Daniel “Dan” Sui, an internationally renowned researcher in the area of GIS-based spatial analysis and modeling for urban, environmental, and public health applications, is Virginia Tech’s Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation and Chief Research and Innovation Officer. Sui is responsible for supporting and growing Virginia Tech’s research portfolio that encompasses almost 600 million in annual research expenditures. With university partners, Sui has identified areas of growth, called Research Frontiers, at the intersection of global technology and societal trends with Virginia Tech strength, organizational infrastructure, and prior investment. He oversees over 500 employees that support research development, administration, and infrastructure for all sponsored research funding for research, service, and education; as well as seven research institutes and two affiliated corporations, which together execute more than a quarter of the university’s sponsored research.

VT-ARC welcomes Justice (ret.) Elizabeth A. McClanahan to the Board of Directors. Elizabeth McClanahan has 35 years of legal experience, 19 years in the private sector representing energy companies, and 16 years serving in the judiciary on the appellate benches of Virginia. McClanahan recently took over as CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation. The foundation manages the university’s endowment, has an extensive real estate portfolio, and encourages economic development by fostering connections between Virginia Tech and numerous partners. Elizabeth served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia for a combined 16 years. Prior to being appointed to the bench, McClanahan served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Virginia, responsible for managing the daily legal operations of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. Elizabeth McClanahan also served as President and Dean of the Appalachian School of Law. She has served as an adjunct professor of finance and senior advisor to the dean in Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, the Williamson Fellow at the College of William and Mary Law School and taught at the Wake Forest School of Business and Accountancy. She chaired the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and has also served on the Board of Visitors for the College of William and Mary as vice-rector and the Board of Trustees for Emory & Henry College. McClanahan earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. She is admitted to the bar in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Reggie Brothers is a dynamic Chief Executive Officer with expertise in science and technology, business development, and innovative management in both the public and private sectors. Dr. Brothers is the CEO of BigBear.ai, a recognized leader in providing anticipatory intelligence and advanced data analytics to the defense, intelligence, and private sectors. Dr. Brothers has served as Executive Vice President and CTO of Peraton and as a principal with The Chertoff Group. He was the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research at the Department of Defense. Dr. Brothers received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lance R. Collins in 2020 was named the inaugural vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus planned in Alexandria, VA. Prior to that he served as the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University from 2010-2020 and the S. C. Thomas Sze Director of the Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from 2005-2010. In 2011, he was part of the team that successfully bid to partner with New York City to build Cornell Tech, which opened its Roosevelt Island campus in 2017. In his role as dean, Collins accelerated the college’s efforts in diversity, overseeing the increase in the proportion of underrepresented minority students from 8 to 19 percent, and the percentage of undergraduate women from 33 to 50 percent, more than twice the national average. For those efforts, he received the inaugural Mosaic Medal of Distinction from Cornell Mosaic and the Edward Bouchet Legacy Award from the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Collins graduated from Princeton in 1981 with honors and holds a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, all in chemical engineering.

Mr. Dewey Houck served as a senior technical fellow for Boeing’s defense, space and security segment. Houck lead an organization of 2,900 employees that focused on work in areas such as security, information management, cybersecurity, satellite and ground operations for the Defense Department, intelligence agencies Fortune 1000 companies and other organizations. Prior to this role, he served as vice president of Boeing’s intelligence systems business and oversaw the deployment of information sharing technologies and development of information management components for intelligence planning and analysis.

Houck has also served as chief technology officer for the mission systems area within the information solutions organization and was responsible for technology strategy development, research planning and integration of intellectual property into other Boeing programs. He has also served as VP for technology development for Autometric, which Boeing acquired in 2000.

In that role, he administered all research and product development activities such as geospatial, photogrammetric and visualization initiatives. He was appointed to the board of directors of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance in October 2011.

Houck holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering with a specialization in photogrammetry and geodesy from Virginia Tech.

