Introducing Our Speakers
Kenneth Foward
CEO
SALT Task Force
Session 1
Kenneth T. Forward is the owner of the SALT Task Force and a consultant and contract Program/Project Manager in the technology and utility industries. With more than 30 years of experience, including 23 years at PG&E, he has held leadership and engineering roles across multiple departments and contributed to over $1 billion in business outcomes. As a former DEIB Program Manager and co-founder of PG&E’s SALT Task Force, Kenneth has helped strengthen workplace inclusion, community engagement, and professional development. He currently serves as Chair of the MESA Industry Advisory Board and a board member for Junior Achievement of Northern California, while continuing to support others through mentoring and community involvement.
Mudassir Syed
Software Engineer
Autodesk Inc.
Session 1
Mudassir Syed is a Security Software Engineer at Autodesk Inc., where he focuses on security and privacy posture management and reviews threat models for business-critical applications. He is passionate about making cybersecurity more practical and accessible, particularly through hands-on learning and adversarial thinking. Mudassir created the AppSec Mindset Academy and has facilitated security workshops at conferences including BSides Chicago, BSides San Francisco, and BSides Tampa. Through his work and teaching, he helps students and professionals develop the skills to identify security risks and design more resilient software.
Angela Chen
Lead Quantum Engineer
Rigetti Computing
Session 1
Angela Q. Chen is a Lead Quantum Engineer at Rigetti Computing, where she studies interactions between superconducting qubits to improve quantum processor performance. She earned her PhD in condensed matter physics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before moving into quantum computing. Her experience in both academic and industrial research has shaped her view of quantum hardware development as a collaborative effort that brings together many areas of science and engineering.
Carlos Orozco Gonzalez
Electrical Engineer
Autodesk Inc.
Session 1
Carlos Orozco Gonzalez is an Electrical Engineer at Rigetti Computing, where he validates the signal paths that carry control signals into the company's quantum processors, from room-temperature electronics down to a chip colder than deep space. He also leads the lab's automation efforts, developing software used to control those processors. He earned his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis and joined Rigetti in 2021 as a technician before moving into his current engineering role.
David D’Amico
System Program Manager
Microsoft
Session 1
David began his academic journey at Mission College before transferring to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study aerospace engineering. Lalit Cal Poly, he served as an Aerospace Lead for Formula SAE and completed internships at General Atomics, Tesla, and Boeing. He later transferred to San Jose State University, where he earned his degree in Industrial and System of Engineering, served as President of the IISE student chapter, and Chaired the IISE Western Regional Conference. During his time at SJSU David interned at Apple and Microsoft before joining Microsoft full-time. His journey reflects the many paths a student can take to build a successful career in engineering.
Zeel Patel
Bigdata Engineering Manager
Amazon
Session 1
Zeel Patel brings more than 10 years of experience in cloud engineering, customer success, and engineering leadership, building high-performing teams that deliver exceptional customer success and drive meaningful business impact. She transforms teams through intentional mentorship, data-driven coaching, and empathetic leadership, cultivating cultures of ownership and continuous improvement. She leads services globally, influences product roadmaps, drives operational excellence, and champions responsible GenAI adoption to help teams scale faster. Beyond her core role, she serves on three engineering advisory boards alongside top industry leaders, redesigning curriculum, launching programs like SJSU's flagship Cloudathon, and turning academic partnerships into new business opportunities. She is proud of the teams she has built, the customer experiences she has transformed, and the innovations she has brought to life.
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Rushika Thandra
Senior Engineer, Data Center Engineering Connectivity Software
Marvell
Session 2
Rushika Thandra is a Senior Engineer on the Data Center Engineering Connectivity Software team at Marvell, where she works on firmware and software for high-speed connectivity chips used in AI and cloud data centers. She is passionate about showing people from all backgrounds the many paths into the semiconductor industry.
Jorjeta Jetcheva
Associate Professor & Chair & Director
Computer Engineering at San José State University
Session 2
Dr. Jorjeta Jetcheva is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Computer Engineering Department at San José State University. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and knowledge management. She leads a $2.5 million NSF S-STEM grant supporting student success and holds 45 U.S. patents. Before joining SJSU, she held research and leadership roles at Accenture, Fujitsu Laboratories, Itron, and Firetide. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Alex Wernli
PG&E
Session 2
Alex Wernli is Manager of Electric Substation Asset Strategy at PG&E and a licensed Professional Engineer with more than 15 years of utility industry experience. His background spans substation engineering, asset strategy, operations, and standards. Alex has led engineering and design teams responsible for substation infrastructure throughout California and brings deep expertise in electric substation assets and operations. He is a frequent guest at SJSU MESA, participating in resume and interview workshops.
