MS in Information Systems Faculty

Faisal Akkawi

Faisal Akkawi

Faculty Director

Contact Information

f-akkawi@northwestern.edu

Faisal Akkawi is the faculty director of the Master of Science in Information Systems Program. His area of specialization is software architecture for concurrent systems, and his research interests also include reactive/adaptive intelligent systems and design issues of concurrent programming languages. Selected for the NASA Faculty Fellowship Program in 2003, Akkawi designed and implemented a framework that was used in the advanced diagnostic and caution and warning system for the International Space Station. He has an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Recent Courses

CIS 413-DL : Telecommunications and Computer Networks

CIS 417-DL : Database Systems Design and Implementation

Kayed Akkawi

Kayed Akkawi

Contact Information

akkawi@northwestern.edu

Kayed Akkawi is the dean of Morris Graduate School of Management at Robert Morris University. He has extensive teaching experience at the graduate level, including at Illinois Institute of Technology. His professional projects have included developing a natural language interface for information retrieval, a search engine for accessing large-scale databases, and a toolkit for measuring retrieval accuracy for bilingual information. Akkawi serves as the chair of the educational committee for the Chicago-Amman International Sister Cities Program. Other professional memberships include the Association for Computing Machinery and the Arab-American Association of Engineers and Architects. He has a PhD in computer science and an MS in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Recent Courses

CIS 414-DL : Object-Oriented Programming

Snehal S. Antani

Contact Information

Picture of Snehal AntaniSnehal Antani is CEO & Founder of Horizon3.ai, a cyber security company that pioneered the use of AI to autonomously conduct penetration testing. Prior to Horizon3, Snehal served as the first Chief Technology Officer for Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). As a member of the Commander’s executive team, he led data analytics, cloud/edge computing, and cybersecurity initiatives. Prior to serving within US Special Operations, Snehal was CTO & SVP at Splunk, held multiple CIO roles at GE Capital, and started his career as a Software Engineer at IBM. Snehal earned a Masters in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI), a BS in Computer Science from Purdue University where he was their 2023 Distinguished Alumni, and holds 18 patents.

Research Interests

Cybersecurity

AI

Education

MS, Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic University

BS, Computer Science, Purdue University

Professional Experience

2019-Present, CEO & Co-founder, Horizon3.ai

2018-2021, CTO, JSOC

2015-2017, CTO & SVP, Splunk

2012-2015, CIO, GE Capital

2002-2012, IBM

Recognitions

2023 Purdue Distinguished Science Alumni

2019 Business Transformation 150

2015 Computerworld Premier 100 Technology Leader

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that case-study based learning is paramount for cultivating critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students. This approach not only exposes learners to real-world scenarios but also encourages them to navigate complex situations, thereby learning to ask the right questions—a skill that is invaluable in both academic and professional settings. The essence of case-study based learning lies in its ability to simulate real-life challenges, providing a practical context for theoretical knowledge. By engaging with these case studies, students are compelled to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This process is crucial for developing the ability to ask insightful questions, which is the cornerstone of critical thinking. Moreover, this educational approach promotes active learning, where students are not passive recipients of information but active participants in their learning journey. Through discussions, debates, and collaborative problem-solving, they learn to articulate their thoughts, listen to diverse perspectives, and refine their questioning skills. This interactive environment encourages curiosity and a willingness to explore unknown territories, laying a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Incorporating case-study based learning in my teaching practice, I aim to empower students to become independent thinkers. By guiding them to ask the right questions, I strive to prepare them not just for academic success, but for a successful life beyond the classroom. This method is not just about imparting knowledge; it's about shaping minds that can critically assess information, navigate complexities, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Atef Bader

Atef Bader

Contact Information

a-bader@northwestern.edu

Atef Bader has been working in the IT industry for many years and currently is a member of the technical staff at Lucent Technologies. He is a recognized expert in object-oriented technology, automated software testing, concurrent software systems and software architecture. His technical papers have been presented at numerous conferences and published in technical journals. Bader holds a PhD in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Recent Courses

