Past Judges for ITI Showcase

George Abraham is an interaction designer by training, and is currently a Senior Product Design Manager at Infragistics Inc. His professional efforts are amplified by a brilliant team of engineers who help him make Indigo Studio — a complete solution for rapid prototyping, design collaboration and remote usability testing. George holds a PhD in Information Studies, specializing in human-computer interaction, from Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics. He relishes working in unfamiliar and messy design domains, being curious, and prototyping.

Pearl Amin is a Venture Associate Officer in the Technology & Life Sciences division at the NJ Economic Development Authority where she works in business development, due diligence, and portfolio management. Before joining the EDA, Pearl was an Equity Analyst at Marist College’s Greystone Equity Fund in the financials and materials sectors. Pearl also worked for a small private equity firm focusing on technology. Prior, Pearl founded and successfully exited two companies in the public safety and 3D printing spaces. Pearl earned a B.S.

Liz Angelucci Beggs is an experienced business partner and storyteller with over 15 years of cross-functional experience delivering corporate communications, brand amplification, and talent acquisition programs within entrepreneurial, B2B technology companies. In 2018, she received the NJBiz Best 50 Women in Business award #Best50WomenNJ.

Nisha is the Supply Chain Business Transformation Leader for Linde America, a leading gases and engineering company with around 63,500 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide.  Nisha is in charge of leading process transformation initiatives within multiple organizations at Linde where she is engaged with the business in process improvement programs in areas such as: procurement, engineering tank installations and plant operations.

Ben is the founder of Human Experience Systems, LLC, consulting with small businesses, startups, and academia on user experience, product design, and digital libraries. He is working on his own mental health startup with the goal of improving the therapist-patient connection. Ben is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University teaching design, innovation, and human-computer interaction.

Clayton Beale is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Applications IT Manager for North America at Axalta. In this role, he provides leadership for Axalta’s North American IT business applications. These applications include all Supply Chain, Finance, and Human Resources systems across the Refinish, OEM, and Industrial Coatings business segments. Clayton has a successful track record at many companies in design and integration of enterprise wide, global ERP and SCM solutions that reduce costs.

Josh is an accomplished technology executive with 20 years of experience in financial, media, and education verticals. He has a distinguished record of global technology leadership with a focus on digital transformation, information security, and M&A activity. Currently, Josh is charged with the secure and stable delivery for all of McGraw-Hill Education’s digital learning products and back office systems. Prior to his current role, Josh held technology leadership positions with EMC and America Online.

Alfred is Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Rutgers Business School.  He is excited about anything that deals with entrepreneurship and innovation.  He is the author of The Students Handbook To Breaking All The Rules, a Huffington Post/Elite Daily Contributor and the founder of Rule Breaker University - a company focused on helping students to break rules to break records in life. Even with the aforementioned accomplishments, the one he is most proud of is being the father of Skylar Jaelle Blake.

Sristhi Chennareddy is a software engineer at E*Trade. She has been involved in developing products for E*Trade labs and the Guided Investing team in the year and half that she’s been working at E*Trade. Prior to joining E*Trade, she worked as a developer on the FX trading platform at an inter-dealer brokerage. Sristhi has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.

Aris is a sought-after strategist and business leader with broad corporate experience in the global multi-industrial sector and currently a partner with ProOrbis Enterprises®, a management science consultancy with premier clients such as the US Navy and PwC, as well as the Principal of Xiphos Associates™, a management and M&A advisory.

As an alumnus of the ITI Program, Dante (2017) has begun his career as an IT professional with cloud computing firm, Rudraya Corporation.  As a Validation Lead in Rudraya's Quality Assurance department, Dante works in the field overseeing SDLC processes and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Lori Dars is the Director of the NSF-Funded Innovation Corps (I-Corps) site at Rutgers, which provides customer discovery training, mentoring and funding to teams (Students, Faculty/Staff or Alum) looking to commercialize their innovations. She supports numerous entrepreneurship programs throughout the university, working with students, faculty, staff, the local community and state organizations and is the Founder and Chair of the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition.

Chris is the Operations and Technology IT Manager, for North America at Axalta. In this role, he provides strategic IT direction for Axalta’s North American manufacturing and technology sectors across Refinish, OEM, and Industrial Coatings segments. Most recently, Chris led the SAP conversion of the NA Refinish 4.0B SAP R/3 System to the Global 4.6c SAP R/3 system. Prior to this role, Chris was the North America IT Applications Program Manager; overseeing the North America application migrations from DuPont to Axalta.

