Meet the 2024 Candidates: IEEE President-Elect and Division IX Director-Elect

The IEEE annual election begins on 15 August and ends on 1 October. All ballots must be received by 12:00 noon EDT USA/16:00 UTC. The IEEE Signal Processing Society is committed to ensuring that its members are prepared with sufficient information about the candidates in order to make their best-informed decision. In this month’s issue of Inside Signal Processing, we invite you to meet the IEEE President-Elect and IEEE Division IX Director-Elect candidates.

For more information about the candidates, please review the below websites:

• President-Elect Statements
• Division IX Director-Elect Statements.

A list of all 2024 elections and the candidates can be found here. Your vote counts: don’t forget to cast your ballot by  October!

Each candidate has provided us with a statement, which is noted below.

IEEE President-Elect Candidates

Mary Ellen Randall
(Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors)
President and CEO
Ascot Technologies, Inc.
Cary, North Carolina, USA

IEEE is the most powerful, professional, technical network of individuals in the world. Together, we have the ability to change the world.

We advance, develop, standardize, and utilize technology from diverse perspectives.

We contribute across a wide spectrum of in-depth societies and geographies. Signal Processing plays a pivotal role as the first society of IEEE. IEEE is great, but we can be greater by:

• uniting on mission objectives which span our areas of interest. This way we can bring multiple disciplines and perspectives together to accomplish big goals;
• simplify our support of new innovations and systematize the introduction of these programs;
• execute and support our best ideas on a continuing basis.

As President, I pledge to:

• Institute innovative products and services to ensure our mutually successful future;
• Engage stakeholders to unite on a comprehensive vision;
• Expand technology advancement and adoption throughout the world;
• Execute with excellence, ethics, and financial responsibility.

Finally, I promise to lead by example with enthusiasm and integrity and I humbly ask for your vote.

Mary Ellen Randall, IEEE Fellow and member of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu, is founder/CEO of Ascot Technologies, Inc., an award-winning company which develops enterprise applications using mobile data delivery technologies. She held technical and management positions in IBM, in research and development of commercial products which span hardware, software, system integration and services.

She served on the IEEE Board of Directors as IEEE Treasurer, IEEE Vice President of MGA, R3 Director, and served as IEEE WIE Committee Chair. She created/developed the IEEE MOVE International Community Outreach Program for Disaster Relief and STEM education. She received the IEEE Haraden Pratt Award. She was named a top “Woman In Business” in the Research Triangle North Carolina area and made Business Leader Magazine’s “Impact 100” List. For more information about this candidate, please visit this website.

S. K. Ramesh

(Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors)
Director SfS2 (SECURE for Student Success) Program
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
California State University (CSU), Northridge
Northridge, California, USA

My top priority as a candidate for IEEE President-Elect, is to serve our members and empower our global technical communities to create and advance technologies that can solve our greatest challenges. Our members value local activities that emphasize our mission and values. IEEE’s timeless mission enables members to become engaged volunteers, and transforms volunteers into leaders. With over four decades of IEEE service, I offer leadership that inspires others to believe and enable that belief to become reality. Access and Equity are fundamental to Inclusion!

“Engagement” is the key and my three strategic areas of focus are Members, Volunteers, and Industry:

• Broaden and strengthen participation of Students, YP’s and Women in Engineering through programs like the IEEE Learning Network (ILN);
• Establish an IEEE wide volunteer academy program to improve cross-regional collaboration and better engagement between Chapters and Sections;
• Transform conferences and publications to make them more relevant to industry professionals.

SPS’ focus on collaboration and engagement is a shining exemplar, helping improve careers and professional value for a record 23,000 members. SPS’ SigPort, Education Center and Instructor’s vault, and innovative programs like SPS Ambassadors, Student Congress, Scholarships, Job Fairs, and Micro mentoring, are vital to recruit and retain members, considering that 28% of SPS members are YP’s, and 11% belong to WIE. ICASSP 2025, SPS’ flagship 50th anniversary conference, is poised to break the 2024 record of over 4,400 attendees. The ‘Deepfake detection in the Wild’ (DFWild-Cup) competition at ICASSP 25 underscores IEEE’s role as a trusted source of information, emphasizing diversity in real-world scenarios.

Our members are the heart and soul of IEEE and create enormous value for IEEE through their contributions. Let’s work together as ‘one IEEE’ to attract, retain, and serve our diverse global members. Thanks for your support. For more information about this candidate, please visit this website.

