TechNite 2024 is just around the corner and we can’t wait to celebrate this year’s standouts in the tech community. We’re continually inspired by all elements of our innovation ecosystem, and are excited to recognize all the entrepreneurs, innovators, companies, leaders, and teachers that make tech in our region so dynamic.
This year’s nominees are all raising the success of Roanoke and New River Valleys on a global scale and our awards are aimed at helping elevate the leaders shaping our community. We’re very pleased to announce the nominees for the TechNite 2024 awards!
Entrepreneur Award
Adam Donato, Card Isle
Card Isle offers a turnkey solution to sell real paper, personalized greeting cards through any ecommerce, grocery delivery or curbside pickup site.
Card Isle under Adam’s leadership is the definition of “scrappy.” As CEO of CardIsle, Adam exemplifies entrepreneurial leadership, piloting his team through pivots, digging deep during lean times, and seizing growth opportunities to establish a well-respected and long-tenured company in the regional ecosystem.
Allison Shok, CodeOne
CodeOne Training Solutions seeks to prepare rescuers with the CPR skills and knowledge they need to save lives. Our hybrid online/onsite program combines the full American Heart Association (AHA) Online Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training portfolio with the power of RQI 1Stop® computerized manikins.
Chief Strategy Office Allison Shok has been with CodeOne since its inception and has led the company through a transformation from a traditional CPR training business into a new-generation, high tech innovation. Her training as a nurse gave her problem solving-skills she used to quickly scale the business in 2020, which to date has grown 400%.
Dr. Jennifer Munson, Cairina
Cairina Inc. is a Roanoke, VA based startup company that provides image analysis, modeling, and visualization solutions for personalized medicine applications initially focusing on automated surgical planning for cancer treatment and outcome optimization for individuals with aggressive gliomas.
Dr. Jennifer Munson is co-founder of Cairina and is passionate about translating and commercializing research out of the university. She was the driving force behind launching her company in Roanoke, VA. Dr. Munson also leads a VT lab to study the tumor microenvironment in cancers, including glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.
Kim Snyder, KlariVis
KlariVis is the only cloud-based, universal enterprise dashboard and analytics solution built for bankers, by bankers.
Kim founded KlariVis in February 2019 to solve the data conundrum in the financial institution industry. Kim is a great leader, a force within the industry, and is leading a game-changing solution for the community banking space. From raising outside capital to overseeing all aspects of the business, to inspiring her team and helping them see the “big picture,” Kim is responsible for giving strategic direction as well as creating a vision for success.
Spencer Marsh, Tiny Cargo
Tiny Cargo is a Roanoke based C-corporation that harnesses the power of milk exosomes as a naturally occurring drug delivery platform, aiming to treat the lethal effects of radiation, as well as a platform technology to enable the treatment of a wide range of other diseases.
Dr. Spencer Marsh serves as Tiny Cargo’s Chief Scientific Officer. He is one of the world’s leading exosome experts and a dynamic entrepreneur. His work paves the way for Tiny Cargo to become a global leader in supplying and applying exosome-based technology to new pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.
Innovator Award
Acomhal Research Inc. is a biotech startup company spun out of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion by Drs. Samy Lamouille and Rob Gourdie. Acomhal Research’s mission is to provide novel and effective therapeutic approaches targeting tumor recurrence and metastasis.
Dr. Umar Sofi, Carilion Clinic
Dr. Sofi, a Carilion Clinic pulmonologist, envisioned a better way to deliver oxygen to patients – a smart and patient-responsive system. He has worked with VT and CCI to build FRNDS, Flow Regulated Nasal Delivery System. He stretched himself far beyond his medical training and his dedication to the project has kept it going through the many challenges of developing a complex medical device.
KlariVis is the only cloud-based, universal enterprise dashboard and analytics solution built for bankers, by bankers. Their revolutionary platform compiles and aggregates high-value, actionable data into intuitive, interactive dashboards that provide financial institutions of all sizes with timely insights to empower teams, drive profitability, and improve productivity at every level of the organization.
Micah Almond, More Better Technology
More Better Technology is changing the way organizations approach digital transformation through a winning combination of proprietary modernization tools and real-life transformation experience.
Micah Almond serves as Head of Operations at More Better Technology. He exemplifies the ideal of leadership as service as he works hard to grow leaders locally and globally through his company and his enthusiastic mentorship of up-and-coming technologists.