Brandi Ransom
IBM
Session 2
As a Research Scientist at IBM, she generates, simulates and recommends novel molecules and materials for various applications, such as catalysts for plastic recycling and battery electrolyte additives. She has a PhD in materials science which gave me a strong background in data science and AI, quantum chemical simulations and classical computational methods, specifically combining them into high-throughput processes for data collection and evaluation. I really believe we should all be reducing our environmental impact and waste in our daily lives, I am a big secondhand shopper. And I also play tackle and flag football for the Golden State Storm.
Sudha Vijayakumar
Co-Founder
Generative Inspired
Session 2
Sudha Vijayakumar is the co-founder of Generative Inspired, which she started with an ex-FICO CTO. The company has grown from zero to serving 72 hospitals in Colorado and is expanding across all 50 states. A first-generation graduate from the island town of Rameshwaram, India, she earned a B.Tech in IT from the College of Engineering, Guindy, and an M.S. in Software Engineering from San José State University. She was a lead engineer at Caterpillar and an AI/ML research engineer at TigerGraph and Jumio Labs, and she holds two U.S. patents in fraud detection / knowledge-graph AI. Her goal is to drive technological differentiation while building AI & Automation systems that people can trust: systems that are explainable, grounded and safe for customers. She is also a mom of two boys.
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Dr. Walter Alvarado
Biophysicist
NASA
Session 2
Dr. Walter Alvarado is a biophysicist at NASA Ames Research Center, specializing in space biosciences, artificial intelligence, and biosensor technology development. His research focuses on identifying biomarkers of space radiation exposure and applying machine learning to complex biological systems, with the goal of improving real-time health monitoring and developing protective strategies for astronauts on deep-space missions. He serves as Co-Lead of AI for Life in Space (AI4LS) and is a recipient of the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal.
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Sai Vennela Tipirneni
Career Club
Session 2
Hello! My name is Sai Vennela Tipirneni, and I am a fourth-year student studying Data Science at San José State University. I currently serve as the President of the Career Club at SJSU, where I enjoy creating opportunities for students to learn, connect, and grow. I am excited to lead the workshop at the CED Conference and share practical insights with fellow attendees! I look forward to speaking with you soon!
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Laksh Lavish Thakkar
RTL Design Engineer
Intel
Session 2
Laksh is an RTL Design Engineer at Intel Corporation with nearly 3.5 years of experience in digital hardware design. Returning to the SJSU campus as a guest speaker, he is excited to share the academic and professional milestones that shaped his journey into the semiconductor industry. Outside of engineering, Laksh describes himself as a table tennis rookie with the curiosity of an expert player, a traveler with a love for mild adventure, and a dedicated cafe explorer - though he confesses he mostly visits them just to order a Mocha or Vietnamese iced coffee (unless he's brewing a comforting cup of authentic ginger chai at home). A massive dog lover (having raised two so far), he frequently hits the pool for a swim, and enjoys sketching "once in a blue moon" when inspiration strikes.
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Smriti Jha
Associate Product Manager
Session 3
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By Day: Associate Product Manager on Google Maps
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SJSU History: Spring '26 Bachelors in CS grad; Involvements: Associated Students, Society of Women Engineers
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Off the Clock: Exploring new cultures (South Korea bound in December! )
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In My Session: What if failure isn't the opposite of success, but part of the equation? Learn how taking risks, embracing rejection, and getting 1% better every day can compound into opportunities you never imagined. Come say hi!
Sahiti Hibane
AI Sofware Engineer
Session 3
Sahiti Hibane is an AI Software Engineer and recent Software Engineering graduate from San José State University, with experience in web development, artificial intelligence, and cloud technologies. Sahiti has gained industry experience through technical programs with Google, IBM, and Raytheon. She has also held leadership roles in SJSU organizations, including serving as Executive Chair of the Software and Computer Engineering Society and President of Hoplite, a technical interview-preparation organization. In her current role, Sahiti develops and troubleshoots AI chatbot systems, focusing on AI safety, reliability, and accuracy using technologies such as Java/Spring Boot, RAG, and AI guardrails. She is passionate about building practical technology solutions and helping students grow their skills and confidence as they navigate their careers.
