Ann Beheler
Principal Investigator, Collin College
abeheler@collin.edu
972.377.1649
www.connectedtech.org

Ann Beheler has been in the Information Technology industry for over 30 years, and she is now responsible for Emerging Technology grants at Collin College. In that capacity she leads the National Convergence Technology Center, a five-year $4 million National Science Foundation grant. The work of the National CTC builds on a previous four-year $4.4 million National Science Foundation grant. From 2011-2015, Ann also led the National Information, Security, and Geospatial Technologies Consortium, an almost $20 million Department of Labor TAACCCT grant.

Ann has corporate experience at Rockwell, Raytheon and Novell; and she has led her own consulting firm, created and taught in one of the first networking degree programs in Texas, and previously managed IT-related divisions and grants ranging $1-$20 million in community colleges in Texas and California. Prior to her current position, she was Vice President of Academic Affairs for Porterville College, responsible for all instruction at the college, and prior that she was a Dean at both Orange Coast College in California and at Collin College.

Among other things, Ann is known for effectively bringing together business and industry using a streamlined process to identify with them the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) they predict will be needed by “right-skilled” job candidates in the future. She then works with faculty to align curriculum such that those who complete certificates and degrees in IT have the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will make them readily employable in high-paying IT positions. Ann holds a PhD in Community College Leadership from Walden University, a MS in Computer Science from Florida Institute of Technology, and a BS in Math from Oklahoma State University.

Bruce Caraway
Lone Star College
bruce.e.caraway@lonestar.edu
281.401.5394
www.lonestar.edu

Bruce Caraway is a Professor in the Computer Information Technology Department at Lone Star College (LSC) where he teaches a variety of courses including Business Computer Applications, Programming, Databases, and Web Development. In addition to his role as senior researcher for the CTC program, Bruce serves as Principal Investigator on an NSF-funded project to develop new curriculum in LSC's Mechatronics program.

Prior to joining Lone Star, Bruce has over 20 years experience in corporate IT in various sectors where he held positions as Systems Analyst, Database Designer, Net Developer, Development Manager, and Project Manager.

Bruce received his in B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University in the early 1990s.

Ernie Friend
Florida State College at Jacksonville
efriend@fscj.edu
904.598.5650
www.fscj.edu

Ernie Friend is an Instructional Program Manager at Florida State College, Jacksonville (FSCJ). He manages 16 Information Technology related B.A.S, A.S., and Technical Certificates with approximately 2000 students. He has created and/or managed over twelve Corporate, State of Florida, Department of Labor, and National Science Foundation grants in areas relating to workforce development, internships, apprenticeship, curriculum development, and woman and minorities in I.T. Served on U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) committee designing new standards for cybersecurity. He manages FSCJ’s Center of Academic Excellence sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA). He has presented to the Florida Senate Education Committee on the need for enhanced collegiate programs and improved vendor certification programs in network virtualization and cloud computing. He was appointed by the Florida State Senate President to the University of Florida’s Board of Governors’ Advisory Board for online programs and is serving on serving on the NSF National Visitation Committee for the Center for System Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA) at Moraine Valley Community College.

Ernie holds a B.S. degree in Electronics Management from Southern Illinois University and a Master's in IT Security from University of South Florida. He has more than 25 years of Information Technology management and academic experience in the military and with FSCJ.

Richard Grotegut
Regional Director for the ICT Sector, Bay Region (28 colleges)
rgrotegut@gmail.com
925-354-8785
doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu

Richard Grotegut has over 35 years teaching, organizing, coordinating, and advising programs in the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector. In his role as a Regional Director, he has had extensive engagement with the with California Department of Education, the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Richard was a faculty member at Ohlone College since 1995. He began his teaching career at the high school level as the “Computer Teacher”. In the early 90’s he started the first Novell Network Administration training program for ROP high school students here in California. To this day he continues to work with high school teachers and their students as they learn about ICT careers. Today’s ICT students need to learn about artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, development operations, and the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as the fundamental ICT skills required in these emerging areas.

