Panelist Bios

CRIDC 2022: Thursday, January 27

2022 CRIDC Panelists

Sandeep Ahuja

Position: CEO and Co-Founder of cove.tool
Job Description: Sandeep Ahuja is the CEO and Co-Founder of cove.tool, the end-to-end building performance and data app. Most recently, Sandeep presented at the UN environment assembly, with 1500 global delegates, on the impact of buildings on climate change, showcased at the Tedx Atlanta and won the Forbes 30 under 30. With her desire to bring automation into the AEC world, she is pioneering the integration of data driven thinking into the design and construction process by developing and intelligent software.
Degrees: Georgia Institute of Technology - Masters of Science in High Performance Buildings Architecture; School of Planning and Architecture - Bachelors of Architecture; International School of Tanganyika International - Baccalaureate
Website/LinkedIn: https://www.cove.tools/; https://linkedin.com/in/sandeep-ahuja-2561ba80/

John Avery

Position: Director, Advanced Technology Development Center
Job Description: John is a serial entrepreneur who was part of four startups. A tech startup veteran with broad experience in data and wireless voice technologies, John was co-founder and chief technology officer of Convergence Corp., a maker of software that connects wireless devices to the Internet. Amazon acquired the company in 1999. Following that acquisition, he joined Amazon as engineering manager.
Degrees: Georgia Tech graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering
Website/LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/johnwavery

Sean Joyce

Position: VP, Engineering for Payment Products at Waystar. Most recently before the August 2021 acquisition of Patientco by Waystar, I was the CTO of Patientco, a Healthcare Fintech based in Atlanta, with responsibility for Engineering, Product and Customer Implementation.
Job Description: Waystar is a software company focused on simplifying and automating the complex healthcare payments process for both health systems and patients. At Waystar, I lead the software engineering teams for several products improving the complex challenges making and collecting payments for providers and patients.
Degrees: Bachelors in Computer Science from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from Emory's Goizueta School of Business.
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanmjoyce/

Raghupathy Sivakumar

Position: Wayne J. Holman Chair Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Vice President of Commercialization and Chief Commercialization Officer - Georgia Tech
Job Description: Wayne J. Holman Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. He leads the Georgia Tech Networking and Mobile Computing (GNAN) Research Group, where he and his students do research in the areas of wireless networking and mobile computing. He is the Founding Director of CREATE-X, a Georgia Tech initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence in its students. He also serves as the Interim Chief Commercialization Officer of Georgia Tech.
Degrees: Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000 and 1998 respectively, and his B.E. degree in Computer Science from Anna University (Chennai) in 1996.
Website/LinkedIn: https://siva.ece.gatech.edu/

Lydia Turkié

Position: Director, Creative Destruction Lab, Georgia Tech
Job Description: I empower deep tech entrepreneurs in the Southeast and unleash their latent innovation potential for the betterment of humankind.
Degrees: BS and an MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as a Doctorate of Pharmacy from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, and an MSc in Management (Programme Grande Ecole) from Emlyon Business School.
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lydia-turki%C3%A9-a3200a88/

Michael E. Chang

Position: Deputy-Director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech
Job Description: Dr. Michael E. Chang is the Deputy Director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on the complexity of the urban and regional environment, and how nature, technology, economics, and culture lead to both environmental problems and solutions. In the past, Dr. Chang served as the founding Editor-in Chief (2013-2018) of the Sustainable Engineering domain of Elementa, an open-access scientific journal that publishes original research reporting on the “science of the Anthropocene;” and worked as an engineer/scientist in the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech (1993-2009), the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (1992-1998), and the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (1988-1990).
Degrees: He holds degrees in atmospheric chemistry (MS, PhD), environmental policy (MS), and aerospace engineering (BAE) all from Georgia Tech.
Website/LinkedIn: https://research.gatech.edu/michael-chang

Patrick Chopson

Position: AIA, Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Co-founder of cove.tool
Job Description: Focusing on the crossover between architecture and technology, Patrick Chopson leads cove.tool, a web-based design software for buildings using machine learning and automation to drive decision making. As Co-Founder, he oversees product development and research. A graduate of Georgia Tech with a Master's in High Performance Buildings, he is a licensed architect with over 17 years of experience in architecture, research, and mechanical engineering firms. Prior to cove.tool, he co-founded a successful building performance consulting firm Pattern r+d. He is featured in multiple publications include Architect Magazine, Tech Crunch, Site Selection, ArchDaily, and more.
Degrees: Georgia Tech with a Master's in High Performance Buildings; Southern Polytechnic State University - Bachelor's Degree Architecture; Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis - Mechanical Engineering
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/patrick-chopson-762

