MS in Information Systems Faculty
Faisal Akkawi
Faculty Director
Dr. Faisal Akkawi is an Associate Professor and Faculty Director for the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) and undergraduate Computer Information Systems (CIS) programs at Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies. He leads curriculum development, academic innovation, and the integration of emerging technologies across undergraduate and graduate education. Akkawi's academic and professional interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital transformation, enterprise information systems, cybersecurity, and software development. As a NASA Faculty Fellowship in 2003, he contributed to the development of diagnostic and warning software for the International Space Station. Akkawi earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 2005, he received Northwestern University's Distinguished Teaching Award.
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Teaching Approach and Philosophy
Dr. Akkawi’s teaching emphasizes experiential learning, critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship, preparing students to apply emerging technologies to solve real-world challenges. Faisal's current work focuses on advancing information systems education through AI, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurial thinking, helping students become innovators and leaders in a rapidly evolving digital world.
Kayed Akkawi
Dr. Kayed O. Akkawi, founded and leads the Akkawi Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2015 to expand educational opportunities and empower young people through education, technology, and personal development. In May 2026, he retired from more than three decades in academia. At Morris Graduate School of Management (Robert Morrise University, now Roosevelt University), he was a graduate dean and established undergraduate and graduate computer science programs. More recently, he directed the Computer Science Program at Clark University. He brings extensive experience in academic leadership, curriculum development, computer science education, and graduate-level instruction, including more than 22 years of online teaching. Kayed holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Beyond academia, he serves as Chair of the Educational Committee for the Chicago-Amman International Sister Cities Program, promoting educational collaboration and cultural exchange.Contact Information
Recent Courses
CIS 414-DL : Object-Oriented Programming
Parthasarathi Chakraborty
Parthasarathi Chakraborty has over 25 years of cyber security technology and leadership experience in the financial services and healthcare industry. An active speaker, panelist, inventor and board member in cyber security industry. He is the founder of Cloud Security Practitioner Council, and chairperson of Cloud Security Alliance's Key Management Workgroup. Chakraborty sits in the technical advisory board for Google Cloud and a few security startups like Oak9, TrueFort Inc. He was awarded the Juanita Koilpillai annual service award in 2023 by Cloud Security Alliance. Chakraborty is currently heading security architecture, engineering and innovation program for Humana Inc, a Fortune 40 healthcare company. Prior to Humana, Chakraborty has held executive leadership roles with Bank of Montreal, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Guardian Life Insurance Company.
A CISSP, CCSP, CEH, CHFI certified security evangelist holding a bachelor’s degree in engineering from NIT Rourkela, a master's in cyber security from Western Governors University, a second master's in technology management from Columbia University, a cyber security professional certificate from Stanford University and executive CTO university credit program from Wharton Business School at University of Pennsylvania. Chakraborty has two patents under his name for JP Morgan and Humana Inc.
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Education
MS in Technology Management, Columbia University
MS in Information Security, Western Governors University
Bachelors in Electronics Engineering, NIT Rourkela
Certifications
Research Interests
IoMT Security
Cloud Agnostic Segmentation
Zero Trust Framework
Container and Serverless Security
Next Generation Security Control
Relevant Work Experience
VP, Global Head Of Security Engineering, Broadridge Financial
Deputy CISO, Natixis Corporate & Investment Ban
Associate Vice President, Head of Security Architecture, Engineering and Innovation, Humana
Executive Director, Head of Security Architecture JP Morgan
Senior VP, Security Engineering and Innovation, Bank of America
Associate Vice President, Chief Security Architect, Guardian Life Insurance
Selected Publications
Chakraborty, P. & Arora. S. (2023, October 27) A Practical Approach to Securing Workloads with Cloud-Agnostic Microsegmentation [Conference presentation]. ISC2 Security Congress 2023
Chakraborty, P. (2019, April - August) Selected posts. Forbes.com
Chakraborty, P. & Arora S. (2022, December 2) Cloud Agnostic Micro-Segmentation Approach using Open-Source Tools for a Zero Trust Foundation [Conference presentation]. mWiSE Mandiant Worldwide Information Security Exchange, Washington, D.C, United States..
