Chief Strategy Officer Roundtable: Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and a Special Event in Partnership with NYU
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New technologies will change how we approach strategy.
There are multitude of technologies, both emerging and maturing, that will have a significant impact on corporate strategy. On March 2 and 3, 2023, the Outthinker Strategy Network will convene heads of strategy to explore how emerging technologies will impact strategy – both from the standpoint of the strategy role itself as well as organizational opportunities and practical actions that leverage this new technology to create new business, products, competitive advantages, and growth.
(March 2) Michael Schrage of MIT will lead a hands on workshop on how recent advances in artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT) will impact industry, organizations, and how strategy executives can be prepared to compete in the future and leverage this technology to improve how they perform their duties.
(March 2) Erica Orange of The Future Hunters will present and lead a roundtable discussion about how socio-political trends, tech advancement, and people/talent will collide to change the way we work. She will offer tools and frameworks to help individuals map out key capabilities, competencies, and build their own strategic roadmap for the future.
(March 3) In partnership with NYU, the members will have an immersive experience with emerging technologies related to the metaverse including AR, VR, and blockchain technologies. Hear from panels and engage in discussion about the current state of the art, what the future holds, and where it can fit into your strategy. NYU will give advance access to yet to be published research and benchmarking tools that participants will have the opportunity to use and engage with.
Agenda – March 2, 2023
New York City
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Agenda – March 3, 2023
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8:00am-9:00am Breakfast and check-in
9:00am-10:00am Immersive technology experience
10:00am–10:45am Emerging tech theorist and practitioner keynote
10:45am–11:10am Coffee and networking break
11:10am– 11:30am Intro to NYU Metaverse Collaborative & Research
11:30am-12:45pm Adjusting to a new reality and visualizing possibilities (OSN member panel & group discussion)
12:50pm-2:00pm Lunch and Networking
10:30am-11:00am Check in
11:00am-1:00pm AI & Strategy Workshop
1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
2:00pm-3:30pm Continuation of Artificial Intelligence and Strategy Workshop
3:30pm-5:00pm When technology collides with people and work Roundtable with Erica Orange
5:00pm-6:00pm Reception
*Final agendas are being finalized and subject to change
Artificial Intelligence Workshop for Chief Strategy Officers with MIT’s Michael Schrage and Patrick Hebron (March 2)
Michael Schrage
Visiting Fellow in the Imperial College Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Researcher at MIT
Michael Schrage
A research fellow with MIT Sloan School's Initiative on the Digital Economy, Michael Schrage’s research, writing and advisory work focuses on the ‘behavioral economics’ of models, prototypes and metrics as strategic resources for managing ‘innovation risk’ and ‘CLV’ - customer lifetime value -opportunity. He is author of award-winning ’The Innovator’s Hypothesis’ [MIT Press 2014], ‘Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become?’ [Harvard Business Review Press 2012] and ‘Serious Play’ [Harvard Business Review Press 2000]. His most recent MIT Press book, ‘Recommendation Engines,’ was published Fall 2020 as part of its ‘Essential Knowledge’ series. He runs design workshops and executive education programs on innovation, experimentation and ’strategic measurement' for global organizations and start-ups alike.
Currently pioneering work in ‘selvesware’ technologies - he coined the word - Schrage’s design research looks to augment aspects, attributes and talents of productive individuals. Ongoing research efforts also examine the interplay of ’network effects’-driven innovation, such as recommender systems, and human capital creation for the enterprise. His work exploring the future of KPIs, digital ‘performance management’ dashboards and machine learning - in collaboration with Google, McKinsey, Deloitte and the Sloan Management Review – builds on that theme, i.e. what happens when 'essential metrics' become ’software agents.' He is particularly interested in the future co-evolution of ‘expertise,’ ‘advice' and human ‘agency’ as technologies become ‘smarter’ than the people using them.