Michael Harsh
Collin College
mharsh@collin.edu
972.377.1507
www.collin.edu

Mike Harsh has been a professor at with Collin College for 20 years and worked with the National CTC grant for 15. He has been one of the pillars of the Collin Cisco Networking Academy and is truly a master at teaching sub-netting.

Mike has served on multiple advisory councils including national and local committees for Cyber-security, Computer Networking and Convergence. He has served actively with the Convergence grant for thirteen years and activities include presenting at both local and national and local conferences.

He has assisted in writing and re-writing the HTI program and the DHTI program. His education includes two associate degrees from Collin College and a BAAS degree from the University of North Texas.

Kyle Jones
Sinclair Community College
kyle.jones4990@sinclair.edu
937.512.2177
www.sinclair.edu

Kyle Jones is the Chair & Associate Professor of Sinclair's Computer Information Services department. He worked in the IT field for over 15 years before coming to education. In his experience has worked as a small business PC repair technician to a Fortune 500 Sr. Security Infrastructure Administrator Mr. Jones holds a CompTIA Strata, A+, Network+, Security+, CySA certification, as well as an ITIL Foundations. He holds an Associate in Network Engineering from Sothern State, a Bachelor of Business from Wilmington College, and a Master’s degree in Information Assurance and Security from American Public University. His master’s capstone project focused on his work on the CAE-CD designation and his theses is titled “The Importance of CAE2Y designation for Community Colleges.“ Mr. Jones is a CAE2Y Principal Investigator for Sinclair College as well at the Principle Investigator for the Community College Scholar for Service Program and the PI for the Community College Cyber Scholarship for Service program. Also, Mr. Jones has been featured as a public speaker on CAE topics in the Ohio Area Including the Ohio Information Security Conference. He has also presented on cybersecurity topics at multiple CAE events.

Chris Kadlec
Georgia Southern University
ckadlec@georgiasouthern.edu
912.478.7357
www.georgiasouthern.edu/

Dr. Kadlec is an Associate Professor at Georgia Southern University in the Information Technology Department and joined the faculty there in 2007. He received his PhD from the University of Georgia from the Terry College of Business in Information Systems. He worked in IT support prior to his graduate work at the same university and at the University of Mississippi. He has worked in IT support for over twenty years and has taught in the field for over fifteen.

Dr. Kadlec is an advocate for students and the field of Information Technology. To help both of these, he is currently working on articulation agreements between universities and community colleges, ensuring that students can get the latest skills and the best jobs while satisfying the needs of the business community.

David Keathly
University of North Texas
david.keathly@unt.edu
940.565.4801
www.unt.edu

David Keathly is a faculty advisor at the University of Texas for the IEEE Computer Society, ACM Student Chapter, UNT Robotics Club and the UNT Programming Teams. He is involved with the university's recruiting and retention programs and serves as Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering. He is the Program Coordinator for the BA in IT program and Director of K-12 Outreach and the Teach North Texas (TNT) CS Teacher Prep program, and his research interests are in the areas of Computer Vision, Robotics, Information Visualization and Computational Epidemiology.

Before joining the UNT faculty as a Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor, David served as adjunct faculty for Collin County Community College, Western International University, University of Phoenix and the University of Texas at Dallas. He was an SGA Honors Professor in 2005 and received awards for Outstanding Service from the College of Engineering Business Advisory Council, and Outstanding Advisor from the UNT Student Life Office, both in 2008.

David received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering (Computer Option) from Oklahoma State University in 1984 and a M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering, also from OSU in 1985. Currently, he is pursuing a PH.D. in Computer Science and Engineering. He has over 20 years of experience in developing military systems in intelligence gathering and flight mission planning, as well as commercial automation products, including a patent in image processing, entrepreneurial activities in founding four successful companies.

