President

Current

2023 - 2023

Walter Downing

President (2020-2021)

IEEE AESS

United States

5 (Southwestern U.S.)

Email

Walter Downing

5 (Southwestern U.S.)

Email

Biography

Walt Downing is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Southwest Research
Institute (SwRI®) in San Antonio, Texas. He joined SwRI in 1979 as an engineer in the field of automated
testing. He established and led the SwRI Aerospace and Training Systems Division before moving into
executive management in 1998.

Walt graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BSEE and the University of Texas at San
Antonio with an MBA. He has executive certificates in management and leadership from the University
of Texas at Austin and MIT Sloan School of Management. He is a registered professional engineer in the
states of Texas and Florida.

Other IEEE Positions: President-Elect (2018-19); VP Technical Operations (2015-17); Board of Governors
member (2001-6 & 2012-17); Central Texas Section Joint SMC-AES Chapter Chair (2015-18);
AUTOTESTCON Board Rep (1995-9, 2001-7, 2014-19 & 2020-present); AUTOTESTCON General Chair
(1999); AUTOTESTCON Technical Program Chair (1986, 1990 & 1993); AESS Systems Council
Representative and VP Technical Operations (2017-18); Mentor (2017-present); Distinguished Lecturer
(2017-present). He is also Vice Chair of the IEEE Lone Star Section.

Affiliation(s)

President (2020-2021)

IEEE AESS

United States

Current

2022 - 2022

Stephen Dyer

Kansas State University

United States

5 (Southwestern U.S.)

Email

Past

2020 - 2021

Vincenzo Piuri

University of Milan

8 (Africa, Europe, Middle East)

Email

Website

Vincenzo Piuri

8 (Africa, Europe, Middle East)

Email

Website

Biography

Vincenzo Piuri has received his Ph.D. in computer engineering at Polytechnic of Milan, Italy (1989). He is a Full Professor in computer engineering at the University of Milan, Italy (since 2000). He has been an Associate Professor at Polytechnic of Milan, Italy and Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, and visiting researcher at George Mason University, USA.

His main research interests are artificial intelligence, computational intelligence, intelligent systems, machine learning, pattern analysis and recognition, signal and image processing, biometrics, intelligent measurement systems, industrial applications, digital processing architectures, fault tolerance, cloud computing infrastructures, and internet-of-things. Original results have been published in 400+ papers in international journals, proceedings of international conferences, books, and book chapters.

He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Distinguished Scientist of ACM, and a Senior Member of INNS. He is IEEE Region 8 Director-elect (2021-22), and has been IEEE Vice President for Technical Activities (2015), IEEE Director, President of the IEEE Systems Council, President of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, Vice President for Education of the IEEE Biometrics Council, Vice President for Publications of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society and the IEEE Systems Council, and Vice President for Membership of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. He has been Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Systems Journal (2013-19). He is Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing and has been Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Computers, the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, the IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, and IEEE Access.

He received the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society Technical Award (2002) and the IEEE TAB Hall of Honor (2019). He is an Honorary Professor at Obuda University, Hungary; Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, China; Northeastern University, China; Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan; Amity University, India; and Galgotias University, India.

Affiliation(s)

University of Milan

Current

2018 - 2019

Stephanie White

Senior Professor

Long Island University – Post Campus

United States

1 (Northeastern U.S.)

Email

Stephanie White

1 (Northeastern U.S.)

Email

Biography

Stephanie White is an educator, technical leader in system and software requirements/design, a corporate manager, and entrepreneur. Her research interests and publications are in systems science and engineering with an emphasis on modeling and semantic analysis of complex systems. She performed research for the Navy (NRL, NWC, and NSWC) and for Grumman and Northrop Grumman, leading to higher quality and lower cost products. Currently, Senior Professor Emeritus, Long Island University, she taught systems science, systems engineering, and computer science, and is still called on to participate on dissertation committees. As Principal Engineer, Requirements and Architecture, and Manager at Grumman Aerospace and Northrop Grumman, made recommendations regarding new technology and development, wrote proposals for military aircraft (E-2, F-14) and space programs (NASA, Missile Defense), and was involved in personnel recruitment and management. As President of her own company, Systems World, she performed research for the U.S. Navy under a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Polytechnic, now NYU Tandon School of Engineering, an M.S. in Mathematics from NYU, and a B.S. in Mathematics from CUNY. A lifelong IEEE volunteer, she was awarded the IEEE-USA Divisional Professional Leadership Award for inspiring women to study and work in STEM fields, and for leadership in diversity initiatives. She founded the Computer Society TC on Engineering of Computer-Based Systems, is a member of the Computer Society’s Golden Core, was VP of Computer Society TAB, and is on the CS Board of Governors. She has held many positions in Systems Council, including that of President. She is currently Division X Director 2023-2024 and Systems Council VP Member Services.

Affiliation(s)

Senior Professor

Long Island University – Post Campus

United States

Past

2016 - 2017

Paolo Carbone

University of Perugia

Italy

8 (Africa, Europe, Middle East)

Email

Past

2014 - 2015

Robert C. Rassa

Raytheon (Retired)

United States

2 (Eastern U.S.)

Email

Past

2012 - 2013

Robert Lyons

Retired

USAF

United States

3 (Southeastern U.S.)

Email

Robert Lyons

3 (Southeastern U.S.)

Email

Biography

Robert P. Lyons, Jr., is a technical and management consultant and educator with over 35 years of experience in research and development, engineering, program planning, acquisition, and maintenance for a wide range of military and commercial systems. He consults for the aerospace industry, the US Government, non-profit institutes, and commercial concerns. Mr. Lyons retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel after serving as Director, HQ Air Force Materiel Command Acquisition (AFMC) Center of Excellence (ACE). There he worked in concert with the Secretary of the Air Force’s ACE and led a hand-picked, multi-disciplined team of acquisition professionals in the Headquarters and AFMC Product, Logistics, and Test Centers and Laboratory responsible for driving innovation, challenging and radically changing processes, and helping acquisition and sustainment programs across the USAF.

Mr. Lyons worked on nuclear instrumentation, solid-state electron devices, and microwave systems in three USAF laboratories. He led integration and software development for the World Wide Military Command and Control Information System. Mr. Lyons also was the Deputy Director, Integrated Engineering and Technical Management for Aeronautical Systems Center’s 2400 engineers. He was the Avionics and Software Integrated Product Team Leader for the F-22, Deputy Program Director for the F-15, Program Director for the X-32 Joint Strike Fighter, and Director, Joint Strike Fighter Engineering and Manufacturing Development, leading acquisition planning for the F-35 program.

Mr. Lyons earned his bachelor’s degree (with honors) from New Mexico State University and his master’s degree (Commandant’s Award for exceptional thesis research) from the Air Force Institute of Technology, both in electrical engineering. He is a graduate of Squadron Officer’s School, Air Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Industrial College of the Armed Forces (National Security Management Program), the Defense Systems Management College, and the Carnegie Mellon Executive Development Course. He holds certificates in Process Mastery from Hammer and Co.; Leading Change and Organizational Renewal from Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business; Advanced Project Management from Stanford University; and Corporate Governance from Tulane Law School. He lectures on Digital Avionics Architectures and Software Management at the University of California at Los Angeles Extension. He also teaches project, program, and risk management classes.

Mr. Lyons served for six years on the National Defense Industrial Association’s Combat Survivability Division’s Board of Directors. He is currently the Executive Vice President and Acting Vice President for Publications of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ (IEEE) Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society (AESS). He also served as a member of the AESS Board of Governors and as its Vice President of Technical Operations. He has been AESS’s representative to and the Vice President for Conferences for the IEEE Systems Council. Mr. Lyons is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he serves on the Digital Avionics Technical Committee. He is also a member of the American Society for Quality, the Project Management Institute, and the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, as well as Eta Kappa Nu and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

Affiliation(s)

Retired

USAF

United States

Past

2008 - 2011

Clyde Chittister

3 (Southeastern U.S.)

Past

2007 - 2007

Robert C. Rassa

Raytheon (Retired)

United States

2 (Eastern U.S.)

Email

Walter Downing

Stephen Dyer

Vincenzo Piuri

Stephanie White

Paolo Carbone

Robert C. Rassa

Robert Lyons

Clyde Chittister

Robert C. Rassa

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