Patrick Hebron
Vice President of Research & Development Stability AI
Patrick Hebron
As VP of R&D at Stability AI, I will be responsible for leading the development of generative AI technologies including neural architecture advancements, new training mechanisms and dataset creation tools as well as algorithmic aspects of user-facing interaction mechanisms for high-fidelity multimodal communication of user intent. The overall goal of this work is to enable developers and creatives to leverage generative AI in a variety of applied software development, creativity and productivity contexts.
2023 will be a watershed year for enterprise artificial intelligence application in a variety of ways – 1) the purpose of value creation in the form of new products and services and 2) the purpose of enhancing and updating the manner in which corporate strategy is formulated, monitored, and adjusted.
In this session, Michael Schrage of MIT will deliver a roundtable workshop where participants “roll up their sleeves” to understand the possibilities of how corporate strategy officers can leverage AI to create, value, conduct strategy, monitor progress, develop foresight and competitive advantage through their function.
In this interactive workshop, Michael Schrage of MIT and members will:
- Enhance understanding of Generative AI (ChatGPT, Dall-E 2, etc) and its possibilities
- Deepen understanding of Stable Diffusion technology and its possibilities
- Discuss how Generative AI and Stable Diffusion technologies could enhance or challenge the role of the CS
Erica Orange of The Future Hunters OSN Roundtable (March 2)
Erica Orange
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters
Erica Orange
Erica Orange is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. She analyzes emerging sociocultural, technological, economic, geopolitical and environmental trends – and identifies the strategic implications (the “So what?”) of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica’s ability to spot patterns, think critically, and translate that into actionable strategies is what has made her an asset to clients for over 15 years.
Erica frequently speaks to a wide range of global audiences about the macro trends that are shaping and impacting today’s landscape. She has spoken at TEDx and keynoted over 150 conferences around the world, including across Europe, Latin America and Asia. She has authored numerous industry white papers on a variety of future-focused topics, and has been featured in news outlets including Forbes, NPR, Time, Inc, Yahoo Singapore, WWD, Bloomberg, and CBS This Morning. In 2020, she was named by Forbes as one of the world’s 50 Top Female Futurists.
A key skill high performing strategy executives need to thrive is the capacity to look at the future through a lens of objectivity- unbiased by their individual and organizational skills, expertise, experience, knowledge (or lack of knowledge).
The past decade has seen a transformation of the economy predicated on increasing levels of boundarylessness – whereby time, space, and industries are coming together and becoming more blurred. In this new economy, technologies that deliver Time, Trust, and Truth as a key part of the value proposition are having the greatest rate of success and impact (often enabling new products or businesses set to become the future core of the business).
In this roundtable, Erica Orange of the Future Hunters will present and lead a dialogue with members about:
- Key trends and drivers of the new time, trust, and truth business economy in which we operate
- How AI and automation technologies will disintermediate work and change the unique value propositions offered broadly by human workers as specifically as chief strategy officers
- Generational cohort temporal shrinkage: pace of technological change requires us to group new generational cohorts into 2-3 year spans and how it impacts strategy
- A brief look at disruptive technologies defining the future
- The New Leadership Toolkit, the “trust staircase”, and new organizational culture ways of working.
- The Competency Tree visual framework for yourself and the organization
The Metaverse and Emerging Technologies in partnership with the NYU School of Professional Studies Metaverse Collaborative (March 3)
In partnership with NYU School of Professional Studies and their Metaverse Collaborative, Outthinker Strategy Network Members will have the opportunity have an immersive experience with, learn about, problem solve, and engage in deep networking and dialogue about emerging technologies such as the metaverse, AR, VR, and beyond.
- Have an immersive experience with Web 3.0 technologies
- Get first access to new survey results and research into business implications of metatverse technology and the opportunity to benchmark yourself against others and influence new research.
- Learn how technological, talent, and legal environments are adjusting and will change
- Engage with three peer OSN members who are “deep in the weeds” in this new technology- what is/will be possible, the questions you should be asking, and how you might navigate forward.