CIS 419-DL : Web Application Development

Daniel Baumgartner

Daniel Baumgartner

Contact Information

daniel-baumgartner@northwestern.edu

Daniel Baumgartner is an independent management consultant with more than 30 years of business process management and information technology experience. He has held leadership roles in management and information technology consulting services, was a partner in several large management consulting firms and has expertise in improving business processes, developing IT strategies and plans, leading the implementation of IT solutions to address business issues and selecting and implementing enterprise-wide software applications. Baumgartner has managed client business analysts and functional managers. Baumgartner has a master's degree from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Education

Relevant Work

Baumgartner Associates LLC, Naperville, Illinois
Management consulting firm providing IT strategy, business process management, transformation management, and program management services.

Gunther Branham

Gunther Branham

Contact Information

gunther.branham@northwestern.edu

LinkedIn

Gunther Branham is a seasoned senior level IT executive. His experience includes senior IT executive responsibility for several global corporate functions for a Fortune 100 company. His responsibilities included systems planning, budgeting, software delivery and systems operations for global Engineering and Regulatory systems. Additional experience includes IT leadership for commercial, manufacturing and distribution, research and development, medical, regulatory and sales and marketing systems. Other significant accomplishments include initiating corporate-wide offshore IT services sourcing, starting an enterprise applications integration technology center, launching and managing key e-commerce activities and integration and startup of manufacturing facility systems. Branham earned a BA in Physics from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and an MS in Business Management from the University of Northern Colorado.

Education

B.S Physics - The Citadel
M.S. Business Management - University of Northern Colorado

Recent Courses

CIS 460-DL : Information Technology Management

CIS 465-DL : Information Technology Strategy

Teaching Approach and Philosophy

I like to leverage student's experience and interests to add depth to analysis and discussion in the class.

Parthasarathi Chakraborty

Contact Information

Parthasarathi ChakrabortyParthasarathi 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 Juanita Koilpillai annual service award in 2023 by Cloud Security Alliance. 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 Masters in Cyber Security from Western Governors University, another Masters 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 also has two patents under his name for JP Morgan and Humana Inc.

Education

MS in Technology Management, Columbia University

MS in Information Security, Western Governors University

Bachelors in Electronics Engineering, NIT Rourkela

Certifications

CISSP

CCSP

CEH

CHFI

Research Interests

IoMT Security

Cloud Agnostic Segmentation

Zero Trust Framework

Container and Serverless Security

Next Generation Security Control

Relevant Work Experience

Associate Vice President, Head of Security Architecture, Engineering and Innovation, Humana

Executive Director, JP Morgan

Senior VP, Bank of America

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

Contact Information

Amul ChaplaAmul Chapla is a Principal AI Architect at Microsoft, specializing in AI and data analytics technologies. With vast experience in using AI to revolutionize businesses and drive innovation, he guides large companies through the AI landscape, providing tech leadership to design innovative solutions deploying AI at scale to transform core business processes. Amul has been honored with the most prestigious award from Microsoft for co-innovating industry-disruptive solutions using multimodal AI & Azure cloud platform. Simultaneously, Amul also teaches AI and Data Science courses at Northwestern University. He combines his industry experience with academic instruction, offering students a practical perspective. Passionate about hands-on learning, he integrates cloud and generative AI into his teaching to equip students with real-world skills.

 

Education

MS in Computer Science, Illinois Institute of Technology

BS in Mechanical Engineering, Gujarat University, India

Microsoft Professional Program for Data Science

Relevant Work

Principal AI Architect, Microsoft (2026 - current)

Recognitions

Microsoft Platinum Club Award for Outstanding Achievement

TIBCO Software Outstanding Performance in Post-Sales

University Gold Medalist - Gujarat University

Teaching Approach and Philosophy

As a Principal AI Architect at Microsoft and an instructor at Northwestern University, Chapla engages his students by integrating his extensive industry experience with academic instruction. His teaching approach revolves around practical, hands-on learning, drawing from his expertise in AI, data analytics and cloud platform. He believes in merging academic knowledge with real-world applications to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. He incorporates cloud and generative AI into his coursework. This unique blend of theory and practice equips students with the skills they need to excel in the industry. Amul's curriculum includes practical programming assignments and projects that align with industry use cases and architectural patterns.