Mark DeGuzman currently works as the Research Project Coordinator for Dr. Daniel Murnick's Research Labs and is one of the main researchers for the IntraCavity OptoGalvanic System (ICOGS) a highly sensitive laser-based system to measure isotopic Carbon-14 in microgram gas samples from Pharmaceutical or Environmental Monitoring industries. Mark is also deeply involved in the Rutgers entrepreneurial ecosystem and has participated in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Program in Washington, DC as the Entrepreneurial Lead.

Brian has been a leading force in driving innovation through his career in operating roles in industry. After serving as Chief Operating Officer at both large public and privately held staffing and project engineering firms he has amassed a wealth of insight into effectively applying innovation. Talent Tech Labs is entirely focused on promoting technological developments in the field of Talent Acquisition. It is the only hyper focused incubator and accelerator that concentrates on the advancement of recruitment technology.

Liz Dente is experienced in leading global operations with staffs of 500+ and budget of over $100M in organization such as Priceline.com, ITT, Avon and A.T. Kearney. Known for her work with college students and STEM initiatives, Liz was recognized as one of the top 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders by STEMConnector.org in 2014. Liz is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business with an MBA in Management and Operations and her bachelor’s degree is from the Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute in Electrical Engineering.

Robert comes to Showcase with over forty years of experience working in IT.  He started his career as a programmer trainee and eventually worked up to the role of Vice President serving the banking and financial industry.  Robert led the development of both the proprietary and shared ATM systems for Manufacturers Hanover and Chemical Bank and was an original founder of the CIRRUS Nationwide ATM Network. He developed and implemented the initial home banking system at Manufacturers Hanover which positioned Manufacturers Hanover as a pioneer in the development and implementation of a Delivery

In her teaching and her research, Theresa engages with the ever-evolving relationship between people and emerging technologies, conceptually engaging with notions of risk, uncertainty and creativity. As a socio-technical researcher, she applies a transdisplinary approach and value-sensitive participatory methods to explore human entanglements with emerging technologies and information practices.

Jason Earle is a serial entrepreneur, inventor and nationally recognized indoor air quality expert. He has appeared on Good Morning America and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and has been featured in hundreds of print publications, including Entrepreneur magazine. Prior to founding 1-800-GOT-MOLD? and MycoLab USA – his current endeavors – he spent nine years on Wall Street in various capacities. Jason was awarded a Guinness World Record for being the youngest licensed stockbroker in history at age 17. He currently lives in downtown Manhattan

As a new IT professional, Marisa has already successfully served in several roles in the IT world including that of business analyst, business intelligence analyst, and project management analyst. Marisa graduated in 2013 with an ITI major and a DCIM minor from School of Communication & Information in 2013. She is interested in Analytics, Data Monetization, Data Management Platforms (DMP), and Programmatic Marketing and leverages creative talent as the "in‐house artist" for her team. Ms.

Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Agere Systems and now IBM have employed Nelson L. Fernandez. During the 1980s and early 1990s Nelson was engaged in research in the fields of computer and network security (hacking), ECAD software and computer system administration. He worked in the Bell Labs’ UNIX Research lab with world-renowned computer scientists such as Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson. In the mid1990s Nelson focused his work on E-manufacturing and global business systems.

Steve Garwood has worked for years in the field of instructional design and technology in higher education. He possesses a Doctorate in Education (EdD) specializing in the design of learning environments, a Masters in Communication and Information Studies (MCIS), and a Masters in Library Service (MLS).

For the past twenty‐five years, Sharon has built a successful a career in IT across a wide array of organizational areas including Workplace Computing, Infrastructure, Networking, eCommerce, and Service Delivery and Management for over twenty‐five years. As a highly effective IT professional and accomplished IT leader, Sharon has an impressive track record for building and motivating high performing global teams.

Winner of the 50 Best Women in Business in NJ - 2018 award, Jeanne Gray has spent most of her career as an entrepreneur, building three companies in three different industries.  Her current venture, as publisher of American Entrepreneurship Today (AET), draws upon what she learned to be a successful entrepreneur.   First started as a single site covering entrepreneurship in New Jersey, AET is now an umbrella national site for entrepreneurship to 50 micro state web sites that detail each state's entrepreneurial ecosystem.  The sites are intended to be a ready resource for entrepreneurs to fi

Dean Guida serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Infragistics, Inc. a Cranbury NJ based maker of User Experience / User Interface tools for software development such as Indigo Studio Design. A visionary leader with technical dexterity and entrepreneurial drive, Dean oversees all aspects of Infragistics’ business operations and corporate direction. Dean and his team cultivated the company from its roots as a small startup in 1989 into a multinational business with more than 350 employees in Bulgaria, Uruguay, India, the UK, and Japan.