Outthinker Strategy Network Attendees
Alok Agrawal
Alok K. Agrawal is an executive with over fifteen years of finance experience in industrial and technology companies. He is proficient in developing and executing organic and inorganic strategies, grounded by experience running a P&L and performing operations turnarounds. He has substantial international exposure, including long-term assignments in Europe and Asia.
Alok is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Celestica, a $6 billion services company focused on the industrial and technology markets. He is a member of a seven-person Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and reports directly to the CEO.
He recently held leadership positions with global responsibility for strategy and corporate development at Federal-Mogul and Meritor, both multi-billion dollar automotive suppliers. Previously, Alok worked in Johnson Controls' automotive businesses (now Adient) leading strategy development and executing transformation projects, including the turnaround of the interiors business. His assignments included 18 months in China with the Yanfeng Automotive Interiors joint venture and ownership of a $100 million product line P&L.
Earlier, he worked at Kearney as a consultant, primarily on growth strategy and product management engagements. Alok began his career as a powertrain engineer at Ford Motor Company. He received his M.S. and B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. in strategy and finance from the Ross School of Business.
Alpa Sutaria
Ayman Hamid
An experienced executive with a demonstrated history, Ayman is known as a thought leader on strategic delivery, culture, & team building. Coupled with his expansive experience in the staffing and workforce management industry, as college All-America & former pro athlete, he leverages the discipline and competitive spirit he learned, to build and lead high-performance teams that deliver great results through operational excellence and innovative solutions to their clients and the business. He is a published author, holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from California State University-Bakersfield and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Ben Clark
Ben Clark became the SVP and CSO of Expeditors in January 2020. Prior to that, he served as Expeditor’s SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, since joining Expeditors in February, 2015. Before Expeditors, he was the EVP and General Counsel of the Dematic Group, a materials automation company, and the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Celanese Corp, a chemicals and engineered materials manufacturer. Before Celanese Ben held a variety of positions within the Honeywell Aerospace division, culminating as their Vice President and General Counsel of Global Operations.
Ben is a Six Sigma black belt and a life-long learner. His current hobbies include skiing, diving, math, and learning how to boat and play piano.
Cheryl Lebens
As vice president, chief risk and strategy officer, Cheryl Lebens is responsible for leading the development of the enterprise’s corporate strategy as well as the risk management and corporate development functions. With 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Cheryl has held a variety of roles in finance, corporate strategy, sales, and marketing at Nationwide Insurance and Safeco Insurance prior to joining Grange in 2012.
Chris Huff
In his role as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Chris defines the company’s Vision, Growth Goals and Execution Strategies that drive cross functional alignment. He has responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Technology Innovation, Customer Experience, Ecosystem Alliances and Marketing. Prior to Kofax, Chris spent five years at Deloitte Consulting leading the U.S. Public Sector Robotics and Cognitive Automation practice, seven years as a CEO of a B2C start-up and twenty years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Finance Officer.
Claudio Garcia
Claudio is President of Outthinker Strategy Networks, a global network of strategy executives from large organizations the are committed to staying ahead of the pace of change.
Before joining Outthinker, Claudio was Executive Vice Presidency for Strategy and Corporate Development at Lee Hecht Harrison, where he was responsible for the expansion and innovation of the company with operations in more than 60 countries. Prior to this role, he was LHH’s President of Latin America where he helped solve critical business challenges and personally supported dozens of complex transformation projects for large client organizations. During his tenure leading strategy LHH, Claudio was a member of the Outthinker Strategy Network.
Claudio has experience across a variety of industries, including food and beverage, entertainment, and media and communications. In addition to his role at Outthinker, Claudio is a board member and teaches Global Management and International Human Resources Management at New York University’s School of Professional Studies.
Devang Parikh
Devang Parikh is the Head of Strategy and Operations responsible for establishing and leading a strategy and operations group across global Precision Medicine and Clinical Research. Overseeing day-to-day department operations, strategic planning, alliance management, project management, business development and finance, Devang is also a core member of the Precision Medicine and Global Clinical Leadership Teams and numerous alliance steering committees.
