Members // Ambassadors
Ambassadors
In 2017, the GEDC introduced Ambassador Membership. Ambassador Members are invited by GEDC leadership to join the GEDC due to their exceptional background and work in engineering education, engineering research, faculty recruiting and retention and other areas vital to the strategic interest of the GEDC and its corporate partners in its mission and vision.
Jaime Bonilla
Mexico
Dr. Jaime Bonilla Rios has developed a successful academic and administrative career at Tecnológico de Monterrey, an Institution with Campuses throughout México and with international presence in America, Europe and Asia. Currently, Dr. Bonilla is the Associate Dean for Continuing Education, Consulting and International Affairs of the National School of Engineering and Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Natacha DePaola
United States of America
Natacha DePaola serves as Director of Illinois Tech Digital Medical Engineering and Technology Research and Education Center (IDMET) and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, USA. Dr. DePaola was previously Carol and Ed Kaplan Armour Dean of Engineering at IIT (2009-2020) and Chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) from 2017-2019.
Yacob Astatke
United States of America
Dr. Yacob Astatke currently serves as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for International Affairs at Morgan State University (MSU), a position he has held since July 2017. As the AVP for the Division of International Affairs (DIA), his main responsibility is to lead the university’s commitment and goal to support international leadership, service and education of Morgan State University students, faculty and alumni. He has played a key role in the implementation of “Morgan’s Global Campus” initiative, with the launch of a new campus in Ghana that will start offering two master’s degree programs, an MBA with a focus on FinTech, and a Masters of Art degree in Global Multimedia Journalism and Communication, in Fall 2020.
Vilas Mujumdar
United States of America
Vilas Mujumdar served as CEO, President and Partner in many large engineering firms and at highest-level in the public sector; Chief of Operations, Division of State Architect, State of California; Director, Engineering Research Centers Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). His professional experience includes Design, Project Management, Teaching, and Research Management in Asia, Europe, Canada and the US.
Seeram Ramakrishna
Singapore
Dr. Seeram Ramakrishna, FREng, is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the top-tier National University of Singapore (NUS). He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s committee on Future of Production, chairs the Future of Manufacturing at the Institution of Engineers Singapore and co-leads the Smart Manufacturing Expert Group at SPRING, Singapore. He is a highly cited researcher in Materials Science and was identified as one of the world’s most influential scientific minds by Thomson Reuters.