Robert (Bob) Haas is a partner at A.T. Kearney Partner based in the New York City office. He is the Global Leader for the firm’s Private Equity and M&A Practice. Bob has more than 20 years of experience working with global clients in consumer, healthcare, technology, financial services and private equity industries. In addition to his expertise in private equity, he has served global clients in the consumer goods, healthcare, high‐tech, and financial services industries on strategic and transformational issues.

Ed leads Sales and Marketing at Nuvulo, a rapidly-growing SaaS which recently raised $10 million series A funding. Ed's experience in sales management, field marketing and product management has helped companies like Symantec, Quest Software and STEALTHbit Technologies experience significant revenue and valuation growth. Ed currently serves as a business mentor and strategic advisor for UC Clearly, an exciting cloud management startup cloud integration and solutions provider.

Loretta Harris, an independent IT Consultant, has over 30 years of experience in Information Technology. Her expertise includes network and systems administration, cybersecurity, and IT management. Her clients range from non-profits to investment management firms. Most of her IT career was spent at Carnegie Corporation of New York holding positions from Programmer to Director of Information Technology.

Renee Heath has over a decade's worth of digital experience.  Renee’s project management and client service work at Accenture has earned her nominations/awards from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Marketing Week and the Direct Marketing Association.  She now specializes in digital content in the Telecom sector.  Renee leads a team of 3 Account Managers, oversees 13 lines of business, responsible for several client contacts and works with a dozen creative agencies and media partners.

Trevor is a senior-level HR professional with over 15 years of experience in HR & HR Technology as both a practitioner and a consultant. His experience has included developing and implementing HR IT strategies, as well as systems integration and ongoing support of global HR systems (on-premise and SaaS-based) including Core HCM & Payroll, Reporting & Analytics, Talent Development (Learning & Performance), Talent Acquisition and Employee Recognition & Rewards.

Jonathan is the Executive Director of Talent Tech Labs. Talent Tech was originally founded to foster the growth and development of emerging ideas and companies in the talent acquisition technology space. An entrepreneur at heart, having founded startup ventures himself before joining, Jonathan now spends his days managing the incubator lab and advising the technology companies of tomorrow.

Bob King is Chief Information Officer for ITT Inc. In this position he is responsible for ITT’s IT function and its transformation, which involves key initiatives such as ERP strategy execution, customer-facing systems, risk and compliance, data management to support business analytics, mobility and social collaboration.  He also oversees the planning and implementation of systems that support ITT’s global operations.

With over 15 years' experience in technology ranging from software development to document solutions for the print industry, John is currently responsible for global enterprise technologies and infrastructure for . Prior to joining DG3, John held various technology, finance and management positions at both RR Donnelley and Bowne & Co. With a Masters in Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, he has a passion for process efficiencies and business technologies.

Jason is an experienced HR leader with over 15 years of management consulting experience across various industries and business functions. Deep expertise in global HR program management, operations, service delivery, process optimization and technology implementations. Currently the Director of HR Solutions for e*Trade, Jason has also held consulting and management positions in AIG, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, John & Johnson and Nestle/Nestle Waters.

Since 2011, Terry has been working to establish a culture of innovation at MetLife. This includes developing the process and tools for social, facilitated and co-innovation. Lately, Terry has focused on the sourcing of external capabilities through relationships with 16 leading venture capital companies and their portfolio companies. Before joining MetLife in 2001, Terry was an Assistant Treasurer at the Bank of New York. Terry holds a BA in Political Science and MS in Computer Information Systems from American University, in Washington, DC.

HR professional with experience in College Recruitment, University Relations and Diversity Recruitment.

Rachel is a Venture Officer in the Technology & Life Sciences division at the NJ Economic Development Authority where she works in close collaboration with the Senior Venture Officers in business development, due diligence, and portfolio management. Rachel is also involved in reviewing the EDA’s technology and life sciences based incentive programs.  Before joining the EDA, Rachel worked for a private equity firm that focused on e-commerce and a venture capital firm in the healthcare sector.

As a Setup Configuration Specialist, Steven configures and tests benefits administration databases by applying relational database concepts. With several Fortune 500 companies as his clients, Steven and his team ensure that they continuously customize their database to meet the client's needs. Steven majored in ITI at Rutgers and graduated in 2016; while at Rutgers, he was also a member of the 2016 Spring Capstone course. In the future, Steven plans on continuing his work in the database programming field