Home | 2009 Gala | Partners and Sponsors | Newsletter | Calendar | Press Room | Contact

The Tech Awards Judges

Equality


Mark Aschheim, Chair
Professor of Civil Engineering
Santa Clara University

Mark Aschheim is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University. Previously, he was on the faculty of the University of Illinois, after receiving his doctoral, masters, and bachelor's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995, 1992, and 1986, respectively. Dr. Aschheim works in the area of earthquake-resistant structural engineering and green building materials. His research has produced improved techniques for the design of earthquake-resistant structures and improved structural systems for resisting earthquake actions. Dr. Aschheim has reported on the damage in past earthquakes in the US and abroad, and works to improve the practice of structural engineering through activities with the Applied Technology Council and participation on the Provisions Update Committee of the Building Seismic Safety Council. Dr. Aschheim is a registered professional engineer in California. Dr. Aschheim maintains a strong interest in performance-based earthquake engineering. He is developing techniques for performance-based seismic design and is developing improved structural systems made with conventional and more sustainable (green) building materials.

TOP top


Lester F. Goodchild, Ph.D.
Professor of Education
Director, Higher Education Program
and Higher Education Administration Emphasis
Santa Clara University

Dr. Goodchild is currently the Director of the Higher Education Program and Professor of Education. In the 2006-2007 academic year, he served as Dean of the School of Education, Counseling Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries. Prior to coming to Santa Clara, Dr. Goodchild was Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Professor of Higher Education. He also served as Interim Dean and Associate Professor of Education at the University of Denver. He began his academic career as Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Iowa State University and Director of Suburban Campuses at DePaul University in Chicago during the late 1980s. In addition, Dr. Goodchild has been a visiting professor or scholar at Penn State University, Boston College, and the University of California Berkeley.

His specialty is the study of higher education, with emphasis on its history, public policy, administration, and professional ethics, and recently organized and conducted a national workshop, the first Early Career Faculty Teaching Workshop, for the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs at the Association for the Study of Higher Education annual meeting in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Goodchild has a B.A. in Sociology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota; a M.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University; a M.Div. from St. Meinrad School of Theology in southern Indiana; and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

TOP top


Paul Meissner
President and CEO
Santur Corporation

Paul is an industry veteran with over 18 years of leadership experience in optics and semiconductors. He joins Santur from Coherent, where he most recently served as the EVP of Global Business Operations. Prior to that, Paul held several executive management and technology leadership positions at KLA-Tencor and Applied Materials. In addition, he advises entrepreneurs through the Global Social Benefit Incubator at Santa Clara University, and through the Digital Visions Program at Stanford University. Paul holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in materials science and engineering, and he obtained both his master's and doctorate degrees in materials science and engineering from Stanford University.

TOP top


Emile McAnany
Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. Professor of Communications
Santa Clara University

Before coming to Santa Clara in 1997, Dr. McAnany was Ben F. Love Professor at the University of Texas at Austin where he taught for seventeen years. Prior to that he taught in the Communication Department at Stanford University from 1972-78 where he earned his Ph.D. in communication in 1971. Dr. McAnany teaches in the areas of International Communication, Mass Communication, and Methodology. He has focused his research on the social and cultural impacts of various communication technologies in Third World countries, especially Latin America. Recent publications include Mass Media and Free Trade: NAFTA and the Cultural Industries (University of Texas Press, 1996) and a number of articles in communication journals in the U.S. and Latin America. Since 1995 he has been involved with colleagues in Austin and Brazil on a multiyear research project on the social impact of television on fertility transitions. He also continues work on the expansion of cultural industries internationally and cultural consequences for global audiences.

TOP top


John Woldrich
Former COO
Fair, Isaac & Co.

Fair, Isaac & Company is a case study in how to succeed against very long odds. The company pioneered the use of statistical evaluation systems to improve upon and radically change the way decisions were made for individuals by the Financial Services industry. Persuading companies to change methods that had been in use for centuries wasn't easy or accomplished quickly, but the result has been to have faster, fairer, and more abundant services in credit cards, personal loans, and insurance policies available today. John Woldrich was a key player in helping to grow Fair, Isaac from a very small, local company in the early 1970's to a leading international company today, with offices in Europe, Asia, and South America. Over a 28-year career with the company, John developed systems, served customers, created and managed operating units, and negotiated strategic alliances. As COO, he managed all of the companies operating units, including the credit, insurance, direct mail, and international business units, as well as a number of strategic alliances that he helped forge over the years. He was a member of Fair, Isaac's Board of Directors, as well as several subsidiary and joint venture companies. Now retired, John is still active as a director on the boards of InfoCentricity and Sunny Hills Children's Garden. He has an Electrical Engineering degree from Santa Clara University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

TOP top


Jeffrey P Baerwald, S.J., Ph.D
Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
Santa Clara University

Jeffrey Baerwald, S.J. joined the faculty at Santa Clara University in the Counseling Psychology Department in 2005 as an associate professor. Father Baerwald is a member of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. He entered the Jesuits in 1981 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1989. After a year of advanced theology studies at Berkeley, CA, he began his doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY. After the completion of his master's degree in Clinical Psychology, Baerwald studied for two years at Loyola University of Chicago Medical Center in the Department of Neurosurgery specializing in neuropsychology. He returned to Fordham University in 1997 to complete his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Baerwald has worked at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City as an intern and then at Cornell University Hospital in Manhattan as a post-doc in neuropsychology. Baerwald joined the faculty of Loyola College, Baltimore in 2000. During this time, he founded and served as clinical director of the Loyola Clinical Centers, a multidisciplinary ambulatory outpatient clinic serving the inner city of Baltimore. After completing his work at Loyola College, Baerwald now teaches the assessment sequence, neuropsychology and substance abuse courses.

TOP top


The Tech Museum Awards
The Tech Museum Awards The Tech Museum of Innovation