Shira Colsky

Position: Project Engineer - Geosyntec Consultants
Job Description: At Geosyntec, Ms. Colsky serves as the technical design lead for numerous industrial water/wastewater and groundwater remediation design projects across the US. Recent project experience includes design of a water conveyance and treatment system at a power plant, a wastewater treatment feasibility study for a chemical manufacturer, and a bioremediation remedial design for a multi-contaminant groundwater plume a former air force base. Her specialties include preparation of conceptual to construction-ready design packages for water distribution and treatment systems, hydraulic modeling, wastewater treatment evaluations, and remedial design and implementation for hazardous waste sites.
Degrees: She is a licensed professional environmental engineer in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina. Ms. Colsky earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida and a master's degree in environmental engineering from Georgia Tech.
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/shiracolsky

Dan Raudebaugh

Position: Executive Director - Center for Transportation & the Environment
Job Description: As Executive Director for the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), Dan Raudebaugh has dedicated the last 27 years to fostering environmental and energy sustainability and creating jobs within US emerging technology sectors. He has developed, secured funding for, and managed a varied portfolio of cost-shared research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects exceeding $800 million. Mr. Raudebaugh leads a staff of experienced engineers and project managers who are committed to improving the efficiency and sustainability of US energy and transportation systems. Under his guidance, CTE has successfully partnered with the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Interior, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and Federal Railroad Administration, among others.
Degrees: BME Mechanical Engieering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dan-raudebaugh-019a458/

Akissi Y. Stokes

Position: CEO & Cofounder Wundergrubs
Job Description: Responsible for setting company vision, and define overall business strategy; managing financial structure, capital strategy, and strategic objectives; cultivating a high-performing and agile team culture; overseeing daily operations; aligning resources to achieve business goals; establishing credibility throughout the customer and partner network; and building strategic partnerships and relationships to drive growth.
Degrees: B.A., Economics & Finance
Website/LinkedIn: https://www.wundergrubs.com; https://linkedin.com/in/akissi-stokes-832a822/

Les Thomas

Position: Consultant - McKinsey & Company
Job Description: Consultant - McKinsey & Company
Degrees: Industrial & Systems Engineering, International Affairs, Georgia Tech
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/leslythomas

Nicholas (Nico) Beskid

Position: Consultant - Bain & Company
Job Description: Consultant - Bain & Company
Degrees: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; Master’s Degree - Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; Bachelor of Science (B.S.) - Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nicobeskid

Kavya Ashok

Position: Associate at McKinsey & Company
Job Description: Kavya Ashok is an associate consultant with McKinsey & Co. She joined the firm in January 2021 and has been actively engaged in serving electric utilities and energy providers on their decarbonization strategy. She is passionate about helping clients navigate the energy transition and has worked on topics including electric vehicles, green hydrogen, solar development etc.
Degrees: Georgia Institute of Technology - Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Electrical and Computer Engineering ; Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) - Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ashokkavya

Nithin Nedumthakady

Position: Moderator
Job Description: PhD2CC, Georgia Tech
Degrees: Graduate Student at Georgia Tech
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nithinnedumthakady

Sunny Kim

Position: Moderator
Job Description: PhD2CC, Georgia Tech
Degrees: Graduate Student at Georgia Tech
Website/LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sunny-sy-kim

Luoluo Hong

Position: Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being at Georgia Institute of Technology
Job Description: The eldest daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Luoluo (pronounced “lō-lō”) Hong is a passionate educator, courageous leader and energetic student advocate who joined the Georgia Institute of Technology as the inaugural Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being on August 1st, 2021. Prior to this role, Luoluo served the California State University system for seven years – first as Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management and Title IX Coordinator for San Francisco State University (2014-2019) and then as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management in the Chancellor’s Office (2019-2021). She was also Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Hawaiˈi at Hilo from 2008-2014, where she concurrently took on the role of Acting Athletic Director for one and a half years. Luoluo began her career at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge as a health promotion professional (1992-2000). Other senior administrative roles have included Assistant Vice President & Dean of Students at Shepherd College (2000-2002); Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002-2005); and Dean of Student Affairs at the West campus for Arizona State University (2005-2007).
Degrees: Luoluo holds a BA in Psychology from Amherst College, a Master’s in Public Health from Yale University, and a PhD in Educational Leadership & Research from LSU in Baton Rouge.
Website/LinkedIn: https://students.gatech.edu/content/about-vice-president-hong