Read Montague, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Dr. Read Montague is the Director at the Center for Human Neuroscience Research at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI). He is a world leader in computational psychiatry, a field he has helped develop and is now a major funding initiative of the National Institutes for Mental Health and FBRI. His lab work focuses on computational neuroscience – the connection between physical mechanisms present in real neural tissue and the computational functions that these mechanisms embody.
Steve Critchfield, Vegg Inc.
Vegg, Inc. is an AgTech company located in Pulaski, VA providing technological solutions to modern-day farming and sustainability issues. Utilizing innovative methods in agriculture, climate technology advancements, and the revitalization of abandoned school buildings, the company aims to deliver the first Climate-Smart certified facility for vertical farming companies.
Steve Critchfield is a longtime entrepreneur in the Roanoke-Blacksburg region. He brings his background in agriculture, economics, technology and banking to a variety of initiatives including the Town of Pulaski, MOVA, and Vegg, Inc.
Large Leading Tech Company
Headquartered in Sweden, Munters is a global leader in energy efficient and sustainable air treatment solutions helping clients reduce their climate and environmental impact. In 2022, Munters opened a facility in Botetourt County that specializes in providing advanced climate cooling solutions for data centers. Across their 20 manufacturing sites Munters cultivates an environment of sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion including the Botetourt branch. Munters’s presence in Roanoke Valley is relatively new but the company has quickly become a leading manufacturing employer in the region.
Elbit Systems of America—Night Vision
Elbit Systems of America is a leading provider of high-performance products, system solutions, and support services focusing on the defense, homeland security, commercial aviation, and medical instrumentation markets. With facilities throughout the United States, Elbit Systems of America is dedicated to supporting those who contribute daily to the safety and security of the United States.
Northwinds Technology Solutions
NorthWinds is solving some of the biggest problems in the insurance industry. Their innovative, secure technology is designed to help insurance companies effectively manage their claims processing and management. The company boasts three locations in the US including Roanoke, VA and over 300 IT employees around the world who work wth insurance companies to create turn-key solutions that reduce costs, improve workflows, and increase productivity.
Formerly known as Novozymes Biologicals, Inc. Novonesis focuses on research, development and production of industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients. They harness the power of enzymes, functional proteins and microorganisms to create biosolutions to feed and fuel the world more sustainably and reduce the use of fossil-based resources, chemicals, energy and water.
Revivicor is saving lives through xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is the process of transplanting viable organs or tissues between two different species. Organs from ordinary pigs are rejected almost immediately when transplanted into other species, including humans. Revivicor has edited 10 genes in the pig genome to overcome rejection and make organs suitable for transplant into human patients.
MELD’s mission is to disrupt manufacturing and repair of metals to serve humanity with the power of 3D printing, on Earth and in space by delivering reliable equipment using our award-winning, patented technology to print any metal at unsurpassed speed, at any size, with forged properties.
Small Leading Tech Company
CAC Tech Services cuts through confusion to provide information on an affordable energy transition. With their experience in electric vehicle technology, CAC Tech Services strives to help people meet their needs to avoid loss of time and expensive lessons from missing key parameters. Founded in 2023, their team has worked tirelessly to bring CAC Tech Services to the forefront of the electric vehicle industry and provide big picture insights and solutions for companies of all sizes.
Founded by three engineers, Card Isle’s patented greeting card system is packed with technology to ensure your cards are vibrant, accurate, and–most importantly–amazing! They continually innovate and introduce unique technology to an industry that has changed little over the past five decades.
Inorganic Ventures manufactures inorganic certified reference materials for laboratories where quality and accuracy of these materials is critical. Despite nearly 40 years in the chemistry industry, IV Labs continues to reinvent itself to drive new growth opportunities. Recently, IV Labs has spun out two divisions from its core Inorganic Ventures business: Merge Chemistry, a start-up developing new chemicals to revolutionize energy storage in the aqueous battery market and IV Ignite promoting the ongoing education and development of chemists to help address an industry deficit in chemistry talent.
Modea is a digital consultancy that helps hospitals build better relationships with their customers by improving the digital patient experience. Modea is transforming healthcare administration by providing outstanding solutions for communicating with patients, staff, physicians and other key stakeholders.
gNext is making infrastructure inspections safer and faster, with less cost and impact on the environment. Their custom-built inspection platform supports infrastructure integrity by securely combining drone data with artificial intelligence and 3D modeling. Now, engineers and inspectors can safely, accurately, and collaboratively analyze assets from a remote location and keep our aging infrastructure secure.