Terrance Cottrell

Terrance Cottrell

Contact Information

terrance.cottrell@northwestern.edu

Terry Cottrell is Vice President for Information Technology and Planning at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. In addition to 25 years of practitioner expertise in IT, his academic career includes 15+ years of teaching, publication and presentations on the subjects of cybersecurity, e-science research trends, the effects of media on cognition, hands-free AR tools, copyright, diversity in the workplace, IT leadership, management, and finance. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and provided angel investments to four startups. His academic credentials include an MS in Risk Management from Columbia University, an MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from the University of St. Francis, and an EdD from Northern Illinois University in Instructional Technology. He has designed and taught a wide variety of courses for Colorado State University-Global Campus and the University of St. Francis, Google for Educators at Northern Illinois University, and Advanced Cybersecurity for Northwestern University.

James M. DeMarco

Contact Information

james.demarco@northwestern.eu

Photo of James DeMarcoJim 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).

Contact Information

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-demarco-b9048b/

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

https://magazine.ethisphere.com/responsible-ai-ethics-consumers-bias-discrimination/

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWFKCm

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.

Leslie Fischer

Leslie Fischer

Contact Information

l-fischer@northwestern.edu

LinkedIn

Twitter

Leslie Fischer is a Lecturer in the Writing Program and SPS. With more than 30 years of experience teaching English, Business Writing and Communication at Northwestern University, Fischer is a seasoned mentor in writing, communication, and teamwork. Experienced as both a student and teacher of online courses, she understands how students learn online and the particular challenges for adult students. Fischer mentors design and engineering students in the Design Thinking and Communication program. There, she teaches students how to communicate and cooperate well as they work on real-world projects for clients such as the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Fischer earned her MA in English at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her MS in Information Design and Communication at Northwestern University. She is currently working on her EdD in higher education leadership. In addition to her work in higher education, she has significant professional experience as an editor, writer, and trainer. She has worked with diverse clients, from global banks to educational publishers to the local humanities festival.

Education

EdD, National Louis University (in progress)
MS, Northwestern University
MA, University of Illinois at Chicago

Recognition

SPS Distinguished Teacher

Recent Courses

CIS 496—Information Technology Business Writing and Communication

Sunil Kakade

Sunil Kakade

Contact Information

sunilkumar.kakade@northwestern.edu

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.

Recent Courses

CIS 435-DL : Practical Data Science Using Machine Learning

Anthony Mersino

Anthony Mersino

Contact Information

anthony.mersino@northwestern.edu

LinkedIn

Blog

Twitter

Anthony Mersino is the founder of Vitality Chicago, an agile coaching and training firm with a strong focus on creating the environment for technology people to do their best work. He works closely with small and large organizations to foster business agility and has helped several Fortune 500 organizations adopt agile ways of working. Since 2004, Anthony has developed and taught several IT project management and the Agile Certificate program for Northwestern University. In 2020 he was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award from Northwestern's School of Professional Studies. Prior to founding Vitality Chicago, Anthony worked as an IT program manager for IBM, Unisys, and Ameritech. Anthony has authored two books, Agile Project Management and Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers. He holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a masters in business administration from Loyola University of Maryland.

Education

Masters in Business Administration, Loyola University of Md
Bachelor of Science, Michigan State University

Selected Publications and Products

Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers; The People Skills You Need to Succeed, https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Project-Managers-Outstanding-ebook/dp/B00CZVCPT6/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=anthony+mersino&qid=1626437219&sr=8-3

Agile Project Management; A Nuts and Bolts Guide to Success

Recent Courses

CIS 495-DL : Enterprise Agility Framework

Aparna Misra

Contact Information

Photo of Aparna MisraAparna Misra is a technology leader, an optimist who believes that every obstacle has a solution and that even the most far-reaching dreams can be realized with imagination, creativity, and resilience. For Misra, obstacles are just opportunities in disguise. Always looking over the next horizon, she is constantly seeking a chance to be a part of innovation that can change the way people experience life.