Brett Malone is the President & CEO of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC). Brett is a Hokie alumni and aerospace engineer who found himself in the middle of building biotech companies. He started his career writing engineering software before launching his first company where he learned how to lead and manage teams. He has led multiple companies around the country since graduating from Virginia Tech in biotech, robotics, engineering, and software. Brett is passionate about working with companies in all stages and helping them find resources to make their endeavors successful, all while cultivating a vibrant community at the VTCRC.

Dr. Scott Midkiff has served as the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Virginia Tech since October 2012. In this role, Dr. Midkiff has responsibility for Virginia Tech’s overall strategy and vision for information technology to support and advance the university’s three-part mission of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement. He leads the Division of Information Technology which provides: IT services and infrastructure for teaching and learning; advanced research computing services including high-performance computing, large-scale storage, visualization, and compliance-based compute and storage environments; network, telecommunications, and enterprise computing infrastructure and services; enterprise administrative systems; IT security; identity and access management; email and other collaborative tools; user support; procurement and licensing for software and IT services; and IT policies, standards, and guidelines. The Division of IT is also the home of the Virginia Cyber Range and the U.S. Cyber Range which provide environments and other resources for cybersecurity education for K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. Dr. Midkiff is a member of the boards of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation, the Virginia Tech Innovation Corporation, and the Roanoke Broadband Authority.

Dr. Midkiff received the B.S.E. degree, summa cum laude, in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Duke University (1979), the M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (1980), and the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University (1985).

Kenneth E. Miller serves as vice president for finance at Virginia Tech. Miller brings more than 32 years of dedicated service to the university, unparalleled institutional knowledge, and deep financial management and accounting operations experience. In the role of vice president for finance, Miller plays a highly visible role as a strategic business partner to the senior leadership of the university, while engaging frequently with the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Miller is responsible for providing primary support to leadership in identifying, obtaining, and allocating the resources needed to achieve the university’s mission and long-term objectives of Virginia Tech’s strategic plan. Miller also provides oversight for the university’s accounting processes and maintains financial relationships with the commonwealth and regulatory relationships with the state and federal governments. He is tasked with enhancing effective business practices throughout the university, including the implementation of transformative new financial and business information systems to provide electronic, paperless services for faculty, staff, and students. Miller was previously assistant vice president for finance and university controller 2011-2019, and university controller from 2001-11. Mr. Miller received a bachelor’s in accounting from Virginia Tech and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Kevin Pitts, Dean of the College of Science, came to Virginia Tech from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he was a professor of physics, and vice provost for undergraduate education. In 2021, he was named chief research officer at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, where scientists collaborate to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space, and time. Kevin has been involved in research at Fermilab since the early 1990s, when he worked extensively on a team that discovered something called “the top quark,” a finding central to today’s understanding of particle physics.

Dr. Pitts led UIUC’s NSF-funded Redshirt Consortium, a program aimed at improving the ability of academically talented students who are PELL eligible, Underrepresented Minority, or women to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. He also served in the national chair-line of the American Physics Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. His career achievements and honors are significant, including: a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Physical Society, U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator, and a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Dr. Pitts went to Anderson University, and obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon.

Dwight Shelton served Virginia Tech in a variety of key administrative capacities for over 40 years. He officially retired in November 2019 from his post as the university’s vice president for finance and chief financial officer. As vice president for finance and chief financial officer, Shelton was responsible for the financial operations of Virginia Tech, including overseeing both the internal and external budgeting activities; working with state officials and finance officers at other state universities on the strategic directions for higher education and the related funding, finance, and administrative policies; providing leadership for the university’s accounting, business, and procurement operations; and representing the university in its operating and financial relationships with its key related corporations. Shelton has also provided leadership of some major information systems implementation efforts, including the university’s first automated accounting system.

In support of higher education across Virginia, Shelton has served on numerous committees and task forces at the state level. He is a former president of FOCUS, a state-level organization for accounting officers, and he served as chair of the Council of State-Supported Business Officers, representing all of Virginia’s public institutions. Shelton received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA, both from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business.Dr. Pitts led UIUC’s NSF-funded Redshirt Consortium, a program aimed at improving the ability of academically talented students who are PELL eligible, Underrepresented Minority, or women to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. He also served in the national chair-line of the American Physics Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. His career achievements and honors are significant, including: a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Physical Society, U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator, and a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Dr. Pitts went to Anderson University, and obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon.