A dynamic and entrepreneurial senior executive with over 17 years of achievement in the life science industry. Devang excels at strategic planning, operations management, business development, process improvement, organizational design, and leading people.
Prior to joining Pfizer he was a consultant for PA Consulting Group.
He has a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, a MSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA in Healthcare from the Yale School of Management.
Elisabeth Moore
Elisabeth is responsible for developing strategies others become passionate about and for working for executive leadership to guide the organization through times of hyper growth and profitability - balancing challenging the status quo while staying true to the company's core values and entrepreneurial roots.
Elisabeth is a member of our Growth Mid-Market cohort. She brings more than 10 years of experience understanding business needs through the lens of market insights and internal #businessintelligence and translating that into tangible results. Her background in M&A and finance coupled with engaging the organization to think critically about the future blends into a unique, CX/EX data-driven and emotionally intelligent approach to strategy development.
She also leads the organization's Emerging Business group that helps support #innovation and launching up-and-coming businesses within the firm.
Eric Goldstein
Prior to joining JPMorgan, Mr. Goldstein was a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice. While at McKinsey, Mr. Goldstein advised insurance companies and banks on both strategic and operational issues. Mr. Goldstein received his JD degree from Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from Harvard University.
James Malick
James Malick is Global Head of Corporate Development & Strategy for Millennium Management and is responsible for driving new growth initiatives across the firm from a business development lens. He previously built and ran several functions in a deputy COO capacity including enterprise data analytics, Project Execution, Trading Services, Operational Risk and Branding & Communications. He chairs the Firm’s Operational Risk Committee and Co-Chairs the Business Continuity Management Committee.
Jason Ginsberg
Jason Ginsberg joins OSN, having recently come on board at Zoetis as the Head of Global Strategy. His career up to this point has been in strategy / management consulting, starting at Capgemini and then spending the last ~6.5 years at BCG, all focused on healthcare (biopharma and MedTech) and spanning Manufacturing & supply to Commercial. Jason brings a passion challenging the status quo and thinking outside the box. In his spare time, Jason is an avid reader, a big New York sports fan, and a middling golfer. Jason is based in New York, has a BSE in Materials Science from UPenn and an MBA from Chicago Booth.
Kaihan Krippendorff
Dr. Kaihan Krippendorff is the founder of Outthinker, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant and author of five business strategy books, most recently Driving Innovation from Within. A sought-after keynote speaker, recognized expert and popular blogger on the topics of business strategy, innovation, growth, and transformation, Kaihan is helping a growing cadre of leading companies and corporations such as Microsoft, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, TIAA-CREF and BNY Mellon prepare themselves to compete in a digital, agile, purpose-driven future.
Kaihan is a member of the prestigious Thinkers50 radar group – A global selection of the top 30 management thinkers in the world to follow. He was also shortlisted by Thinkers50 for a Distinguished Achievement Award in Innovation – awarded to the person in the world that has contributed the most to the world’s understanding of innovation in the past two years. Kaihan is currently ranked the Thinkers360 #1 Global Innovation Thought Leader and the Thinkers360 #1 Global Business Strategy Thought Leader.
Amidst his dizzying schedule of keynote speeches, consulting projects, ongoing research and writing, Kaihan still finds time to teach at business schools throughout the US and internationally. Regularly featured in major business media outlets Kaihan is an advisory board member for a blockchain-powered transportation platform, an international food processing/exporting company, and a B-corporation focused on sustainable products and lifestyle.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Management & Technology Program, Kaihan has spent more than a decade studying the intersection of language, technology, and innovation to drive competitive advantage. He earned his BS in finance from Wharton Business School, BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, MBA from Columbia Business School, and Doctorate of Science in Economics from Abo Akademi.