Rajiv Malkan
Lone Star College
rajiv.r.malkan@lonestar.edu
936.273.7344
www.lonestar.edu

Dr. Rajiv Malkan is a Professor in the Computer and Information Technology Department of Lone Star College – Montgomery in Houston, TX, where he teaches a variety of courses including Business Computer Applications, Programming Languages and Business and Management.

Dr. Malkan has over 30 years of leadership contributions in higher education within multiple settings. He has engaged in leadership roles including Founding Dean, Division Chair in transforming education. His involvement in driving key initiatives spans education delivery, thought leadership, grant writing, global partnerships and engagements on emerging trends. He has proven expertise in college accreditation & state compliance, including Dual Credit/Pathways initiatives for academic & workforce programs.

Dr. Malkan academic credentials include two master's degrees, a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership, and he was the recipient of the prestigious Kellogg Fellowship in Leadership Development. He is active in various professional organizations and is continuing his ambitions in cyber security and incorporating data driven decision-making in higher education organization. He presents at various conferences on data analytics and while executes on awarded grants, serving in community colleges and corporate education.

Ryan Murphy
Sinclair Community College
ryan.murphy@sinclair.edu
937.512.5704
www.sinclair.edu

Ryan Murphy is a professor and department chairperson in the Business Information Systems department at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, where he has worked since 2001. His work as the Project Director for Sinclair’s sub-award on the NSF grant, Creating Pathways for Big Data Careers from 2015-2019, resulted in the development of several stackable certificate and degree programs in data analytics at the college. Ryan is the coordinator and curriculum designer for Sinclair’s courses in Software Testing, MS Access and Excel. His interest in data collection and analysis was heightened while working in the private sector for corporations including GE and Panasonic. As a manager in Client Relations and Employee Services, he became a power-user of MS Office applications to aid in accomplishing his daily responsibilities.

Ryan holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University and an MBA in Finance from Wright State University. He is Master Certified in MS Office 365, IC3 certified and CTFL certified through ASTQB.

Brian Nelson
Lansing Community College
nelsonb@lcc.edu
517.483.1602
www.lcc.edu

Brian Nelson is a Computer Information Technology (CIT) Instructor at Lansing Community College (LCC) in Lansing, MI. He has been the lead instructor for Home Technology Integration - now morphed into IoT- and Automation-related topics) since 2007. He is actively involved in the National Convergence Technology Center's grant activities, having taught an HTI tract at the Summer Working Connections as well as authoring some curriculum.

He spent over 27 years as an adjunct instructor at LCC before becoming a full time faculty member in January of 2015. He spent the first 20 years teaching in the Electronics Technology Program. He taught DC, AC and semiconductor circuit analysis classes as well as Linear Circuit applications. He then transitioned into the Computer Information Technology Program where he has taught a targeted math class, Home Technology Integration, computer troubleshooting, A+ prep, Network+ prep, and wireless networking.

Brian holds a BSEE degree from Michigan State University. He holds certifications in A+, DHTI+, Security+, and Network+. Brian retired from GM after over 33 years being employed full time as an engineer. He had spent the last 28 years working on advanced powertrain control systems.

Gregory Newman
Collin College
gnewman@collin.edu
972.377.1029
www.collin.edu

Gregory Newman, a 32-year Information Technology professional, is the Associate Dean of Workforce IT at Collin College. Prior to joining Collin College in 2019, he taught IT as a faculty member for North Lake College and Richland College in the Dallas County Community College District. Gregory also served on a curriculum committee for the State of Texas' Workforce Educational Course Manual (WECM) that developed a new cloud computing course.

In industry, Gregory has held positions as a computer programmer, consultant, infrastructure operation manager, data center storage manager, and project manager for companies that include Microsoft, AT&T, Verizon, Hewlett Packard, and Securus Technologies. He has also worked as a consultant for AT&T, Citi Group, Capital One, and SITA Corporations. His industry certifications include CISSP, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Solution Architect Associate.