Chakraborty, P. (2019, November 14) Software Defined Perimeter Deep Dive & Required Implementation Readiness. Cyber Defense Magazine
Chakraborty. P. (2019 Jan - June) IOT Security - What's the Ask for the Future. Cybersecurity Review, 31-32
Recognitions
Juanita Koilpillai Service Award by Cloud Security Alliance
Courses Taught
MSIS 455-DL Disaster Recovery & Continuity
Teaching Philosophy
My approach is based on practical knowledge gained in the field in different industries for many years and turning the learning experience into a valuable demonstrable skill.
Amul Chapla
Amul Chapla is the Chief AI Architect at Microsoft. He has over 20 years experience in cloud computing, AI, and data analytics, and has provided technical and strategic leadership for large companies to drive AI-powered business innovations. He frequently speaks at conferences about leveraging Generative AI to drive business value. Amul's contributions have earned him multiple prestigious awards from Microsoft, including the Pinnacle Award in 2025. He holds an MS in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a data science professional certification from Microsoft. In recognition of his excellence in teaching, he was awarded the SPS Graduate Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award in 2025.
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Education
MS in Computer Science, Illinois Institute of Technology
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Gujarat University, India
Microsoft Professional Program for Data Science
Professional Experience
Chief AI Architect - Financial Service, Microsoft
Recognitions
Microsoft Pinnacle Award
Northwestern University Graduate Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award
Teaching Approach and Philosophy
Since 2018, Amul has been an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University, designing and teaching AI and Data Science courses focused on practical, industry-relevant skills in AI and ML. His AI-first curricula leverage industry patterns, cloud services, and hands-on programming to offer a comprehensive learning experience. Passionate about applying his professional expertise in academia, he ensures students gain valuable, applied experience in AI and Data Science.
Terrance Cottrell
Dr. Terry Cottrell is Vice President for Information Technology and Planning/CIO at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. In addition to 30+ years of practitioner expertise in various levels of IT management and business governance, his career includes 20+ years of teaching, with numerous publications, and conference presentations about leadership and risk management, cybersecurity, research methods, budget negotiations, media impacts on cognition, hands-free A/R tools, copyright, and strategic planning. Cottrell holds an EdD from Northern Illinois University, and an executive certification from MIT Sloan School of Management. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and provided angel investments to five successful startups. He is active in residential/commercial real estate management and equity investment markets. In his free time, Cottrell enjoys being with his family, traveling, writing, outdoor adventure activities, and is never far from very good coffee.
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Educational Background
University of St. Francis, IL, BA and MA
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MS
Columbia University, New York, MS
Professional Experience
Dr. Cottrell has designed and taught a variety of courses at Colorado State University-Francis and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Selected Publications and Products
Cottrell, T. (2025). Technology’s Superheroes: Navigating the “Extended” AI Gold Rush.
Cottrell, T. (2021). CXO Insights: Rethinking learning environments for the future.
Chakravarty, S., Chawla, V., Cottrell, T., Huang, A., Wang, G. (2026). The AI Talent Stack: Rebuilding engineering teams for a GenAI-Native workforce. Presented at CIO & CISO Think Tank: The Future of IT & Cybersecurity, C-Vision International, Chicago, IL.
Cottrell, T., Gopinath, B., Jha, GS., Miles, T., Ross, C., Yamsani, S.K. (2026). CIO & CTO Panel: The Transformation Playbook- Lessons from Technology Leaders Driving Enterprise-Wide Change. Presented at North Central CIO & AI Transformation Assembly, Apex Assembly, Chicago, IL.
Ali, A., Cottrell, T., Hlavac, R., Izaks, L., Guittar, M., and Maimone, C. (2023). ChatGPT Then and Now. Presented online at Northwestern University, School of Professional Studies, Chicago, IL.
James M. DeMarco
Jim DeMarco is a business leader and digital business strategy practitioner with more than 25 years' experience. In his current business role, Jim advises some of Microsoft's largest financial services customers on their digital transformation stories and roadmaps; Jim has trained hundreds of Microsoft employees on how to engage their customers in digital transformation partnerships and how to use design-led thinking to drive customer engagement. Jim has held leadership positions in the telecommunications industry, where he helped innovate the use of real time decision making in customer interactions. A lawyer as well as a business strategist, Jim is a proud Northwestern alumnus (Kellogg MM 1999) and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (JD 1994, BS 1990).
