Advisory Board

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The ECE Industrial Advisory Board consists of a group professional engineers that meet regularly to discuss the department's affairs in order to maintain it competitively and to progress in the industry.

Members

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  • Ghassan Alaka

    Director, Hurricane Research Division & Supervisory Physical Scientist, NOAA/OAR/Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
    ghassan.alaka@noaa.gov

    Ghassan (Gus) Alaka is director of the Hurricane Research Division at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. He leads research to improve understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone track, intensity and structure, with an emphasis on transitioning research to operations. He is a lead developer of NOAA’s operational hurricane forecast models, including HAFS and HWRF, and serves as AOML’s principal investigator for NOAA’s Hurricane Field Program. Alaka and the HRD team lead critical research to improve hurricane forecasting by maximizing the impact of reconnaissance data.

  • Iqbal Arshad

    Chief Executive Officer, xCoefficient
    iqbal.arshad123@gmail.com

    Iqbal Arshad is a technology executive who has led the development of category-defining platforms across mobile computing and generative AI. He serves as chief executive officer of xCoefficient, advising enterprises on modernizing product architectures and embedding AI capabilities across mobile, cloud and connected ecosystems.

    Over his career, Arshad has helped shape multiple waves of global technology innovation. He played a leadership role in the development of early Android smartphones, including the original Droid, Google’s first Android tablet and the first Android Wear smartwatch, and later led generative AI computing platforms for the automotive market. He previously served as executive vice president and chief technology officer of Cerence AI and held senior leadership roles at Lenovo, Google and Motorola.

    Arshad has led global organizations of more than 5,000 professionals, overseeing the development of more than 200 products shipped in the hundreds of millions worldwide. He serves as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and holds degrees from the University of Miami, Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University.

  • Juan Caraballo

    Private Investor and Mentor, IBM (retired)
    mpc77@bellsouth.net

    Headshot and bio forthcoming.

  • Nevenka Dimitrova

    Computational Oncology Advisor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
    nevenka.dimitrova@gmail.com

    Nevenka Dimitrova, PhD, is a senior leader in artificial intelligence and computational biology with more than three decades of experience designing and deploying large-scale computing systems and AI platforms across industry, academia and health care. Her work focuses on translating foundational AI research into clinically relevant technologies that advance precision medicine and oncology.

    Dimitrova is founder and technical lead of Second Foundation (2ndF), a GPU-scaled, segmentation-free foundation model framework for spatial biology that integrates multiplex immunofluorescence, spatial transcriptomics, lipidomics and histopathology to decode tissue architecture, cellular states and tumor ecosystem dynamics. Built on large-scale self-supervised vision transformers, 2ndF exemplifies a new class of foundation models for biomedical science.

    She currently serves as visiting computational oncology advisor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and visiting scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at Philips, where she created the first SaaS precision medicine platform integrating clinical, imaging and genomic data, and at GlaxoSmithKline, where she led AI and data science strategy across research and development.

    Dimitrova has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications, holds more than 85 issued patents, and has contributed extensively to the computing community through leadership roles with the IEEE Computer Society and ACM. Her work bridges AI innovation and real-world clinical impact.

  • Rick Finale

    Senior Vice President, Engineering and Business Development, Gables Engineering, Inc.
    Finale@gableseng.com

    Rick Finale is senior vice president of engineering and business development at Gables Engineering, where he drives the company’s technology vision and leads cross-functional teams spanning engineering, research and development, program management and global business development. With more than four decades at Gables, Finale has been a key force behind the company’s evolution into a trusted, innovative supplier for the world’s leading aviation original equipment manufacturers.

    Finale leads strategic partnerships with Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Defense and Space, Airbus, Gulfstream Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace, Collins/RTX, L3Harris, Thales, Universal Avionics and major U.S. airlines, helping shape next-generation cockpit technologies and advance the future of flight. He impacts the aviation industry through collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation.

    He began his career at Gables in 1984 as a software engineer and rose through engineering and leadership roles before being named senior vice president in 2019. Finale holds an MBA from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with a concentration in computer engineering from the University of Miami.

    He is married, has two sons and one granddaughter, and enjoys boating, scuba diving and traveling.