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Inyong Kim
Vice President of People
Autodesk
Session 3
Inyong Kim is the Vice President of People at Autodesk, a global leader in design and make software. She leads the HR Business Partner team for Product, Platform and Corporate Functions. In this role, she drives strategic people initiatives that empower Autodesk’s global organizations worldwide. With more than two decades of HR leadership experience across industries, Inyong hasplayed a pivotal role in driving organizational growth and transformation. Prior to joining Autodesk, she served as Vice President of Employee Experience at Adobe and held HR leadership positions at Yahoo!, VMware, and Interwoven. Recognized for her ability to navigate complex organizational landscapes, Inyong excels in developing top talent, building high-performing teams, transforming organizations, and executing enterprise-wide initiatives with strategic vision. She is passionate about fostering inclusive, agile workplaces that drive both business outcomes and people's success. Inyong holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management from San Jose State University.
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Joseph Doyle
Senior Director of Information Security Engineering
Autodesk
Session 3
Joseph Doyle is Senior Director of Information Security Engineering at Autodesk, where he leads Security Engineering and helps drive responsible AI adoption across the enterprise. His globally distributed teams secure critical areas including identity and access management, data, cloud, network, endpoint, and SaaS application security. Before Autodesk, Joseph held senior security leadership roles at Okta, Rubrik, Illumio, and In-Q-Tel, with earlier experience at NASA Ames Research Center. He holds a CISSP and a degree from San José State University. Outside of work, Joseph manages an adult men’s baseball team and lives near Santa Cruz with his family.
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Monique Michel
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Session 3
Monique Michel is an emerging talent and early-career specialist, Talent Acquisition leader, and Learning & Development (L&D) strategist driving global recruitment operations and enablement initiatives for companies and organizations. With a strong track record of designing scalable training frameworks, manager enablement toolkits, and structured mentor systems across tech industry leaders like Veritas Technologies, F5, and Juniper Networks, Monique is passionate about bridging business strategy with human capital execution. Certified in Lean Six Sigma White Belt and Project Management, she specializes in equipping emerging professionals with actionable career skills, interview preparation, and standout personal brands. As the former HR Chair for the San Jose State University Young Alumni Association, a 2024 Outstanding SHRM Alumni Award recipient, and an active career coach, she is dedicated to designing dynamic learning experiences that empower the next generation of talent.
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Karen Pham
First Solar
Session 3
I'm an associate engineer at First Solar's R&D site in Santa Clara. I got my mechanical engineer degree at SJSU in 2023 and was the sponsorship co-chair for CED for the 2022 and 2023 conferences. I currently work on the operations team as the lead manager and occasionally lab manager duties.
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Max Rothe
Inquis Medical
Session 3
I am an R&D Mechanical Engineer working for Inquis Medical, a StartUp medical device company. I got both my undergraduate degree (Mechanical Engineering, 2023) and graduate degree (Innovation, 2025) from SJSU. I was formally involved with MESA and CED and still support the SJSU SpartUp Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship.
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Melinda Mendolla
Applied Materials
Session 3
Melinda Danielle Mendolla, a native of San José, graduated from San José State University in 2012 with a Bachelors of Science in chemical engineering. Melinda transferred to San José State in 2008 and quickly joined the MESA Engineering Program (MEP), and other STEM organizations such as Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists (SOLES), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She is a former president and counselor of San Jose State’s SWE Section. Melinda also served on the MEP Industry Advisory Board for multiple years as a student and professional. Melinda has planned outreach events like SWE’s "Wow! That’s Engineering" event, where she encouraged the high school girls to pursue engineering by showing them that engineering both hard work and a lot of fun! At San Jose State Melinda was selected to participate in Global Technology Initiative (GTI) where the College of Engineering sent Melinda and 16 other engineering students on an all-expense paid study tour of China & Taiwan to learn about Chinese business and culture.
As a student, Melinda was awarded a Women in Engineering scholarship from Applied Materials for her dedication to the success of women in engineering which she continues to pursue as a professional. Melinda became a hiring manager just three years after graduation and her first team she hired was 70% SJSU students and alum and 34% female. Melinda is currently at Applied Materials supporting multiple business units as a product safety engineer. However she remains dedicated to supporting students at San Jose State University, building effective partnerships with MESA, SOLES, SWE, and SHPEtinas in her role as Business Impact Lead for the Women’s Professional Development Network within Applied.Melinda’s son, Mateo, grew up in the halls of the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering and she now has two more children, Mila and Lila that keep her busy! She loves spending time with her family, especially while traveling the world. Melinda hopes to remain a great leader and role model for her children and her community.