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Education
Juris Doctor, University of Notre Dame 1994
Master of Management, Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management 1999
Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions (Microsoft certification), 2015
Relevant Work
Director, Industry Digital Strategy, Microsoft (2015-present)
Chief Technology Officer, Redknee (2013-14)
Chief Technology Officer, Business Solutions, Nokia Siemens Networks (2010-13)
Selected Publications and Products
Responsibility for AI Continues into the Real World, Addressing the Unintended Consequences of AI Bias
Teaching Approach and Philosophy
Digital Transformation is a journey, not a destination. Accordingly, the goal of any course to assist DT practitioners must focus in on how we plan and execute that journey. That necessitates interaction, practical learning, and planning rather than memorizing topics rules.
Sunil Kakade
Sunil Kakade has over 18 years of experience in various technical and leadership roles focused on lT transformation initiatives, analytics-driven software development, and big data technologies. Sunil is a big data and data science evangelist with hands-on expertise in implementing Hadoop and NoSQL technologies. Sunil leads the architecture and delivery of business systems for a Fortune 100 company. His areas of interest include machine learning, data science, legacy systems modernization, and open source technologies. His research papers have been presented at multiple international conferences and published in technical journals. He has patents pending in areas of IT and retail processes. Kakade has an MS in information technology and management from the Illinois Institute of Technology at Chicago and an MS in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, researching applications of artificial intelligence to manufacturing processes.
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Recent Courses
CIS 435-DL : Practical Data Science Using Machine Learning
David Ostrowski
David Ostrowski has over 30 years professional experience in software development between the areas of connected vehicle analytics, Intelligent controls, manufacturing simulation, agent-based modeling, database and real-time data acquisition. Ostrowski currently works in Ford Motor Product Development Business Office as the Artificial Intelligence Leader. Ostrowski also has over 25 years experience as an adjunct professor at several universities teaching courses recently in Artificial Intelligence, Functional Programming, Analysis of Algorithms and Theory of Computation. He received his BBA in Management Information Systems from University of Michigan-Dearborn as well as an MS and PhD in Computer Science from Wayne State University. Ostrowski has fifty refereed publications, ten patents, two book chapters, numerous technical reports, and participates within several technical committees including IEEE TEC transactions, IEEE ICSC, IEEE AI4I and IEEE ICIOS.
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Education
Doctor of Philosophy Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 2002
Master of Science Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1992
Bachelor of Business Administration Management Information Systems, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, MI, 1987
Relevant Work
Artificial Intelligence Leader, Ford Motor Company, Vehicle Component and System Engineering, VCSE, Business Office, Dearborn, MI 5/19- present Led Internal AI, Blockchain technology consultancy to community of worldwide 9000+ engineer community. Mentored over 40 Innovation Sprint Contest teams worldwide specializing in AI. Mentored multinational teams to assess project utility and value, provide project definitions, necessary training, recommendations and software development support as well as model construction. Developed Deep Learning algorithm for audio classification to automatically designate between braking events and non-braking events in support of an improved engineering process, for reduced testing tine as well as adding objectivity to engineering analysis. Researched, constructed and prototyped Google Vision AIY Kits presenting demonstrations of facial, object and emotion recognition in support of innovation projects within the engineering community. Presented topics on Machine Learning with the Apache Spark Architecture, BlockChain leveraging the Ethereum architecture and Connected Vehicle Analytics through the application of Apache Hadoop, Hive and Spark platforms.
Ford Motor Company, Ford Research Laboratory, Dearborn, MI 10/00–5/19 Analyzed aspects of Ford Motors global business via application of Data Mining, Simulation, Evolutionary Computation and Agent-Based Modeling. Developed architecture and prototype for a service-based virtual manufacturing system allowing for plant floor work path optimization. Applied Agent-Based Modeling in order to provide insight into the sustainability of alternative fuel infrastructures. Investigated opportunities in manufacturing capacity reduction through application of Genetic Programming and Simulation. Researched area of price elasticity through the application of Agent-Based Modeling. Provided consultation to research community with regards to web-based software solutions.
