Don Stroberg leads wireless broadband strategic planning for Sprint Nextel. His responsibilities include identifying new product and services opportunities, partnerships and innovation efforts for Sprint Nextel’s 4G business unit. In his prior role as Vice President, Customer Experience, he developed corporate strategy for Nextel Communications. Before Sprint, Stroberg was with Deloitte Consulting and the New Aircraft Products Division of McDonnell Douglas.

Frank Ohrtman
President, WMX Systems, LLC

Frank Ohrtman has almost 20 years of experience in telecommunications and wireless applications. He is a former Navy Intelligence Officer (1981-1991) who is the President of WMX Systems, LLC, a Denver, Colorado-based consulting and systems integration firm. His wireless consulting clients include national governments, tier one telephone companies, school districts and WiMAX vendors.

Ohrtman is a Gerson Lehman Group Scholar and serves as Dean of WiMAX for Applied Learning Solutions. He is a regular blogger and contributor to WiMAX.com and annual presenter at WiMAX World as well as local Cisco Users Group. His extensive published list can be found on Amazon.com.

Dennis Roberson is an accomplished executive, educator and engineer with a strong semiconductor background and a proven track record in technology leadership and business management. Currently active in academia, government and the private sector, Roberson joined Zarlink’s Board in November 2004.

Roberson is Vice Provost, Executive Director and Research Professor with the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he is responsible for providing leadership for a new undergraduate business school focused on entrepreneurship and technology, as well as developing research centers and business ventures in association with public and private sector partners.

Previously, Roberson held Vice President and Chief Technical Officer positions with Motorola and NCR Corporation, and held senior executive positions with AT&T and Digital Equipment Corp. He spent 18 years with IBM in a variety of R&D roles, including director of IBM’s labs in Endicott, NY and Burlington, VT.

Roberson also serves on the FCC’s (Federal Communications Commission) Technology Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors for FIRST Robotics, and as a technology advisor to government agencies in Japan and Malaysia.

Floyd Alcorn is a Senior Manager at Cognizant and is responsible for providing direction and thought-leadership for services and offerings tailored for the wireless industry. Prior to joining Cognizant, he was Executive Director with Cingular Wireless.

At Cingular, his responsibilities included complete oversight for a team of 270 through 5 direct reports, and multiple applications throughout Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle branches. He is also known for numerous other accomplishments and achievements in the world of Wireless services and Telecom.

Suresh Borkar is a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. In addition to teaching advanced graduate courses in telecommunications, computers, and networking, he has developed several short and professional courses and presented tutorials and seminars in telecommunications and Broadband Wireless for students and industry.

Borkar served as an adjunct professor at IIT while he worked for AT&T/Lucent Technologies/Alcatel-Lucent for 26 years. He was responsible for several facets of product management, architecture, development, integration and testing, and customer management. He served as chief technology officer and head of Tata Lucent Telecom Joint Venture and Lucent India Inc. from 1997-2000 and was previously associated with Zenith Radio Corporation in Chicago, and Tata Electric R&D in Mumbai.

Parameswaran Ramanathan is a professor and chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at University of Wisconsin, Madison. His current research focuses on design and analysis of techniques for real time communication in computer networks especially in the areas of quality of service and scheduling. He has contributed to integrated real time and non real time communication in distributed computing systems. He is also published extensively on the area of fault tolerant computing. He is the recipient of several research grants from federal agencies including National Science Foundation and industries including AT&T and Chrysler Motor Corporation. Ramanathan received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

In February 2006, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Hardik Bhatt as Chief information Officer of the City of Chicago. He also serves as Commissioner of the Department of Business and Information Services (BIS), the municipal agency responsible for meeting the technology needs of 37,000 employees in 46 City departments.

Under Hardik’s tenure, BIS has become a major center within city government for innovation and private sector partnerships. He is leading the creation of the Community Wireless Broadband Network, a project that will leverage private partnerships to provide affordable high speed Internet access to all Chicago residents, businesses and community organizations. Prior to joining the City, he served as a consultant with Oracle Corporation and Tata Consulting Services.

Louise Hewitt
Director of IIT Online Technology Services

Louise Hewitt has more than 20 years of experience in planning and implementing technology-enhanced teaching and learning in higher education. She is a former employee of IBM, specializing in serving the technology needs in the engineering and scientific market, and with the State of Illinois as a senior research analyst.

Hewitt currently serves as Director of IIT Online Technology Services including microwave, videoconferencing, Internet-based streaming-video courses and programs, and is responsible for implementing and integrating new technologies such as WiMAX into the delivery of programs and courses.