This year we have 9 amazing guests from inside and outside the WPI community speaking on Leadership, Innovation, Technology & Professionalism.
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Alexander Wyglinksi
Alexander M. Wyglinski is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA, and the Director of the Wireless Innovation Laboratory (WI Lab). He received the B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, in 1999 and 2005, respectively, and the M.Sc.(Eng.) degree from Queens University, Kingston, ON, Canada, in 2000, all in electrical engineering. His current research activities include wireless communications, cognitive radio, software-defined radio, connected vehicles, spectrum measurement and characterization, electromagnetic security, and cyber-physical systems.Ashay Bandivadekar
Ashay Bandivadekar is Masters Student majoring in IT at WPI. He works as a graduate assistant in the school of business. Outside of WPI, Ashay is an avid mountaineer, having completed four Himalayan expeditions. He holds a diploma in Wilderness backpacking and outdoor leadership. Ashay is also an outdoor ethics trainer and a 2013 National Outdoor Leadership School Graduate.Dorie Clark
Dorie Clark is an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Reinventing You (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) and Stand Out (Portfolio/Penguin, 2015). A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Entrepreneur. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Inc., and Fortune, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. Learn more at dorieclark.com or follow her on Twitter @dorieclark.Jean Pierre Miralda
Jean Pierre Miralda is a senior student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He will be graduating in May 2015 with his Bachelors of Science in Management Engineering and a Social Entrepreneurship minor. The idea of becoming a project manager, with the business and technical skills to manage engineers, appeals to him. As an undergraduate student, he has begun to pursue his Masters in Management and has managed to stay involved and have an impact on the WPI community. In his short professional career, he has had the opportunity to work for an Engineering Firm back in Honduras, Grupo Terra, and has worked at Fidelity Investments as a technical intern and as an investment services intern this past summer. As a young leader on campus, Jean Pierre has been part of multiple organizations including the Student Government Association, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity, and captain of the Men’s Volleyball Team.Joey Botelho
Joey Botelho is a recent WPI graduate coming from East Providence, Rhode Island. Joey crossed the bridge in 2014, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and a Minor in Economics. While attending WPI he was an active member of the community, serving as an Resident Advisor, Captain of the WPI Baseball team, Student Alumni Society Chair, and Brother of Phi Kappa Theta. Joey was also a member of the founding team of Gompei’s Goat Cheese. Today, Joey works for Frito-Lay North America as a Packaging Manager in the Killingly Connecticut manufacturing plant.Karla Mendoza
Karla is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She obtained her Ph.D. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Kent State University. Karla’s research interests include social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial opportunities. Karla’s work within social entrepreneurship focuses on the creation of social ventures and the strategies these organizations use to fulfill their social mission, achieve financial sustainability, and enable social innovation. Her research on entrepreneurial opportunities ranges from investigations regarding the use of creative cognitions in the opportunity identification process to cross-country studies about the role of human agency on opportunity recognition. Her work has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing and the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship. Karla teaches courses in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Social Entrepreneurship at WPI.Kevin Sweeney
Kevin has two and a half decades of global business, academic, and legal experience in finance, strategy, economic development, and social innovation. He is a Professor of Practice with the Robert A. Foisie School of Business at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, where he teaches courses in finance, strategy, economics, social responsibility, and globalization. He co-directs the WPI Wall Street Project Center, and he is the Director of the WPI Pioneer Valley Economic Development Project Center. Kevin is also the Principal of Sweeney Strategic Consulting, where he advises for-profit and non-profit organizations regarding critical finance, strategic, and operational decisions. Finally, Kevin is a visiting Lecturer in finance and strategy at Columbia University in New York, NY.Will O'Brien
Will O’Brien, MBA, JD - Will has over 40 years in business, the information technology industry, and consulting. He is committed to developing current and future business leaders to become environmental stewards; i.e., reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption and operating costs. As an accomplished business executive, professor, and change agent, Will serves an advocate for the strategic importance of sustainability for corporate profitability and competitiveness. His teaching focuses on energy management, consulting, sustainability management, and change leadership. At WPI, Will is a consultant to the Foisie School of Business and, in 2014, established the Center Sustainability in Business. http://www.wpi.edu/+csbOrganizing team