Ford Motor Company, Ford Research Laboratory, Dearborn, MI 8/97–10/00 Provided software development support for data acquisition and control systems. Accomplishments include development of a custom software configuration management system, software enhancements to support diesel combustion analysis and utilization of software to support the generic development of device drivers.
Selected Publications & Products
Ostrowski, D. (2018, January). Building Linked Data Agents for Mobility Applications. In Semantic Computing (ICSC), 2018 IEEE 12th International Conference on (pp. 320-324). IEEE.
Ostrowski, D., & Kim, M. (2017, January). A Semantic Based Framework for the Purpose of Big Data Integration. In Semantic Computing (ICSC), 2017 IEEE 11th International Conference on (pp. 305-309). IEEE.
Ostrowski, D., Rychtyckyj, N., MacNeille, P., & Kim, M. (2016, February). Integration of big data using semantic web technologies. In Semantic Computing (ICSC), 2016 IEEE Tenth International Conference on (pp. 382-385). IEEE.
Ostrowski, D. A. (2015, February). An approximation of betweenness centrality for Social Networks. In 2015 IEEE International Conference on Semantic Computing (ICSC) (pp. 489-492). IEEE.
Ostrowski, D. A. (2015, February). Using latent dirichlet allocation for topic modelling in twitter. In 2015 IEEE International Conference on Semantic Computing (ICSC) (pp. 493-497). IEEE.
Recognition
Patent US20210133292A1, US, DE, CN: Enhanced Component Dimensioning
Patent US20200191069A1 US, DE, CN: Method and System for Vehicle Stop / Start Control
Patent US20200391576A1 US, DE, CN: Automatic control of a heating element in thermal communication with a rear window of a vehicle pursuant to predictive modeling that recalibrates based on occupant manual control of the heating element
Patent US20200307384A1 US, DE, CN: Regenerative braking control system
Patent US20190176568A1 US, DE, CN: Automatic control of heating and cooling of a vehicle seating assembly pursuant to predictive modeling that recalibrates based on occupant manual control
Patent US20190256125A1 US, DE, CN: Automatic control of a heating element in a steering wheel of a vehicle pursuant to predictive modeling that recalibrates based on occupant manual control of the heating element
Patent US20200094651A1 US, DE, CN Automatic adaptive climate controls
Patent WO2019125485A1, WO, US, DE, CN Vehicle real-time performance feedback system
Recent Courses Taught
Artificial Intelligence, Functional Programming, Analysis of Algorithms and Theory of Computation.
Teaching Approach and Philosophy
An educator's role must include support of the individual needs of each student thus providing an environment that facilitates the learning process. Such needs may include individual explanation, concept demonstration, unique references or relevant analogy. Here, the process of education should be promoted as an active one in which students are led to the derivation of knowledge from information. This process should center around the formulation of and answering of questions about the material at hand, thus internalizing the information and creating ownership. Learning should be in a very collaborative atmosphere with controls established by course guidelines and rules to support a very respectful atmosphere. Students should be allowed to participate and interact while also demonstrating an individual thought process and responsibility to a curriculum's set standards. Students should also be encouraged to learn from others and understand different opinions and interpretations. I believe that the role of an educator should be to lead students to the goal of being globally competitive. Here, I define globally competitive as being able to be as effective as employees who work for the most successful companies or consult around the world in any economic market or geographic region. This is benchmarked through their documented work, blogs, and reported accomplishments. This is accomplished by presenting theory and then working towards bridging concepts to real world practice. A great educator should accomplish this while instilling the love of learning. Upon completion, a student should not only have a core skill set but most importantly have an improved appreciation and mastery of the learning process, viewing education as an on-going lifetime activity.