Sonu is the founder of 1901 Group, a Leidos Company, and corporate leader responsible for the overall direction of 1901 Group and the well-being of the entire 1901 Group team. After childhood in Blacksburg, Virginia, and an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, Sonu knew that there was tremendous untapped talent in rural areas such as Southwest Virginia. So in 2009 he founded 1901 Group based on three major components: 1– establishing an Enterprise Operations/Development Center in Blacksburg, 2 – leveraging technology, automation, and processes in a common platform to increase quality and consistency in IT management, and 3 – utilizing consumption models for IT as opposed to standard labor hour billings. Since then, 1901 Group has grown to employ over 700 people and become a leader in public sector managed services, cloud migration/operations, software development, and cyber engineering. In January of 2021 Leidos acquired 1901 Group and now 1901 Group is a subsidiary of Leidos. Sonu sits on the Virginia Tech APEX Center for Entrepreneurship Board and the Virginia Tech Pamplin Advisory Council.Dr. Pitts led UIUC’s NSF-funded Redshirt Consortium, a program aimed at improving the ability of academically talented students who are PELL eligible, Underrepresented Minority, or women to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. He also served in the national chair-line of the American Physics Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. His career achievements and honors are significant, including: a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Physical Society, U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator, and a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Dr. Pitts went to Anderson University, and obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon.

Dr. Spruill most recently held the position of Director, Acquisition Resources & Analyses, in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics prior to retirement. As the business acquisition workforce functional leader and senior Department of Defense subject matter expert, she was responsible for a variety of tasks. She created and supported education training, advised the USD regarding business community workforce programs, and provided instruction and leadership to the business functional integrated product team. Prior to her position as Director, Dr. Spruill served in appointments in the Program Analysis & Evaluation division; and as Director Programs & Analysis Division and acting comptroller of the Defense Mapping Agency; as well as study director and several other roles with the Center for Naval Analysis. She also served as an associate professor and lecturer in statistics at George Washington University and earned distinction as a consultant in her field. Dr. Spruill received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and went on to George Washington University to obtain her Master of Arts in statistics and a Doctor of Philosophy.Dr. Pitts led UIUC’s NSF-funded Redshirt Consortium, a program aimed at improving the ability of academically talented students who are PELL eligible, Underrepresented Minority, or women to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. He also served in the national chair-line of the American Physics Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. His career achievements and honors are significant, including: a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Physical Society, U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator, and a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Dr. Pitts went to Anderson University, and obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon.

Renee Wynn is an independent board member with over 30 years of leadership experience in environmental policy, global information technology and cybersecurity operations, supply chain, risk management, and ESG. Renee has extensive knowledge about guiding government agencies through complex digital transformations. She led programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and served as the CIO at an iconic agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As CIO, Renee managed a $2 billion IT portfolio serving more than 65,000 employees and contractors and established NASA’s first-ever IT strategic plan that aligned with its space and aeronautic program goals. She led NASA’s transformation to a more centralized services model that improved overall service quality; partnered with procurement to modify processes to include cyber and digital supply chain risk reviews and save $50 million per year in software costs; and established a cybersecurity program which included complex space systems that reduced risks across 150 metrics. Renee reinvigorated an international Space Agency CIO Council to share best practices and strengthen cybersecurity between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the space agencies for Japan, Germany, France, and Canada.

Renee was recognized by Federal Computer Week (FCW) with their President’s Award in 2020 and their Fed 100 Award in 2019. She was named to Washington Exec’s “2019 Top 25 Execs to Watch” list. Renee earned a Bachelor of Art degree in Economics from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.Dr. Pitts led UIUC’s NSF-funded Redshirt Consortium, a program aimed at improving the ability of academically talented students who are PELL eligible, Underrepresented Minority, or women to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. He also served in the national chair-line of the American Physics Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics. His career achievements and honors are significant, including: a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Physical Society, U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator, and a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. Dr. Pitts went to Anderson University, and obtained his master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon.