I was ask to run for 2026 IEEE Region 5 Director-Elect in this year's IEEE Annual Election. This webpage is intended to inform you of my Goals and IEEE Experience should I be elected to this position. The remainder of my Vertical Memory website can provide you with information on my Engineering Career and technical qualifications for this position.
Goals for IEEE Region 5
Continue to make Region 5 one of the best Regions in both IEEE-USA and global IEEE organization through the support of our Sections and their Chapters & Student Branches
Support US Workforce Development by Encouraging Middle School and High School students to select careers in Science & Technology
Encourage Mutual Engagement by our Student Activities, Young Professionals, Women in Engineering, and Life Members (One IEEE)
Engage Region 5 Industry and encourage their engagement in our activities
Encourage our volunteers to develop more projects to use Technology for the Benefit of Humanity
IEEE History
I joined the Missouri S&T IEEE Student Branch in 1970 and became a member of Eta Kappa Nu (Gamma Theta Chapter) that year. This means that I have been a IEEE Member for 55-years. In 1971, I graduated from Missouri S &T (then known as University of Missouri-Rolla) with my BSEE degree. At the same time, I received my BS in Physics degree from Truman State University (part of 5-year dual degree program).
Upon graduating, I joined the Computer Industry in the Twin Cities, first at Control Data Corporation (the leading Supercomputer company), then with Sperry-Univac Defense Systems Division (the leading military computer company), and then finally entering the Semiconductor industry by joining Honeywell's Solid State Electronics Division (a leading captive semiconductor company). This first 17-year period of my career found me developing Computer products at CDC and Univac prior to moving into the VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuits) era of monolithic microprocessors, digital signal processors, and gate array products for commercial and military systems. During this period, I joined the IEEE Computer Society in about 1974 and in the late 1970s, I was the president of the Twin Cities IEEE Computer Society Chapter. My mentor during this period of time was Dr. Ken Thurber, Univac staff consultant, who encouraged me to engage with the Computer Society and begin making presentations and publications initially at Sperry Univac in-house meetings but by the late 1970s to IEEE Conferences - notably the IEEE Government Microelectronic Applications Conference (GOMAC) and IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference (NAECON). By 1984, I was VHSIC System Applications Manager working with the Honeywell SSED Marketing organization selling advanced technology solutions to Honeywell divisions and outside companies. This set the stage for Honeywell to enter the commercial semiconductor marketplace with the formation of the Honeywell Digital Product Center and Signal Processing Technologies. I moved to Colorado Springs, CO with the Honeywell Digital Product Center where my team developed Computer Aided Design software, design center hardware for DPC ASIC Products and commercialized advanced CMOS gate array products developed by ETA Systems before becoming DPC's Commercial Business Development manager. Honeywell DPC built the bipolar and CMOS ASIC devices for Honeywell and Honeywell Bull mainframes along with ETA Systems cryogenically cooled ETA-10 supercomputer (the fastest computer in the world in 1988). DPC also established Honeywell as a leading supplier of radiation hard CMOS products for Honeywell Space & Strategic Systems. During this period, I published papers on our microprocessor and ASIC products and CAD software in Conferences such as IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, IEEE Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, NAECON, and Northcon along with trade publications such as VLSI Design magazine.
Starting in 1988, I moved into full time marketing of leading edge memory products starting as Director of Marketing and then VP of Marketing at Ramtron. Ramtron International became the leading developer of the Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) non-volatile memory by co-developing technology and products with most of the leading semiconductor companies in US, Japan, Korea, and Europe. Working with leading DRAM developers from Inmos Corporation who moved to Ramtron, Ramtron developed the fastest DRAM products including Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), High Speed DRAM (HSDRAM) and 1TSRAM Enhanced SRAM (ESRAM) at subsidiary, Enhanced Memory Systems. These products were used in the fastest PC systems of the time. Enhanced Memory partnered with IBM and Infineon for DRAM manufacturing, Cypress Semiconductor for ZBT ESRAM, and Hewlett Packard for DDR ESRAM for HP PA-RISC L2 Cache respectively. I worked with Simtek to market their leading SNOS nvSRAM products. I became Global Product Manager for Freescale Semiconductors Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) products, leading the spin-out of the business to form Everspin Technologies in Chandler, AZ (today's leading MRAM product supplier). During this period, I continued to publish papers in both IEEE Conferences such as IEEE Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics, NAECON, COMPCON, Computer Elements Workshops (Vail & Mesa), at major trade publications including EE Times, Electronic Products, ECN, Military & Aerospace Electronics, IEEE Spectrum, Nikkei Electronics, and other foreign trade publication. I also participated in trade conferences such as Comdex, Silicon Valley PC Design Conference, Platform Conference, Microprocessor Forum, DesignCon, and Flash Memory Summit. Along the way, I provided memory briefings to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Advisory Committee on Electron Devices and the US Patent Office staff.
Starting in 2002, I began consulting with my company, Vertical Memory on 3D memory and 3D packaging.
After 2002, I increased my volunteer activities initially working at Catholic Charities Marian House (a local soup kitchen) in Colorado Springs where I became a member of Catholic Charities of Southern Colorado Board of Directors for 6 years. I also served on Enclave Estates HOA Board of Directors (my townhome neighborhood) in capacities of President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
In 2014, I became a Life Member of the IEEE.
In 2019, I became a Life Senior Member of the IEEE, Chair of the Pikes Peak Life Member Affinity Group, and served as Region 5 West Area Coordinator for Life Members
In 2020, I became Region 5 Life Member Coordinator on the Region 5 Excom and Region 5 & 6 Chapter Coordinator for the Computer Society
In 2021-23, I joined the IEEE Life Member Committee and was appointed LMAG Activities Coordinator for worldwide LMAGs working with 10 Life Member Coordinators to manage 100 LMAG growing to 185 today
In 2022-24, I became the IEEE Computer Society Vice Chair of the MGA Board and Chair of Geographical Activities Committee working with 7 Region Chapter Coordinators to manage 241 Professional Chapters and over 700 Student Branch Chapters worldwide.
At 2024 IEEE Computer Society Global Chapter Summit in Santa Clara, CA
In 2023 to Present, I became IEEE Pikes Peak Section Chair working with 700+ members in Southern Colorado, 5 Society Chapters, and 4 Student Branches
From 2024 to Present, I continue as Life Member Committee Newsletter Editor publishing 3 newsletters per year delivered to over 40,000 Life Members worldwide
Life Member Committee At 2025 MGA Joint Committee Meeting in Panama City, Panama
Along the way, I received the IEEE MGA Achievement Award in 2022 and became a Distinguished Contributor of the IEEE Computer Society in its first class of 2022. In 2024, I received an Outstanding Service Certificate from the IEEE Computer Society. Also in 2024, my Pikes Peak Life Member Affinity Group was honored to receive the Region 5 and Global LMAG Achievement Awards.
At the 2024 Life Member Conference with IEEE President, Tom Coughlin, and Life Member Committee Chair, Howard Wolfman
The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of IEEE.