windows Mobile and Symbian products.
Zayed is an advocate of the social and economic empowerment of women in STEM careers. She has been an example in this area by taking on numerous leadership roles, including Head of Platform Development at Cisco Systems, where she was in charge of the company’s telepresence product and its secure endpoints for the consumer market. Zayed holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Software Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Theo C. Chineke, Ph.D
Professor, Imo State University
Professor Theo Chineke is a professor and Head of Department of Atmospheric Physics and Renewable Energy at Imo State University.
Professor Chineke has received various fellowships to work with other scientists at renowned institutions worldwide. He received grants from the Third World Academy of Sciences based in Trieste, Italy, to visit the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Beijing where he worked on the Academy’s general circulation and ocean models. He has distinguished himself as an international scholar in the Physics of Weather and Climate.
Ms. Erica Nwankwo
Design Education Evangelist, Autodesk
Erica is a Design Education Evangelist with Autodesk and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, Erica inspires students and educators to embrace design and making as a way of learning. I have initiated and participated on collaborative projects that use Autodesk’s cloud CAD solutions to innovate, collaborate and make an impact in the community. I’m particularly interested in empowering students and educators in underserved communities, locally and globally, to use design to address real-world challenges and improve their lives.
Erica’s recent accomplishments include empowering young girls to design and fabricate an energy-generating scooter that encourages kids to play and make and learn, serving as a research mentor on prosthetics design for the developing world, and hosting problem-solving challenges/ workshops that allow multi-disciplined students to collaborate and co-create solutions for a better world. Erica has a B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Morgan State University and an MFA in industrial design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Her passions include learning, tinkering, cooking, traveling and solving everyday problems.