Gregory holds a BS from Texas A&M University-Commerce in Computer Science; an MS from Capella University in Information System & Management; and a DIT from Capella University in Cyber Security (his dissertation is in Edge Computing Adoption).

Mark Dempsey
Assistant Director
mdempsey@collin.edu
972.377.1582
www.connectedtech.org

Mark Dempsey joined Collin College in 2012 as program manager for the National Convergence Technology Center. In his current position, he plans and manages the CTC’s special programs and events as well as provides administrative and operational support to the CTC Director.

Prior to Collin College, Mark worked for eight years at UCLA Extension, the continuing education division of UCLA. There, he worked first as an assistant to the director of UCLA Extension's Entertainment Studies & Performing Arts department, helping coordinate academic projects and special events, and later as a program representative, managing domestic and international custom-designed seminar programs. For several years during his tenure at UCLA Extension, Mark also served as a co-instructor for the capstone online class “The Business of Hollywood,” which employed a unique role-playing element to explore strategies of film financing and negotiation.

Before joining UCLA Extension, Mark was a creative executive at an independent feature film production company, Echo Lake Productions. He has also worked as a freelance script analyst for Silver Pictures. Mark holds a BA in Cinema from Southern Methodist University and an MFA from Loyola Marymount University.

Debbie Miller
Manager, Program Reporting
dmiller@collin.edu
972.377.1564
www.connectedtech.org

Debbie Miller joined the National Convergence Technology Center in January 2016 where she is responsible for program budgeting and data collection. Prior to joining the CTC, Debbie worked as Manager Program Reporting for the National Information, Security, and Geospatial Technologies Consortium (NISGTC) DOL Grant from 2012 – 2015 at Collin College. In that position she worked closely with the Executive Director and 7 consortium partner project leads to gather, analyze, and prepare narrative for the Quarterly and Annual Performance Reports.

Debbie has 25+ years of Financial, Planning, and Analysis (FP&A) experience within the Telecommunications Industry working for Nortel and Ericsson. Her FP&A roles included experience in financial planning, analysis, financial reporting, and consolidations. Debbie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) from the University of Tennessee.

Amy Garrison
Social Media Coordinator
amygarrison@collin.edu
972.377.1737
www.connectedtech.org

Amy Garrison joined Collin College in January 2017 as the Administrative Assistant for the National Convergence Technology Center (CTC). In September of 2017, she took on the duties of web communication specialist and in 2018 became the Social Media Coordinator for CTC. As coordinator, she administers the center’s social media marketing and advertising, which includes but is not limited to deliberate planning and goal setting, content management, SEO (search engine optimization) and generation of inbound traffic. She maintains the CTC website; designs and create flyers and other promotional materials for IT events. She also serves as the videographer for various events and projects.

Amy has a passion for communication and graphic design; she holds a M.A. in Organizational Communication from Bowie State University and a B.A. in Corporate Journalism from Auburn University. Prior to Collin College, Amy worked for over eight years at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as a Program Specialist and Graphic Design Production Manager.

Christina Titus
Program Director - Grants
ctitus@collin.edu
972.377.1786

Christina Titus came to Collin College in 2012 to work for the Networking, Information Security, Geospatial Technology Consortium (NISGTC), which was funded by a $20 million Department of Labor grant. She then was the Program Director for the Centers Collaborative for Technical Assistance (CCTA) NSF grant that ended in 2019. She is now the Program Director of the IT Skill Standards 2020 and Beyond NSF project. Her role is to ensure the success and quality of programs, while overseeing the day-to-day operations and timelines in collaboration with the Executive Director. Christina’s previous experience as Project Manager, an administrative assistant, a lab supervisor, and a payroll clerk, together gave her experience with managing projects and planning events. Christina holds a BBA in Marketing from Our Lady of the Lake University and an MBA in Management from Texas A&M Commerce.