Meet the 2026 Candidates: IEEE President-Elect and Division IX Director-Elect
The IEEE annual election runs from 17 August through 1 October. All ballots must be received by 12:00 noon ET (16:00 UTC-04). The IEEE Signal Processing Society is committed to helping members make informed decisions by providing clear information about the candidates. In this newsletter issue, we introduce the candidates for IEEE President-Elect and Division IX Director-Elect.
For more information about the candidates, please review the websites below:
A list of all 2026 elections and the candidates can be found here. Your vote counts: don’t forget to cast your ballot by 1 October!
Each candidate has provided us with a statement, which is noted below.
IEEE President-Elect Candidates
David Alan Koehler
(Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors)
Executive Advisor
Danovo Energy Solutions
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
It is my pleasure to provide this article outlining my top priorities as a candidate for 2027 IEEE President-Elect.
Expand our pre-university STEM outreach globally. We must grow the potential audience of our future customers, members, and volunteers. IEEE must offer easy to understand information about the incredible benefits of a STEM education to pre-university students globally. I plan on allocating additional resources for TryEngineering Together, while expanding the TryEngineering Summer Institute to be held at more universities throughout the world.
Student to Young Professional engagement and retention. We must engage our student members during their first few years of membership to increase retention rates. IEEE’s current retention rate for students is only 34% based on the May 2026 Membership Development Report. We need to make sure that our products, services, and messaging are tailored to each of these different member segments. I also plan on investing in our student branches globally to make sure they have the products and services necessary to further properly engage our student members worldwide.
Enhance our brand messaging and member benefits. Most people still think that IEEE is focused on academia and geared towards electrical engineering. We need to further collaborate with industry and make sure that all technologists globally know that IEEE can be their professional home. We need to expand our volunteer benefit and discount programs worldwide. These programs offered to our members need to be globally focused, not US focused.
One IEEE. Everyone has a role to play in our core mission of advancing technology for humanity. We need to improve volunteer and staff collaboration across our various organizational units and committees, while providing the necessary training and resources for our volunteers to be successful.
I humbly ask for your vote and support in the upcoming IEEE 2026 annual election cycle.
Manfred "Fred" J. Schindler
(Nominated by IEEE Board of Directors)
Consultant
Newtonville, Massachusetts, USA
It is my honor to stand as a candidate. I’ve served as a volunteer in many capacities throughout my career, including as 2024 IEEE VP Technical Activities. I encourage you to review my experience at candidates.ieee.org.
In my lifetime, our technologies have evolved from supplementing our lives to being central to almost everything we do. While we can celebrate our central role in this evolution, we cannot rest. The pace is only accelerating. As I think about future generations, the need to focus on our mission, to advance technology for the benefit of humanity, is obvious. This is not the time to be timid. We must be at the forefront of supporting advances, informing the public, making our positions heard.
We must also embrace technology, especially AI, in how we operate – in how we publish, convene, develop standards, manage our business. Instead of playing catch-up, we must embrace the spirit of innovation in all we do.
I value the proud traditions and heritage of societies like SPS. You’ve probably seen the OneIEEE slogan. To me, it speaks to collaboration. Our modern interdisciplinary world isn’t aligned with our historic boundaries. For example, I’ve worked on RF power amplifiers for decades. They were once standalone devices, but we can no longer develop a credible product without considering how the PA interacts with its signal processing. It’s not just the interdisciplinary nature of technology. We are best off addressing the rapid changes in the technical landscape together and supporting one another. To fulfill our great mission, we must collaborate across our societies and across IEEE.
Signal Processing was established in 1948 as the first IRE professional group. It has contributed greatly to our technology and to IEEE’s leadership. Let’s collaborate and move IEEE forward. Please vote. I would be honored by your support.
IEEE Division IX Director-Elect Candidates
Ana Perez-Neira
(Nominated by IEEE Division IX)
Full Professor
Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), and
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Barcelona, Spain
Connecting Strengths Across Division IX
IEEE Division IX brings the Signal Processing Society together with six outstanding Societies, each with its own identity, culture, and technical strengths. That diversity is one of our greatest assets. The Division IX Director must understand these communities, connect them where collaboration creates value, represent their perspectives within the Technical Activities Board (TAB) and the IEEE Board of Directors, and help IEEE prepare for future opportunities and challenges.
For members, a stronger Division IX means greater opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, learn from successful initiatives across IEEE, and ensure that the perspectives of the Signal Processing Society continue to help shape IEEE's future.
Throughout my IEEE career, I have learned that breakthrough innovation often emerges when different technical communities connect while preserving their own identity. My work spans signal processing, communications grounded in information theory, and applications in satellite, aerospace, vehicular, and remote sensing systems, naturally bridging several Division IX communities.
I believe sustainable leadership begins by making the best use of what we already have. Many of the solutions we need already exist within IEEE. By sharing successful practices, reducing duplication, and connecting people across Societies, we can address common challenges, create new opportunities, and deliver greater value to our members.
IEEE is entering a period of profound change driven by AI, evolving professional needs, and new publication models. Leading ICASSP through the pandemic and later through unprecedented growth taught me that successful transformation preserves what works, adapts what must change, and brings people together.
Division IX thrives when every Society preserves its identity, connects its strengths, and has its voice shaping IEEE's future together.
More information about my candidacy is available at: https://www.cttc.cat/people/ana-isabel-perez-neira/.
I would be honored to earn your support in the 2027 IEEE Division IX Director-Elect election.
Weihua Zhuang
(Nominated by IEEE Division IX)
University Professor, University Research Chair
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
It is both a great honor and a tremendous responsibility to stand as a candidate for IEEE Division IX Director-Elect. I am a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a former Tier-I Canada Research Chair (2010-2024). I am a Fellow of the IEEE and Royal Society of Canada, and have been an active IEEE volunteer for over 25 years. My IEEE service includes:
- Chair of TAB Periodicals Partnership Opportunities Committee, and member of IEEE Fellow Committee, TAB Periodicals Review and Advisory Committee, and Publication Services and Products Board;
- President, Vehicular Technology Society (2023-2024) - strengthened member engagement through expanded technical committees and standards initiatives, enhanced programs for young professionals, and launched $500K Student Scholarship Awards, contributing to membership growth of 20% (2023) and 22% (2024);
- Vice President, Publications, Vehicular Technology Society (2016-2021) - launched and grew the IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology, which earned its first Impact Factor in 2023 and ranked among IEEE’s top three open access journals;
- Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2007-2013) - elevated journal impact through increased submissions and citation growth, and received the 2013 VTS Outstanding Service Award.
I am committed to working closely with the Signal Processing Society and all other Division IX Societies to represent member priorities, identify strategic opportunities, and deliver impactful solutions for continued success. I will focus on
- Investing in innovative products and services that support lifelong career development, professional growth, and global recognition of members and volunteers;
- Strengthening collaboration among Division IX Societies to share best practices and enhance the quality, impact, and global reach of publications, conferences, and technical activities;
- Leveraging collective expertise to advance emerging technologies, accelerate standards development, and foster new cross-society platforms connecting academia and industry.
I respectfully request your support. Thank you!
