Current UW Applied Computing Advisory Board Members
The online Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing is supported by an advisory board consisting of 8 to 12 representatives from the industry who serve as advisors, ambassadors, and referral agents to the program.
The advisory board meets bi-annually, and members provide constructive feedback regarding changes in the industry and how those changes affect program graduates. The meetings ensure the program and curriculum stays relevant to trends in applied computing. Board members are also asked to host students working on capstone projects, and create smooth school-to-work transitions, so that as students graduate from the program they will move to gainful employment.
The advisory board provides recognized leaders in the field with a unique opportunity to further shape the program and applied computing profession. Learn more about the Advisory Board Member Responsibilities and Advisory Board Guidelines.
If you’re interested in joining the advisory board, please complete the Advisory Board Member Questionnaire for consideration. We’ll be in touch after submission regarding next steps.
Kaitlyn Bymers, Manager of IS PMO, UW Health. Bymers has been with UW Health for over 17 years, working to improve patient care through the use of technology. She is responsible for a team of project managers who lead cross functional teams (including Enterprise Analytics and Applied Data Science) to deliver value for patients and staff. Analytics and data informed decisions are a crucial part to the success of the work her teams do, and she’s committed to developing staff in these areas. Bymers has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Business from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, as well as a Master’s Degree in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.
Vinny Carpenter, Vice President of Cloud and DevOps Engineering, Northwestern Mutual. Carpenter has 30 years of experience and substantial success in directing enterprise-wide software development, engineering, and architecture efforts in education, manufacturing, financial services, and investment management. Carpenter has worked for large global multinationals to small entrepreneurial companies. He graduated from Marquette University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering.
Fulton “Derrick” Edwards, President and Chief Technical Officer, AGS Systems. Derrick Edwards has over 35 years’ experience in the commercial software development, consulting, and data analysis industry. He received his Undergraduate Degree in Software Systems Design from the University of Alabama and his Master of Science in Computer Science from UW River Falls. At UW System he has worked on the UWRF Innovation Challenge, Innovator-in-Residence, and Bridgeway Scholars programs. He is a PADI certified Master Scuba Diver and photography enthusiast with an interest in shipwreck photogrammetry.
Karthikeyan Ilangovan. Karthikeyan is a Data Analytics technology leader with 15 years of experience driving Analytics & Business Intelligence transformations within Fortune 500 firms, including Capital One, Altice, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Neiman Marcus, enabling them to become data-driven powerhouses. His expertise lies in modernizing Analytics & BI infrastructure, democratizing data analytics, automating analytics processes, fostering innovation, and delivering strategic Bespoke Analytics Insights at the enterprise level. Outside the corporate world, he is committed to giving back to society and currently serves as the Board Member and Technology & Research Director at ESAL, empowering STEM professionals to engage actively with local communities and shape government policies. He also serves as the Big Data Framework Ambassador and partners with the Dallas Innovation Advisory Council, Harvard Business Review Council, 3AI, IEEE, IET, and several other technology & research communities.
Niti Jain, Software Engineer, Salesforce. Jain graduated from Texas A&M University with a masters in computer science. She has six years of experience as a software engineer. At Salesforce, she works in the Identity space focused on authorization and authentication at scale across Salesforce’s ecosystem. Her interest lies in the area of distributed systems, identity and machine learning.
Daniel Meighen, Senior Programmer Analyst, City of Green Bay. Daniel Meighen graduated from UW–Green Bay with a degree in Computer Science and from UW–Stout with a Master’s in Information and Communication Technology. As a Senior Programmer Analyst his primary focus is enterprise business analysis and full-stack development solutions. Much of his work has included financial systems, GIS development and integration, document management systems, workflow automation, and third-party software integrations. He also teaches courses for Rasmussen University’s School of Technology and has contributed to curriculum development.
Joe Pfiffner, Director of Information Technology, Sentry Insurance. Pfiffner graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in Management Information Systems and has his Master’s in Business Administration from UW–Whitewater. He has worked for Sentry Insurance for 19 years, starting as a software developer, and has been Director of Software Development for the last 8 years. His IT focus has primarily been on application development in Java and .Net, and he is also responsible for imaging solutions, publishing systems, document management systems, shared service applications, print/mail/scanning operations, various vendor platforms, remittance processing, and support of legacy mainframe systems.
Carl Schweitzer, Senior Software Development Engineer, Microsoft. Schweitzer graduated from UW–Green Bay with a degree in computer science. As an engineer, he works with some of Microsoft’s largest partners, advising and enabling them to ship new products and features to the cloud even faster. Schweitzer has 2 decades of experience in manufacturing and over 10 years of experience in building IoT applications. In addition to his professional experience, he speaks at local and regional software engineering conferences, and assists with running the Northeast Wisconsin Developers User Group and the Milwaukee Code Camp. He also volunteers at his local high school teaching Computer Science.
Brandon Ward, Manager of Data Science and AI/Automation, UW Health. Ward is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In his current role, he works to manage a core group of data scientists and machine learning engineers, while driving forward machine learning, NLP, RPA and emerging technologies initiatives. Outside of work Ward enjoys spending time with his family, playing Rugby, and weightlifting.