Over her professional journey of 20+ years, Misra has gained experience across key positions in technology and financial services with global market leaders like HSBC, ADP and UBS, prior to Aon. During her 8-year tenure with Aon, Misra has been a key driving force behind the digital transformation of the organization towards its goal of being a professional services provider. This has been possible due to her keen understanding of evolving technology along with a strategic focus towards delivering competitive differentiation while mitigating operational risks. Misra brings a multi-dimensional perspective to transformative growth projects with critical facets like divestitures, data centers transformation, leveraging vendor partnerships at scale and robust risk management frameworks.

She is currently a Client Partner with TCS helping organization accelerate their digital transformation.

Her collaborative, people centric leadership style has earned her the recognition as a young technology leader. Her initiative to address the industry-wide concern of gender diversity has resulted in the “Women In Technology” program within Aon, which mentors and fosters women professionals in the field of technology. She is also an active member of a Women’s International Network forums. Her leadership goes beyond the responsibilities of an organization structure, to thought leadership in the field of technology enablement of business, wherein tech innovation leads as competitive differentiation, backed by the ability to nurture talent who can make this happen.

David Ostrowski

David Ostrowski

Contact Information

david.ostrowski@northwestern.edu

LinkedIn

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.

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration Management Information Systems, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, MI, 1987

Master of Science Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 1992

Doctor of Philosophy Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 2002

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.

Jennifer Singer

Jennifer Singer

Contact Information

jennifer.singer@northwestern.edu

Jennifer Singer is an IT Management Professional, with over 20 years of experience. Her professional background includes database management and administration, leading teams of application and middleware developers, and supporting development teams in adapting principles of DevOps. The majority of her professional experience has been in the telecommunications and financial fields. She has been recognized as a top contributor for the past 3 years, with her current employer. Jennifer earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado Boulder, and master’s degree from the University of Denver, both in Computer Information Systems. More recently, she has completed coursework in the area of leadership with the University of Denver’s Executive Education program. She is passionate about all things database-related, and effectively leading people.

Recent Courses

CIS 431-DL : Database Administration

William Sunna

William Sunna

Contact Information

w-sunna@northwestern.edu

William Sunna has more than eight years of data solutions experience in industry as a principal consultant to several Fortune 500 companies in insurance, retail, and financial services. He also teaches courses in programming, database concepts and design, web development, and other computer science areas at the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as Northwestern. He has presented his research in multiple conferences and workshops and has co-authored articles in more than 12 publications, including Transactions in GIS, Journal of Visual Languages and Computing and International Journal of Electronic Government Research. Sunna earned a PhD in computer science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, researching automatic alignment of heterogeneous ontologies in the geospatial information domain.

Recent Courses

CIS 498-DL : Computer Information Systems Project

Kevin Vaccaro

Kevin Vaccaro

Contact Information

kevin.vaccaro@northwestern.edu

Kevin Vaccaro has more than 25 years of experience working in Information Technology. He has also been teaching various topics in IT ranging from service and repair to Cybersecurity for more than 20 years. He is a full-time faculty member at Moraine Valley Community College and an adjunct Industry Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. He has written several articles on digital forensics for eforensics magazine. Kevin holds an MS in Information Technology from Illinois Institute of Technology and several industry certifications including CISSP and CEH and also is an authorized trainer.

Recent Courses

CIS 452-DL : Fundamentals of Network Security

srikanth victory photo

Srikanth Victory

Contact Information

srikanth.victory@northwestern.edu

LinkedIn

Srikanth 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, Srikanth 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.

Srikanth has dual master’s degrees — business administration from Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo.,  and mathematics from Loyola College in India.

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