About

Advisory Board

The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing has two advisory boards. The Academic Advisory Board is focused on academic program content and matters related to accreditation, reflecting the college's commitment to staying closely aligned with industry needs while shaping programs that prepare students for high-demand careers.

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Meryem Berrada

Meryem Berrada is a technology leader and AI strategist with over a decade of experience in big data, machine learning, and software innovation. As director of research and development at Nielsen, a leading global data and analytics company, she has led global teams to develop solutions across embedded systems, back-office infrastructure and AI/ML applications. Berrada began her career at Nielsen as an Emerging Leaders associate and advanced to senior project manager within two years, leading the development of a customer support chatbot and three embedded products, including a wearable meter. Berrada has filed 11 patents (three of them were granted). As a student at USF, Berrada founded the Women in Computer Science student organization because she is passionate about connecting aspiring tech leaders to mentors. She has been mentored by others in Nielsen's leadership program and mentors others inside and outside the company.

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Asha Calderon

Asha Calderon, a senior manager in software engineering for Johnson and Johnson, has expertise for simplifying business processes with innovation. She is enthusiastic in helping promote and mentor upcoming talent into the world of technology. Calderon has worked in technology for her 20-year career, working at companies such as General Electric and Nielsen Corporation. Calderon is skilled in artificial intelligence, machine learning and prompt engineering. She is also experienced with enterprise-level processes within software engineering. She is a computer engineering graduate from the University of Florida.

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Sidney Fernandes

Sidney Fernandes is CIO and vice president of Digital Experiences at University of South Florida. He has led technology strategy at USF since 2014, creating partnerships that position the information technology team as an industry leader and strategic ally. Under his leadership, USF has been at the forefront of technological innovation and digital transformation, driving efficiency and client satisfaction with an emphasis on the safety and security of the university's digital assets.

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Manoj Govindan

Manoj Govindan is vice president, emerging technology and innovation at PGIM (a Prudential Financial subsidiary for Investment/Asset management) where he leverages the active technology, venture and university ecosystem to help PGIM discover, explore and adopt emerging technologies directed at strategic business needs. Over his 31-year career, Govindan has been prolifically engaged in mentoring and building startup ecosystems for fintech, travel and healthcare industries and is passionate about optimizing the feedback loop between human capital (talent), intellectual capital (ideas) and investment capital (money).

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Tarun Gulati

Tarun Gulati is a senior information technology executive at Citi with more than 23 years of experience at the global financial services giant, leading cross-functional teams in the development, execution and launch of innovative technology solutions. He is an expert in strategic planning, digital transformation, and automation, with extensive experience in Oracle Financials, SAP Source to Contract, SAP Concur and robotics process automation. Gulati has directed large-scale, multinational projects across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Under his leadership, Citi implemented the Procure-to-Pay Oracle E-Business application as part of its Global Single Instance Strategy, streamlining operations worldwide. A collaborative leader and mentor, he develops high-performing teams through coaching and professional growth.

Erik Hansen

Erik Hansen

Christian "Erik" Hansen Jr. is Director of Finance Transformation for Disney Experiences at The Walt Disney Company, where he leads enterprise initiatives focused on finance modernization, data governance, artificial intelligence readiness, and digital transformation. With more than 35 years of experience spanning Disney, Ernst & Young, Lockheed Martin, and General Electric, Erik has built a career at the intersection of business, technology, and innovation. A University of South Florida alumnus, he is passionate about developing future talent and helping organizations harness the power of data, AI, and emerging technologies to drive meaningful business outcomes.  

Chris Hatter

Chris Hatter is chief information security officer at McAfee, where he leads all facets of the company’s security program from security operations to product security. A seasoned cybersecurity executive with expertise in cybersecurity strategy, artificial intelligence and business-aligned security transformation, Hatter began his career as an intern at Nielsen in 2010 and advanced to become global CISO of the $10 billion-plus consumer intelligence company by 2017. Prior to joining McAfee, he served as chief operating officer at Qwiet.AI and operating partner at NumberOneAI, where he helped bring agentic AI capabilities to the application security market. Hatter earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of South Florida. 

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Kim Hill

Kim Hill is a communications leader with experience in higher education, business and media. As chief of staff and head of corporate communications and ReliaQuest, Hill manages strategic priorities for ReliaQuest CEO Brian Murphy, in addition to executive communications, internal communications, corporate PR and community partnerships. She previously served as chief marketing officer and vice president of communications at the University of South Florida. Prior to that, she held a lead communication role at the State University System of Florida – Board of Governors. She began her career as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.

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Bradley Lawrence

Bradley Lawrence is a technology and business leader at Microsoft with deep expertise in AI, cloud platforms and enterprise architecture. Over the past decade, he has served in multiple roles with the company and now works as a solution architect in Microsoft's Global Engineering and Architecture Group, leading strategic customer engagements and collaborating with product and engineering teams to advance next-generation AI solutions. His experience spans cloud-native architecture, conversational AI, and cognitive services across industries including finance, education, and insurance. Earlier in his career, Lawrence held engineering and product support roles at Nielsen, Abeama, Reynolds and Reynolds, and Florida Financial Software. A recognized inventor, he holds multiple patents and an Engineering Emmy Award for innovation in audience measurement and is an active mentor, speaker and university lecturer on emerging technologies.

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Greg Mesaros

Greg Mesaros is the CEO/chair of Triadex, an award-winning data-driven marketing firm he founded over 20 years ago. He owns several companies in the marketing, data analytics and AI sectors, with multiple businesses earning spots on the Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list. He is the sole inventor of 45 U.S. patents and was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Fascinated by the blending of new technology to achieve real-world impact, he is committed to developing the next generation of energetic innovators and entrepreneurs.