Kalina Nikolova
Our world is experiencing an unprecedented magnitude and pace of change. People and organizations are stressed and fearful, but also empowered by new technologies and looking to reinvent for the future.
Kalina Nikolova believes that the future brings exponential growth. Increasing returns are unlocked when people and organizations are enabled to work with passion and purpose - while leveraging the new technologies to reinvent business models. For over two decades Kalina has been working as a navigator plotting the course for companies to work better today, and prepare for the future: from Saatchi & Saatchi where she led Zenith Media in Eastern Europe to Deloitte where she consulted clients like S&P, McGraw-Hill, Meredith Publishing, and Cablevision, as EVP of Strategy at Viacom Ad Sales and now as VP of Business Operations and Strategy at Yahoo.
Kalina's approach to strategy and transformation is centered on human potential and building collaborations across internal silos, and among unlikely partners in ecosystems. It is informed by deep understanding of technological, business and societal changes. Igniting innovation and energizing culture and diversity, Kalina creates the playbooks that empower people and organizations to unlock potential with purpose.
Ken Eng
Ken Eng is the Senior Vice President, Group Strategy and M&A for Macmillan and Holtbrinck. Since 2007 he has led strategic planning, mergers & acquisitions, investments, alliances and incubation initially in its North American division and in recent years as a member of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group (Macmillan’s holding company). Prior to Macmillan and Holtbrinck, Ken held various leadership roles in business development, product development, marketing, and operations at prominent media companies including McGraw-Hill/BusinessWeek, Nielsen Business Media, and Universal Media. Throughout his career, Ken has been instrumental in helping organizations to navigate market turbulence and to innovate digitally. In his free time, Ken mentors digital entrepreneurs in education, publishing, and media.
Konstanty Owczarek
Experienced professional with background across multiple industries with focus on strategy and business development.
Prasad Padman
Prasad Padman has twenty plus years of experience in energy, industrial, aerospace, defense, and medical end markets. He is experienced in leading strategic planning, business development, and business transformation for large global corporations.
He has been exposed to diverse work cultures, having lived and worked in several countries, including India, China, Singapore, and the USA.
He currently acts as the chief advisor to the CEO in making critical business choices, including Organization Design, Business Portfolio, M&A, and Resource Allocation decisions. He also works closely with the executive management and the board of directors in communicating and driving key strategic change initiatives:
- Digital Transformation
- Growth beyond the core (Innovation, Lean Startup and New Ventures)
- Profit from the core (simplify matured complex businesses to drive market share growth and improved profitability).
Rich Haas
Rich Haas is the Global Leader for Business Model Innovation at Kyndryl. In this capacity, he leads a team focused on developing and launching innovative business models that drive value for customers, partners, and Kyndryl through new value propositions and operating modes – working across the Kyndryl organization and ecosystem.
Prior to this role, Rich served as Vice President of Strategy and Transformation for Global Technology Services (GTS) at IBM. He supported the creation and evolution of GTS’ strategic direction and business model – shaped by market and competitive dynamics, impacts of new technologies, and business capabilities. His activities covered both Infrastructure Services and Technology Support Services.
Rich joined IBM in 2003 in Global Business Services. He started as a consultant to Financial Services clients, helping them with their business and product strategies, as part of the Strategy & Change practice. He eventually moved to a role as a Strategy advisor for the North America Financial Services Sector, where he helped formulate both near- and long-term strategic actions to address emerging areas of competition, support execution of operational initiatives, and align unit strategy to overall IBM strategy.
Tess Caputo
Tess Caputo joined Zoetis in 2020 and is currently VP US Strategy, Digital and Analytics. In this role, Tess oversees several strategic insights functions, including strategic pricing, business analytics, market research, digital products, and strategy. Tess was previously the Head of Corporate Strategy at Zoetis. Prior to Zoetis, Tess spent seven years at the Boston Consulting Group. As a core member of BCG’s team serving biopharma and biotech clients, Tess gained experience in corporate strategy, transaction, brand strategy and transformation topics. Prior to BCG, Tess worked for Capgemini Consulting. Tess has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.
