The 911爆料网鈥檚 Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing held its inaugural meeting of the Academic Advisory Board today, bringing together distinguished leaders from industry to help shape programs, highlight workforce needs, and strengthen partnerships.
Several members previously served on a similar board for the Department of Computer Science, but this is the first meeting for the expanded and newly launched college board. It includes people from industry giants, such as Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson as well as entrepreneurs, mid-sized health care firms, and financial services businesses. Members serve in C-suite roles and are experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data governance, financial technology, and cybersecurity.
This is one of two boards for the college. This board reports to the dean and is focused on academic program content and matters related to accreditation. Members have varied expertise in the field, and they provide insight that helps shape programs so that the college prepares students for high-demand careers. The college's second board, the External Advisory Board, reports to the USF provost and provides strategic counsel and guidance to foster the college's advancement and alignment with industry needs. Its members, comprised of esteemed industry leaders with a wide array of expertise, play a pivotal role in elevating the college鈥檚 prestige and excellence. Both boards reflect the college鈥檚 commitment to staying closely aligned with industry needs while shaping programs that prepare students for high-demand careers.
鈥淭his academic advisory board gives us a direct line to the industry leaders shaping the future of technology,鈥� Launch Dean Sudeep Sarkar said. 鈥淭heir insight is invaluable as we design programs, foster partnerships, and prepare students for careers where they can make an immediate impact.鈥�
Some, but not all, of the members are alumni who were active students at USF decades ago, such as Jeremy Rasmussen, who help found the Whitehatters student organization and is a long-standing contributor to the cybersecurity program at USF.
Maha Sallam, a USF graduate, entrepreneur and leader in machine learning and diagnostics, has agreed to serve as board chair. Sallam, who launched companies built on computer vision and gene-expression diagnostics, spoke of the direct impact her computing education has had in her own career.
鈥淭he applicability of computing for me is quite profound,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he ability to translate research into products that help people is exactly why partnerships like this matter. I am happy to serve on this board and to see this college succeed.鈥�
Board members shared their perspectives on emerging technologies and their implications for the college鈥檚 curriculum. Brad Lawrence, an architect at Microsoft, emphasized the rapid advances in generative AI and its integration into real-world applications. The group talked about topics ranging from data security and governance to industry trends in software and infrastructure, noting that they need students who have skills in the tools of today as well as the ability to adapt as they step into evolving workforce environments.
The meeting concluded with what several members said is their favorite part of serving on such a board: a student interaction segment. Faculty left the room, which gave students a chance to discuss what they like about their educational experience as well as the freedom to share concerns or make suggestions for program improvement.
鈥淭alking with the students is easily my favorite part of the meeting,鈥� said Sallam. 鈥淚t鈥檚 why we all volunteered to serve."
Academic Advisory Board Members
- Meryem Berrada, Senior Director of Engineering, Nielsen
- Asha Calderon, Senior Manager, Johnson & Johnson Technology
- Mark Corder, Senior Director, Cybersecurity, Amgen
- Sidney Fernandes, CIO and Vice President Digital Experiences, USF IT
- Tarun Gulati, Director - Technology, Citi
- Manoj Govindan, VP, Innovation, PGIM
- Kim Hill, Chief of Staff, ReliaQuest
- Bradley Lawrence, Architect, Microsoft
- Greg Mesaros, CEO, Triadex
- Nishit Patel, CMIO, TGH/USF Health Physicians Group
- Jeremy Rasmussen, CTO, Abacode
- Maha Sallam, Founder and President, VuEssence, Inc.
- Ryan Schmiedl, Managing Director, Global Head of Payments, Chief Data Officer for Payments, JPMorgan Chase
- Nate Tuting, Vice President for Cyber Threat Center & Deputy CISO for Global Cyber Defenses, Raymond James
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Cynthia Wyre, Project Manager, Security Research, Rapid7