  • Alex Jaimes

    Managing director, head of conversational AI and search (research and engineering), JPMorgan Chase
    aj27@caa.columbia.edu

    Alex Jaimes is managing director and head of conversational AI and search (research and engineering) at JPMorgan Chase. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, he served as chief AI officer at Dataminr, where he led platform engineering, data and AI.

    Jaimes is a leader in artificial intelligence and, as an engineering executive and scientist, has built and led AI teams at major companies including Yahoo and at several startups. He has more than 20 years of international experience in research and large-scale product impact across the United States, Japan, Chile, Switzerland, Spain and South Korea.

    He has been a professor, holds more than 100 patents and publications, and has received approximately 10,000 citations. Jaimes served on the Colombian government’s Artificial Intelligence Expert Mission and holds a PhD and a master’s degree from Columbia University.

  • Pete Martinez

    Chairman and CEO, SIVOTEC Inc.
    pete@sivotecinc.com

    Pete Martinez is chairman and chief executive officer of the SIVOTEC family of companies, high-tech and scientific innovators operating at the intersection of health, technology, big data analytics and artificial intelligence. An international entrepreneur, he has led numerous high-impact initiatives in technology, business consulting, health care and education.

    Martinez is a 32-year veteran of IBM, where he served as vice president of global business services and senior executive for IBM South Florida. He is a research affiliate at MIT and a visiting professor at Florida Atlantic University, the University of Miami and Florida International University.

    With more than 30 patents and publications, Martinez is a frequent international speaker and consultant. A graduate of the University of Miami College of Engineering, he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. June 22, 2007, was proclaimed “Pete Martinez Day” by the city of Boca Raton.

  • David Mendelson

    Vice president of acquisitions, Flight Support Group, HEICO Corp.
    Managing director, Gables Engineering, a HEICO company
    DMendelson@heico.com

    David Mendelson is managing director of Gables Engineering, a HEICO company, and vice president of acquisitions for HEICO’s Flight Support Group. Gables Engineering is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced avionics, including aircraft cockpit controls, systems and critical components.

    During his career at HEICO, Mendelson has led more than $3.5 billion in acquisitions and held full profit-and-loss responsibility for three businesses. Previously, he led Air Cost Control USA, another HEICO subsidiary, as general manager.

    He holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a concentration in physics and an MBA from Columbia University. A Miami Beach native, Mendelson enjoys competing in tennis and volleyball tournaments, reading and spending time with his family.

  • Eric Milton

    Chief technology officer and owner’s representative, United Property Management
    emilton@upm.miami

    Eric Milton is the Technology Officer and Owner’s Representative at United Property Management, where he leads initiatives in acquisitions, new development onboarding, and property management operations. Known for his data-driven approach and forward-thinking mindset, he leverages technology and analytics to enhance efficiency, uncover strategic insights, and drive innovation within the real estate industry. He remains actively engaged in industry advancements by attending conferences such as the OpTech Conference and the National Apartment Association Conference.

    Eric earned his Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Miami Campus), strengthening his expertise in leadership, strategy, and organizational growth, and he is a proud graduate of the University of Miami College of Engineering’s ECE Department, Class of 2017.

    Beyond his professional endeavors, Eric is an avid reader with a passion for emerging technologies and lifelong learning. He is deeply committed to community service and is actively involved with United Way of Miami-Dade’s Young Leaders, the American Red Cross of South Florida and the Greater Keys, the University of Miami ’Canes Community, and the José Milton Foundation.

  • Ayal Stern

    Co-Founder, The LAB Miami
    ayal@thelabmiami.com

    Ayal Stern is a venture ecosystem builder and operator based in Miami. He is leading the relaunch of The LAB Miami, a venture community and startup clubhouse in Wynwood designed to bring together founders, technical talent, investors and operators actively building and scaling companies to accelerate Miami’s tech ecosystem.

    Stern previously served as U.S. CEO and global COO of ThriveDX (now IronCircle), which was acquired by Quickstart. Earlier in his career, he was a founding team member at BurlingtonEnglish, which also successfully exited.

    He is also a co-founder of Miami Israel Collective and Israel Tech Week, initiatives focused on building durable venture and operator connections between Tel Aviv and Miami through long-term, execution-driven collaboration.

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