José Morey, M.D.

Dr. José Morey is a physician, technologist and entrepreneur who is recognized as a leader in the application of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and aerospace innovation. As founder and CEO of Ad Astra Media, he develops educational STEAM initiatives designed to inspire future generations of scientists, engineers and innovators. Morey has served as an advisor and consultant to organizations including NASA, MIT, Forbes and the White House Office of Science and Technology, and has held leadership roles with IBM Watson Health, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and numerous healthcare technology ventures. He has published extensively and serves on multiple advisory boards focused on advancing innovation at the intersection of medicine, AI and technology.

 

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Nishit Patel

Dr. Nishit Patel is a professor of dermatology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and chief medical informatics officer for Florida Health Sciences Center/Tampa General Hospital. An academic dermatologist, he integrates technology and clinical practice to improve patient outcomes and advance early disease detection. Since joining USF Health as an assistant professor, Patel has held progressive leadership roles, including associate program director for the dermatology residency program and director of the department's clinical research unit. He has secured multiple research grants, published two dozen peer-reviewed articles, and is a frequent lecturer at national, regional and industry conferences. In his role at Tampa General Hospital, Patel plays a critical role in developing and implementing information technology and informatics initiatives to improve clinical quality, patient safety and clinician efficiency. His work includes providing physician-to-physician tech support, design, consultation and training. Patel also directs the organization's AI strategy, governance and virtual-care development.

Ángel Pérez Núñez

Ángel Pérez Núñez

Ángel Pérez Núñez is a senior director of technology at Amgen, where he supports corporate functions with a focus on human resources and corporate services. A strategic, bilingual technology leader with more than 24 years of experience, he has led enterprise and global teams across multiple business areas.

In his current role, Pérez Núñez serves as an AI champion and leads the corporate functions data teams, advancing artificial intelligence, automation and data and analytics initiatives. His work focuses on creating seamless employee experiences, improving productivity and enabling modern ways of working.

Earlier in his career at Amgen, he supported operations and manufacturing as well as enterprise engineering, bringing a broad enterprise perspective to his leadership.

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Jeremy Rasmussen

Jeremy Rasmussen is strategic advisor to cybersecurity startups, a fractional CISO, expert witness, partner and former CTO at Abacode Cybersecurity and Compliance. He as more than 30 years' experience developing software, performing R&D, and delivering cybersecurity managed services for government and commercial clients. Rasmussen holds CISSP, CEH, PMP, and CMMC RP credentials. He served as an adjunct faculty member at USF for 21 years, during which time he founded the USF ethical hacking / capture the flag team called the Whitehatters — which just celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Todd Renner

Todd Renner is a senior managing director at FTI Consulting and a cybersecurity leader with more than 25 years of experience in leading complex global investigations, cyber intrusion response, digital asset tracing and recovery, incident preparedness and cybersecurity transformation. He advises organizations on cybersecurity and data privacy, regulatory compliance and complex cyber incidents to help executive leadership teams strengthen their security posture and resilience. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Renner served as a supervisory special agent with the FBI where he led high-profile international cyber investigations and advised corporate boards and C-suite executives on cyber risk, ransomware, nation-state threats and digital crime. He also held leadership roles with the National Security Agency and served in a diplomatic assignment in the United Kingdom as an FBI supervisor. A graduate of the University of South Florida and Rollins College, Renner is recognized for helping organizations navigate increasingly complex cybersecurity challenges through a combination of technical expertise and strategic leadership.

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Maha Sallam

Maha Sallam is founder and president of VuEssence, a biotechnology company advancing molecular diagnostic technologies to improve early disease detection, personalized treatment and patient outcomes. A serial entrepreneur, she previously co-founded and led ISSI Inc., which developed FDA-approved image analysis solutions for breast cancer detection and was later acquired by iCAD, Inc., where she held board and executive roles. Sallam earned a PhD in Computer Engineering and completed the Leadership and Strategy in Pharmaceuticals and Biotech Executive Education program at the Harvard Business School. She frequently mentors new entrepreneurs, drawing on over 20 years of research and industry experience with a broad focus that spans research and development, clinical testing, regulatory approval and commercialization of new medical devices.

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Ryan Schmiedl

Ryan Schmiedl is the global head of Embedded Finance, Trust & Safety and AI at JPMorgan Payments, leading efforts to protect the bank and its clients from fraud and financial crimes, while advancing the adoption of AI-driven payment solutions. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Schmiedl led fraud and financial crime prevention at Amazon Web Services and served as vice president of product and engineering at SAS Institute, expanding its AI and analytics portfolio. He also launched numerous offerings to help clients prevent credit card fraud, money laundering, new account and medical fraud.

Vivian Sun

Vivian Sun is vice president of Data and AI, Information Technology at Jabil, where she leads global initiatives focused on enterprise digital transformation, data strategy and artificial intelligence. With more than 25 years of IT leadership experience, Sun has deep expertise in leveraging data, AI and Industry 4.0 approaches to modernize how work is done. Throughout her career, she has led global teams in developing scalable technology solutions that improve operational efficiency, enable automation and support data-driven decision-making. 

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Nate Tuting

Nate Tuting is vice president of Raymond James' Cyber Threat Center and deputy CISO for Global Cyber Defenses. He leads a highly skilled team responsible for protecting the firm from an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, overseeing incident response, threat hunting, intelligence, insider threat, vulnerability management and detection engineering. Since joining Raymond James in 2014, Tuting has advanced through roles in cyber threat engineering and IT security leadership, becoming vice president in 2022. Earlier in his career, he held engineering and networking positions at stalwart computing and technology organizations such as the U.S. Department of Defense, AT&T and IBM.