John P. Verboncoeur
(Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors)
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, USA

John Verboncoeur, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Michigan State University’s College of Engineering, is a visionary transformational leader through consensus stakeholdership. While serving over 20 years as a chairperson and associate dean, I lead one of the top plasma simulation groups in the world with over 500 refereed publications and over 40 junior researchers mentored. I earned a PhD from University of California-Berkeley in nuclear engineering, where I served on the faculty after two years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Innovation. At UC-Berkeley, I founded and chaired the pioneering Computational Engineering Science program. In 2011, I moved to MSU where I co-founded the pioneering Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering Department. I also led several startups, producing IP you may use including the yellow US Post Office mail forwarding labels, digital fitness software, web-based health software, as well as the consumer credit report for a Big-Three credit agency.

Experience. Serving as IEEE VP-Technical Activities (2023), Acting VP-Publications Products and Services (2020), Division IV Director (2019-2020) and President of the Nuclear and Plasma Science Society (2015-2016, currently FinCom co-chair) along with numerous committees across IEEE, I understand IEEE deeply, from governance to the business model. My priorities include:

• People: provide world-class value to members from diverse backgrounds, while attracting working engineers/technologists/technicians, as well as tech-investors, ethicists, policy-makers and media.
• Products: about 80% of IEEE revenue comes from our core conference and publications businesses. Standards, professional development and credentials are also key. Modern tools such as AI enhancements to products such as Xplore maintain our competitive advantage.
• Programs: lead with impact in climate change/sustainability, SmartAg, AI and electrification. I have spent five years building the infrastructure for financially scalable/sustainable integrated One-IEEE programs, including TC2.0 and Local Groups.

I hope to earn your support. For more information about this candidate, please visit this website.

IEEE Division IX Director-Elect Candidates

Cristina Olaverri-Monreal
(Nominated by IEEE Division IX)
University Professor
Head Intelligent Transportation Systems Department
Johannes Kepler University
Linz, Austria

Interconnected Technologies: The Synergies of Signal Processing and Intelligent Transport Systems

In today's interconnected world, communication systems and networks, cloud and mobile computing, wearable devices, and autonomous driving collectively enable advanced data extraction, behavior analysis, and predictive solutions. These technologies, which pertain to both Signal Processing (SP) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), enhance individual experiences and contribute to the well-being and efficient functioning of society by improving systems, operations, and activities in areas such as public transportation, healthcare, education, infrastructure, communication networks, and other community services.

These innovations make it possible to extract valuable patterns and predict behaviors in mobile environments. For example, in a road context, they can be used for drowsiness detection and warning, thanks to a multi-modular system of sensors that gather information about the vehicle's surroundings and interior. Computer vision further enhances perception in this context by enabling the interpretation of visual data, ensuring safer and more efficient driving experiences.

By highlighting the synergies between the SP and ITS societies, we can foster greater collaboration and innovation to advance technology for humanity. This collaboration builds a platform to introduce careers in these fields and offers networking opportunities with industry leaders. Engaging members in our societies' initiatives is essential to this mission. By participating in workshops, tutorials, and collaborative projects focused on signal processing and intelligent transportation systems, members contribute to the development and dissemination of cutting-edge technologies.

Therefore, I encourage all members of the SP and ITS societies to participate in these activities, which not only advance individual careers but also the entire field. Through active participation and support, we can collectively drive progress and innovation, and achieve significant technological advancements that benefit humanity and shape the future of intelligent transport systems and signal processing. For more information about this candidate, please visit this website.

Christopher J. Whitt
(Nominated by IEEE Division IX)
Principal Consultant
Whitt Consulting
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The IEEE Annual Election is upon us. Please consider voting for me to represent the Division IX Societies on the IEEE Board.

Division IX Societies have the incredible opportunity to lead IEEE in collaboration between Societies and lead impact for humanity at-large. We have strong conferences, journals and research output and engage many industry stakeholders across large technology fields. Research and industry continue to become more interdisciplinary. As Division IX Director, I will continue the work I began as the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society President to connect more of the activities and opportunities between the Societies in our Division. Stronger collaboration will bring more engagement and member value. Simultaneously, a Division Director must advocate for the best interest of the entire organization, and my track record of involvement across many Organizational Units shows that I have the perspective to balance members' needs across our Division and IEEE.

My commitment to IEEE dates to my undergraduate years when I served as a Student Branch Chair. Over the years, I have held various MGA roles and served as a Chapter Chair of my local SP-MTT joint chapter. I have attended flagship conferences of several Societies, including ICASSP. In my leadership roles, I advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and lead by example as I mentor new volunteers. This extensive experience has given me a deep understanding of each society's unique strengths, and I am committed to supporting and leveraging these strengths.

My optimism is my main asset. With diligent effort and capable teams, I believe we can continuously improve to increase member value and IEEE operational efficiency. As Division IX Director, I will harness this optimism to strengthen IEEE's ability to sustain itself as an organization and serve our members. I look forward to the opportunity to serve as Division Director. For more information about this candidate, please visit this website.