Keltech is an electronic contract manufacturer, builds printed circuit boards. They are a proven, trusted partner working with markets that create medical devices, motion controls, flow meters/data loggers, pressure sensors, wireless communications, energy management and power distribution systems. A standout in their field, they’ve built a reputation for actively listening to their customers and delivering a timely, quality product with competitive pricing. to testing, partial or complete box builds, repair work, and shipping direct to end users.
KlariVis is the only cloud-based, universal enterprise dashboard and analytics solution built for bankers, by bankers. Their revolutionary platform compiles and aggregates high-value, actionable data into intuitive, interactive dashboards that provide financial institutions of all sizes with timely insights to empower teams, drive profitability, and improve productivity at every level of the organization.
Lobo Learning is on a mission to rid the world of boring and ineffective e-learning. They leverage instructional design, e-learning development, educational technology, and fierce creativity to build human-centered and results-oriented learning solutions. We have a passion for creating interactive learning experiences that engage learners AND achieve business goals.
For more than four decades, Lodging Technology has provided innovative and custom energy and cost reduction solutions to the hospitality and other industries. Their GEMLink technology uses infrared body heat to detect the presences of guests in a room and resets the room temperature to energy-conserving levels guests leave conserving HVAC energy consumption by up to 45%. In addition, they enjoy an impeccable reputation for high quality products and customer service that has earned them multiple-property, multiple-brand repeat customers.
As a full-service custom contract manufacturer, P1 Technologies provides product design along with 3D printing, prototyping, and testing of component requirements – all under one roof in Roanoke, Virginia. Their vertically integrated facility encompasses over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing, cleanroom, and engineering space. They run three working shifts, stocking programs, and on-time delivery programs to ensure that products gets to market as soon as possible. As an ISO13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer, they keep quality initiatives at the forefront of everything they do.
CytoRecovery is a dynamic startup working to commercialize advanced microfluidic technology to enable cell biologists and other life science researchers to rapidly sort, enrich, and recover rare, homogeneous, viable cell subpopulations from tissue, blood and other biological samples. Their exclusively licensed technologies were invented at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, bringing together a cross-commonwealth collaboration.
Regional Leadership
Angela Dickerson, Blacks in Technology
Angela Pope Dickerson is a manager at Bullish, a Blacksburg-based blockchain company. She has tirelessly donated her time and energy to establishing a local chapter of Blacks in Technology, the global organization is dedicated to increasing the representation and participation of Black people in the technology industry.
David Catalano, Ozmo
Ozmo Founder and CEO David Catalano is a dynamic mentor in the Roanoke-Blacksburg technology ecosystem. He is often found grabbing a coffee or lunch with others to share what he’s learned from entrepreneurial journey in Ozmo, and Modea. A strong proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion in the local tech community, David also supported the launch the Blacks in Technology (BIT) chapter.
Dr. Robert Sandel, Virginia Western Community College
VWCC President Dr. Sandel is a lifelong educator who sees promise in every person. His commitment to providing an accessible and quality education has transformed VWCC, the region and the lives of countless students. A respected and able leader, Dr. Sandel has cultivated a supportive learning environment, and established vibrant team of professionals empowered to innovate. Thanks to his leadership, VWCC is a nimble, cutting-edge institution poised to contribute widely to the vast and diverse needs of the community.
Jeff Merritt, Cox Communications
Jeff Merritt serves as Market Vice President for Cox Communications and is a natural connector of people and resources. He tirelessly promotes the local innovation ecosystem by connecting organizations and tech companies to the resources and products that Cox has to offer—including spearheading a partnership between Roanoke County and Cox to create more accessible recycling opportunities. A passionate participant in community involvement, Jeff also maintains active partnerships with local youth non-profits to mentor the next generation.
Frank Shushok, Roanoke College
Frank Shushok, stepped into the role of President at Roanoke College in July of 2022 after a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees. Already a leader in partnerships and talent creation in the Roanoke region, Frank brings enthusiastic energy and creative thinking to every interaction. Well known as an advocate for student success, President Shushok brings over 30 years of higher education experience and passion for holistic learning. In his short time as president, he has spearheaded a number of new initiatives and partnerships with his colleagues while committing to existing transformative initiatives.
Ray Smoot, Virginia Tech
Ray Smoot is the former vice president for administration and treasurer at Virginia Tech and former chief executive officer of the Virginia Tech Foundation. Ray’s unparalleled commitment and visionary leadership have driven regional investments and fostered economic growth through his involvement with Virginia Tech, Go Virginia, and a multitude of boards and startups.