Todd Shriber
Todd is a member of the U.S. Insurance & Retirement (USIR) senior leadership team where he is responsible for strategy development, market intelligence, and strategic initiatives for USIR and its businesses, including Retirement Strategies, Individual Life, Group Insurance and Retail Advice & Solutions.
Prior to joining Prudential in 2012, Todd was with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB), where he served as Managing Director & Business Head for Annuities and Insurance. During 11 years at MSSB and its predecessor firm, Smith Barney, Todd held several other positions including Managing Director & Global Business Head, Global Stock Plan Services. Todd also served as head of Corporate Development for Global Securities Services at Citigroup, and as a Senior Engagement Manager in the Strategic Change Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University and an MBA, with concentrations in finance and marketing, from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder.
Tom Gallo
Roopa Unnikrishnan
Roopa is SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development for IDEX. She is responsible for leading enterprise strategy and the corporate development (M&A) function. In this role, she helps to build strategy and business development capabilities for IDEX. Roopa has more than 20 years of corporate strategy experience across a variety of industries, through a mix of consulting roles and corporate leadership positions. Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer for Vontier, a global industrial manufacturing company focused on smarter transportation and mobility. Previous strategy positions have included roles with Harman International, Citi, BlackRock, and Katzenbach Partners – which was formed by past members of McKinsey & Co. consulting. At Pfizer she also stepped outside her traditional strategy and innovation roles to lead the Talent and Organization capability for the pharmaceutical division. She often serves as a professional coach and is the author of the book, “The Career Catapult.”
Ying McPherson
Ying has over 15 years of experience in financial analysis and commercial analytics and oversees the strategy development and execution activities for the company. Ying also leads our analytics, resource planning, and corporate marketing functions. Previously Ying was Vice President of Operational Finance and responsible for strategic pricing and planning. Prior to Unifi, Ying held several leadership positions at WestRock, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, supply chain optimization and commercial analytics. Ying started her career at Price Waterhouse Coopers in audit and spent the next 7 years in investment banking with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (now Truist) and a boutique M&A shop (now Citizens M&A Advisory).
Ying was elected winner of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 and earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
Outthinker Intrapreneurial Network Attendees
Adam Field
Adam is currently SVP, Technology Strategy and Experience at Kofax where he is responsible for leading product strategy which drives innovation, vision, market analysis, forecasting, and overall success of four different go-to-market areas, focusing on artificial intelligence, cloud, and customer experience. He has previously held roles in engineering, sales, marketing, product development, and client experience at organizations such as Pegasystems, Staples, Sapient, and Fidelity Investments. He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.
Darcy Dement
Darcy Dement is Senior Director of Technologies Platform Management at NI. She has held several positions in general management, business leadership, and product management and has experience in starting up, scaling up, and turning around organizations. She applies her passion for resolving our global challenges through science and technology as an advisor to B2B startups. She is multilingual with experience working and living in the US and Europe.
Laura Devoni
My name is Laura Devoni. I am Director, Business Analytics and Government Affairs for Algoma Steel Inc. I have worked with Algoma since 2004 and am currently responsible for Algoma’s
government affairs activities, marketing and market development activites and trade matters. Since joining Algoma I have represented the company’s trade and public policy interests as a member of the Trade and Public Policy Committee and Climate Committee of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, and through participation in other select committees and organizations with focus on international trade, manufacturing and the global steel industry.
Naghmeh Heil
Naghmeh Heil works as a Group Strategy Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst at Macmillan, which is a Publishing company with an estimated 655 employees; They are part of the Mergers & Acquisitions team within the Finance Department
Travis White
Travis White is the Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development at NI. Prior to corporate strategy, he’s held key leadership positions in NI’s semiconductor business unit and product management organization as well as management positions in engineering, applications, and technical marketing. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.
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