Elena Suarez
Elena Suarez is the Director of Cyber Risk Management at McDonald’s Corporation, where she leads the cyber risk, governance, and third-party security organization supporting more than 100 global markets. She directs a global team of more than 20 professionals and advises the CISO and executive leadership on risk appetite, security investment, and regulatory readiness, including cyber risk reporting. At McDonald’s, she designed and implemented the company’s next-generation Cybersecurity Operating Model. Earlier, at CME Group, she directed the largest regulatory technology controls examination in the firm’s history, delivering it ahead of schedule and within budget. With more than 15 years in information security, IT audit, and technology risk, Elena brings expertise in cybersecurity governance, enterprise and third-party risk management, regulatory compliance, and control frameworks including NIST and ISO 27001. She is a certified ISO 27001. Lead Auditor and holds an MS in Information Systems from Northwestern University. Outside her corporate role, Elena serves on the Board of Directors of A Silver Line Foundation.
Chandra Taneja
Dr. Chandra (CK) Taneja is a fractional transformation and growth leader with more than 20 years experience in digital transformation, AI strategy, enterprise agility, and project leadership across Fortune 100 enterprises and high-growth startups. His leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Transformation, Innovation & Enterprise Resiliency at Northern Trust and CEO of Seven Hills Hospital, with expertise in enterprise-wide Agile transformations, business process re-engineering, program governance, and the selection and implementation of enterprise-wide software applications. At Northern Trust, Taneja designed the "NT Way of Working" framework, integrating SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban. As an entrepreneur, he has co-founded 17 startups (three IPOs, five successful exits) and mentored more than 200 founders through IIM Ahmedabad's Power of Ideas program, earning recognition as Mentor of the Year and the Indian Achievers' Award for Excellence in Education. Taneja holds a Ph.D. in Decision Support Systems from The Open University, UK. An award-winning storyteller, named the "World's Best Storyteller" by Times Now, he enjoys weaving narrative techniques into leadership coaching
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Educational Background
PhD in Decision Support Systems, The Open University, UK
Executive MBA International Marketing, National University of Singapore
Master of Computer Applications, Mumbai University
Professional Experience
Chief Finance and Growth Officer, SpectrEdge Wireless
SVP Enterprise Resiliency, NorthernTrust
Director Transformation, Chinmayam Consultants
CEO, SevenHills Hospital
Recognitions
President's Circle Award (Ford)
Indian Achievers' Award for Excellence in Education
Mentor of the Year (Power of Ideas)
Courses Taught
CIS 494-DL: Project Management Concepts
CIS 495-DL: Enterprise Agility Frameworks
Teaching Approach and Philosophy
I believe transformation is learned by doing, not by memorizing frameworks. That's why my classroom doesn't run on theory alone. I ground project management and enterprise agility in real-world transformation by drawing on my students' professional experience. They've lived these challenges; my job is to help them see the patterns. I weave narrative techniques into my leadership coaching because facts inform, but stories move people. Whether I'm working with a board, a classroom, or a founder at 2 a.m., the story is usually where transformation starts. My frameworks shape how I teach. The SCALIENT Growth System™ is my proprietary approach to building enterprise value by engineering a predictable, scalable growth engine. Alongside it, I created "Survival to Enterprise Value™"—a transformation framework that helps organizations achieve sustainable change by aligning strategy, systems, and disciplined execution. In class, that translates to one core question I keep returning to: are you managing the work, or creating a system that enables the work to succeed? Students who wrestle with that question leave my courses thinking differently about leadership and that's the whole point.
Kevin Vaccaro
Kevin Vaccaro is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Technology. He has over 25+ years of experience working in Information Technology, including two decades of teaching topics ranging from service and repair to Cybersecurity. Kevin has written several articles on digital forensics for E-forensics Magazine. He holds an MS in Information Technology and several industry certifications, including CISSP and CEH, for which he is also an authorized trainer.
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Recent Courses
CIS 452-DL : Fundamentals of Network Security
Srikanth Victory
Srikanth Victory is a seasoned technology executive with over 26 years of experience, known for his customer-focused leadership and expertise at the intersection of business and technology. With a strong background in diverse domains, including Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and more, Victory is passionate about driving enterprise digital transformation through cultural change and fostering a data-driven approach. He has a proven track record of successfully leading digital transformation & data and analytics initiatives at Fortune companies.
Victory has dual master’s degrees — business administration from Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo., and mathematics from Loyola College in India.