Collaborators note his strategic acumen and deep understanding of both the academic and business landscapes that have propelled countless projects to success and made him a cornerstone of the community’s development.
Rob Day, TECHLAB
TECHLAB® designs, develops, and manufactures enteric diagnostics that are distributed worldwide.
Rob Day, Chief Operating Officer at TECHLAB, is passionate about the benefits of medical technology and tireless in his support of industry development and his professional community. He provides board leadership for VA Bio and Verge, industry leadership in the region, and is generous and committed in his mentorship of early-stage entrepreneurs.
Rising Star Award
Dr. Sarah Snider, BEAM Diagnostics
A digital health company, BEAM Diagnostics. Inc., is leading the way to destigmatize screening for substance use disorders and advance proactive patient care.
As CEO and co-founder of BEAM, Dr. Sarah Snider exemplifies the perseverance and leadership required to take a revolutionary idea and turn it into a product that can improve lives and communities. She has translated her laboratory research into the exam room to develop Beacon, a digital diagnostic platform that helps facilitate patient-provider conversations without the stigma typically associated with substance use or other behavioral health conditions.
Dr. Rick Carliss, Chorda Pharma
Chorda Pharma addresses the growing need for safe, long-term pain relief associated with arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, sports injuries, and other ailments.
Dr. Rick Carliss, founder, president and chief scientific officer of Chorda Pharma, is passionate about providing pain relief without the long-term problems associated with opioids. He established Chorda Pharma as a public benefit corporation to provide an essential product and service while building a strong business.
Allison Shok, Code One
CodeOne Training Solutions seeks to prepare rescuers with the CPR skills and knowledge they need to save lives. Our hybrid online/onsite program combines the full American Heart Association (AHA) Online Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training portfolio with the power of RQI 1Stop® computerized manikins.
Co-owner Allison Shok adapted traditionally hands-on CPR training into remote sites across the East Coast. Using cutting-edge technologies, remote trainers visually observe students and receive biometric information on student performance from connected CPR dummy—effectively reinventing how CPR training is performed on a mass scale.
Dr. Deborah Good, Good Family Foods Group
Good Family Foods Group is on a mission to make sustainable weight loss consumable as never before. Backed by rigorous scientific validation, their bars, shakes, chews and coffee pods contain conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a substance that helps individuals maintain weight, build muscle, and lose fat.
Founder and CEO Dr. Deborah Good applied concepts she developed in her work at Virginia Tech to easily consumable food products that make sustainable weight loss more accessible. Her two-fold rigorous scientific validation and determination to understand and listen to her customers make her stand out in a competitive space and position her company for exciting growth.
Fermi Energy, Inc., founded by a team of battery scientists and engineers at Virginia Tech, develops fundamentally disruptive cathode technologies to help create the U.S. supply chain of battery manufacturing.
Cathode represents over 50% of the battery cost and is the central component to store and release energy. Fermi offers low-cost, sustainable cathodes for high-energy automobile batteries. Their breakthrough processing technologies and innovative materials will reduce the cathode cost by 50%, facilitate U.S.-innovated battery manufacturing and empower electric vehicles to perform faster-charging and drive at all-weather conditions, including extreme temperatures.
Klarivis is one of the fastest growing companies in the region and recently closed a major institutional round from a West Coast VC.
KlariVis is the only cloud-based, universal enterprise dashboard and analytics solution built for bankers, by bankers. Their revolutionary platform compiles and aggregates high-value, actionable data into intuitive, interactive dashboards that provide financial institutions of all sizes with timely insights to empower teams, drive profitability, and improve productivity at every level of the organization.
Radford, VA based business, Oransi is a motor technology company with a sustainable mission and a leading manufacturer of HEPA air purifiers.
As of March 4, 2024 Oransi officially re-shored manufacturing of air purifiers a facility in Radford, VA without a price premium compared to the Asian imports—in fact it’s lower priced for the performance. Their new proprietary electric motor technology is more energy efficient in keeping with their sustainable mission.
Arvin Gouw, Bacchus Therapeutics
Bacchus Therapeutics is pioneering breakthroughs in cancer treatment within the biotechnology realm. Targeting cancer’s hypermetabolic state with a focus on MYC-driven cancers, their breakthrough drug promises hope for millions.
Founding CEO of Bacchus Therapeutics, Arvin Gouw was a Cancer Nanotechnology Fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine and has over 10 years of experience studying cancer metabolism. He holds a B.A., M.A. from UC Berkeley, M.Phil. from University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Dr. Vince Baranauskas, MacroVation
MacroVation is an advanced material research and development company driven by a profound commitment to reshape the world using cutting-edge sustainable material technologies that combat global warming. Located in Blacksburg, VA, they design sustainable, innovative biomaterials in promotion of a green, circular bioeconomy, such as additives for commodity plastics that render them biodegradable after use, and 3D printable materials derived from seaweed for the manufacture of medical devices.
Dr. Vince Baranauskas, Chief Technology Officer, is a synthetic polymer chemist with extensive experience in designing, synthesizing, and optimizing various classes of thermoplastic, thermoset, and elastomeric polymers, as well as multifunctional composites and foams. He holds a PhD in Macromolecular Science & Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Richard Fenrich, xStar Research
xStar Research aims to revolutionize the architecture and engineering design process with software that empowers designers for sustainable building design. They believe state-of-the-art analysis and optimization software doesn’t have to be hard to use.
Dr. Richard Fenrich, founder and CEO, holds a MS and PhD in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Standford University. In addition, he is a LEED Green Associate and member of ASHRAE and IBPSA.
Aaron Kees, Micro Harmonics
Micro Harmonics produces the most technologically advanced millimeter wave products on the market today including millimeter wave isolators operating from 25-400 GHz, millimeter wave circulators, and millimeter wave voltage variable attenuators.
Director of Finance and VT graduate Aaron Kees came to Micro Harmonics from KPMG where he guided multinational and Fortune 500 companies through SEC filings, initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, as well as other corporate audits. He also spent time serving as a national instructor for KPMG audit curriculums.
STEM-H Educator Award (K-12)
Branden Wells, Salem City Public Schools
Branden Wells is a Passionate STEM/Computer Science educator at West Salem Elementary School and US Marine. Branden served as an infantryman in the US Marine Corps and in 2004 spent 7 months deployed in Afghanistan for combat operations. His experience was one of driving forces behind his ultimate career goals as a teacher. He vowed to change as many young lives as possible.
Branden holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education. He is also a Level 2 Certified Google Educator and partners with CodeVA in his classroom and is an ambassador with ClassVR by Avantis, which brings VR experiences into the classroom. He is the 2024 West Salem Teacher of the Year, and just wrapped up 6 weeks of after-school Lego Mindstorms Robotics for 5th Graders at GW Carver Elementary.
Kurtis Kennedy, Botetourt County Public Schools
Kurtis Kennedy teaches computer systems technology at Botetourt County Public Schools and goes above and beyond for his students. He recently sponsored a group that won the Altec Innovation Challenge, in which students must identify a problem in the community and create a STEM based solution. The team was awarded $10,000 to implement the solution. Mr. Kennedy also sponsored the new Girls that Code Club in order to introduce more female students to the coding and programming world. Mr. Kennedy continues his own learning and is currently taking a class on Artificial Intelligence and implementing the concepts and techniques into the classroom.
Megan Atkinson, Pulaski County Public Schools
Megan Atkinson is the Director of Career and Technical Education and the Governor’s STEM Academy at Pulaski County Public Schools where she oversees the implementation and evaluation of rigorous and relevant programs that prepare students for lifetime learning and successful careers. A continuous to advocate for STEM in Pulaski, Atkinson creates incredible pathways of opportunity for children to have an opportunity to thrive in STEM. She strives to increase student awareness of STEM career opportunities and facilitates their connection to the industry.
Richard Hutchinson, Roanoke County Public Schools
Mr. Hutchison came to Roanoke County Public Schools from industry and has become a leading teacher providing engaging and purposeful lessons to his technology and engineering education students at William Byrd Middle School. He is innovative in his approach to teaching middle school students and is the only Roanoke County CTE teacher utilizing a flight simulator to engages his students in exploring career pathways in aviation. In addition to his teaching, he serves as a coach impacting students in the extra-curricular environment.
Mark Levy, Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology
Mark Levy serves as the director of the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology (RVGS) where he is passionate about student engagement and success. Prior to his appointment at RVGS, Mr. Levy chaired the science department at Patrick Henry High School where he was voted PH Teacher of the Year twice, and founded the award-winning forensics team. He holds degrees from Virginia Tech and Johns Hopkins. An alum of RVGS, Mr. Levy finds serving students and the school deeply meaningful.
STEM-H Educator Award (Higher Education)
Amy White, Virginia Western Community College
Amy White is Virginia Western Community College’s Dean for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics department. White began at VWCC as a biology professor in 2003, and her passion for educating led her to her role as STEM dean. White focuses on educating and mentoring those who are interested in STEM careers, as well as creating equal opportunities for all students wishing to make an impact on the healthcare system.
Dr. Anne M. Brown, Virginia Tech
Researcher, entrepreneur, and professor Dr. Anne M. Brown currently serves as an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and as Associate Director of the DataBridge program housed in Research and Informatics, along with several affiliate roles, at Virginia Tech. She is the PI for two research labs, cumulatively advising more than 30 students per semester, while also teaching classes, securing grants, and successfully selling her first company, DESA Analytics. In 2023, Dr. Brown was awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER Award thanks in part to her cutting-edge techniques, pedagogical structures for experiential learning, and global outreach programs. Dr. Brown is widely respected for her outstanding teaching and firm belief that contributing to the collective good of society is achieved through dedication, resilience and the scientific method.
Dr. Heather Lindberg, Virginia Western Community College
Dr. Heather Lindberg is a Professor of Biology at VWCC and is the Program Head of Biotechnology and has been instrumental in developing the biotechnology major and advancing biology education at the college. Dr. Lindberg brought SEA-PHAGES an investigative, research-based curricula to the biology program at VWCC—the only community college to run this program. Thanks to Dr. Lindberg’s advocacy, VWCC is the also the only community college to offer the Biotechnology Assistant Credentialling Exam (BACE) a nationally known industry credential that demonstrates competence in laboratory skills critical to this field. Graduates are certified to begin work as laboratory technicians, or to transfer to a four year partner. Passionate about outreach, Dr. Lindberg has made the entire community her classroom. She routinely engages students all around the valley with the science of Biotechnology.
Dr. Kristylea Ojeda, Virginia Western Community College
Dr. Ojeda is a dedicated educator with a strong passion for biotechnology. Dr. Ojeda is committed to going beyond the classroom to bring relevant experiences to her students. This exposure provides her students with the information and knowledge they need to make strong career decisions following graduation. An advocate for the future of biotechnology, she believes the potential of life sciences to build a better future for everyone.
Dr. Sara Arena, Virginia Tech
Dr. Sara Arena serves as the undergraduate program chair for the new biomedical engineering undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. In her role, she balances biomechanical research with managing hundreds of students and faculty in her program. Throughout, Dr. Arena consistently exhibits a combination of leadership, mentoring, and technical know-how that creates a collaborative and positive work/learning environment.
Terri Fox, Roanoke College
Terri Fox is the Chief Information Officer for Roanoke College where she plays a vital role in the community. A leading mentor, educator, and administrator Terri created the IT Student Assistant work-training program that employs over 40 students each year. In the program students gain extensive IT training and mentoring with increasing levels of responsibility each year they are in the program. The students are vital to the technological life of the college, and many of them go on to launch careers in the IT space after graduation. Terri works with students directly to ensure they gain practical skills training and mentorship. Her dedication to student development has earned her great respect among faculty and staff and has a profound impact on the lives of graduates.
Dr. Wayne Scales, Virginia Tech
Dr. Scales is the Professor of Engineering in the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research at Virginia Tech and is a pioneering researcher in the fields of ionospheric physics and plasma simulation. His recent work has focused on dusty space plasma diagnostics using high power radio waves. As an educator, he generously mentors students into the space science field and volunteers his time to mentor youth in his community.
Greg Lee, Virginia Tech
Strategic advisor Greg Lee is a software developer with a business mind focused on creating great products. He’s currently strategic advisor to nft42/Nameless, as well as other early-stage startups in the amazing, transformative blockchain and NFT (non-fungible token) world with the mission to make it easy for any small or large enterprise to integrate blockchain and NFT technology into their business. Greg also volunteers on the CS Advisory Board for Virginia Tech as a member of the Student Engagement Committee.
Dr. Scott Bailey, Virginia Tech
Dr. Scott Bailey serves as a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research at Virginia Tech. A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2006, Bailey is known for his pioneering research in the fields of space and atmospheric science and, in particular, remote sensing of the Earth’s atmosphere. He was named the Bradley Senior Faculty Fellow at Virginia Tech in 2020 which recognizes faculty research excellence.
Winners of all categories will be announced at TechNite on May 8 at Hotel Roanoke. Get your tickets today!
