Dr. Andrew Wheeler is the Director of AI Engineering at Gainwell Technologies and founder of CRIME De-Coder, a crime analysis consulting service. He holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from SUNY Albany (2015) and has over 10 years of experience developing operations research and predictive analytics for criminal justice agencies. A former crime analyst with the Troy, NY Police Department and professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, he has authored over 35 peer-reviewed publications cited more than 1,000 times. His blog is available at andrewpwheeler.com.

Michael Martine's workshop will explore how modern technology systems are designed to be resilient, secure, and scalable—and how hackers can incorporate these principles even in rapid prototyping environments like hackathons.

Dennis Daniel is a technology executive, leadership coach, and entrepreneur with more than 40 years of experience in information technology, leadership development, and organizational transformation. Over his career he has worked as a systems engineer, consultant, and technology strategist, helping organizations design innovative technology solutions while building high-performing teams. He is the founder of Square Circle Consulting, where he provides leadership development, coaching, and technology advisory services for students, entrepreneurs, and organizations. Dennis is a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team member and regularly teaches workshops on leadership, technology careers, innovation, and personal development.

His workshop will focus on how teams transform ideas into execution: leadership dynamics, decision-making under pressure, and how strong collaboration drives innovation in fast-paced environments like hackathons.

Kevin Sanft is the Chair of the Department of Computer Science at UNC Asheville, where he has been a faculty member since 2015. Before UNCA, he held positions at St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he did research in high-performance computing and stochastic modeling. He went to Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, where he majored in Computer Science and Mathematics. After graduating, he worked for several years, including at the Mayo Clinic, where he was on a research project studying the epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, cheering for Minnesota sports teams, and coaching baseball in the North Asheville Little League.

His session will focus on how early technical ideas evolve into real products, covering rapid prototyping, validating ideas, and how founders think about turning code into impactful companies.

Kristin Harrison is an entrepreneur and technology leader who works with startups and emerging ventures. Her session will focus on how early prototypes, like those built at hackathons, can evolve into real ventures, nonprofits, or long-term projects. She will discuss product development, pitching ideas, and how young technologists can turn creativity into real-world impact.

Bhanuprakash Madupati is a Technology Leader with 15+ years of experience designing secure, scalable enterprise systems across public and private sectors. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS), Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Scotland (FIES), RSA Fellow, and Sigma Xi Full Member.

He currently serves as a Technology Leader at DOC-MNIT, leading strategic technology initiatives and delivering mission-critical systems. His expertise includes .NET and cloud-native architectures, AI/ML, cybersecurity, microservices, DevSecOps, and digital transformation. He has previously held senior technical roles at United Airlines, Cision, Ultimate Software, and Littelfuse.

Bhanuprakash holds a PhD in Information Technology Management and an MS in Computer Science. He is an author on AI in software development and holds multiple patents in AI, blockchain voting, personalized learning systems, and sovereign data infrastructure.

An active contributor to global technology and research communities, he serves as a reviewer, editor, jury judge, and speaker for leading IEEE, ACM, Springer, and Q1 journals, as well as international conferences and technology events.

Owen Sizemore is a Computer Science PhD student at Duke University studying how Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can support the development of students’ problem-solving skills in introductory computing courses. His research focuses on how AI can be integrated into education to enhance learning and critical thinking.

Prior to Duke, Owen earned his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His technical background is in Android development, having worked as an Android Engineer at WillowTree, building apps for Fortune 500 clients, and later at Wealthfront in the Bay Area, where he contributed to their mobile platform for automated investing services.

Owen is also a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Class of 2020) and has remained closely connected to the Durham campus, serving as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s soccer programs since 2022.

Abhishek Pareek is a CS graduate student at NC State University. He has worked with the Replication team of the Data Domain Division at Dell EMC and interned at Dell EMC, working on their proprietary backup and deduplication software "DDBoost."

SaiKrishna Kalakonda is a Delivery Project Lead and Technical Architect with over 15 years of experience building large-scale enterprise platforms across retail, e-commerce, CRM, cloud, and AI-driven systems. He leads delivery and technical strategy for complex programs involving 50+ engineers, architects, analysts, and QA professionals across distributed teams.

His expertise spans full-stack engineering, Salesforce, modern frontend frameworks, backend platforms, and cloud ecosystems. He has delivered enterprise solutions for global organizations including Delta Airlines, IBM, Lucid Motors, Philips Healthcare, Cisco, Fujifilm, Capgemini, Wipro, and UST Global.

SaiKrishna also brings hands-on expertise in Generative AI and applied AI, including Salesforce Einstein Services, AI-assisted automation, and data-driven systems. As a hackathon judge and technical advisor, he aims to help teams sharpen their ideas, validate feasibility, and elevate their solutions to industry-ready standards while fostering creativity, collaboration, and confidence.

Kaleeswaran Muthupandi is an enterprise technology leader with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering large-scale software across industries such as finance, insurance, and manufacturing. His recent work focuses on cloud platforms, real-time data streaming, and AI agents that help teams automate work and understand complex systems.

He is passionate about mentoring and making technical concepts accessible. As a judge and technical advisor for student projects, Kaleeswaran looks for strong problem definition, thoughtful design, and clear communication. He values creativity, teamwork, and the learning mindset behind each project, not just perfect results, and is excited to support students as they build ideas that can make a real impact.

Academically passionate and charismatic software engineer with extensive experience in professional communication and computer science skills, always striving to continue growth and learning through solving interdisciplinary challenges by applying data analytics and the burgeoning field of AI to different fields of research. 

Adept at problem-solving and critical thinking extemporaneously, with a history of organizational and logistics management in extracurricular positions and volunteer work. Conducted research at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Combinatorics and Game Theory and Computational Linguistics, respectively.

Tia Howell is an accomplished HR and payroll leader with deep expertise in payroll operations, benefits administration, and workforce compliance. She brings a strong background in payroll analytics, process improvement, and employee-centered service delivery, with a proven ability to build scalable systems that support organizational growth.

Throughout her career, Tia has led complex payroll and benefits programs, partnered cross-functionally to drive compliance, and implemented streamlined processes that improve accuracy, efficiency, and employee experience. Known for her analytical mindset and attention to detail, she excels at simplifying complex workflows and developing solutions that deliver measurable operational impact.

In addition to her professional work, Tia serves on the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) Alumni Board of Directors, where she supports alumni engagement, leadership development, and strategic initiatives that strengthen the school’s mission and long-term impact.

Driven by a people-first philosophy, Tia is passionate about creating reliable, compliant, and equitable payroll and benefits systems that empower employees and enable organizations to thrive.

Manish Tiwari is an electrical engineer with a background in Hardware Design and AI algorithms

He is fascinated and committed to driving the planet to a greater future a little earlier by building the most advanced semiconductor products, using the most advanced technology, and yes, by having a little fun at the same time.

Currently working as a Design Verification Engineer for a next-generation Software Defined 5G RF transmitter product. 

Vishweshwar (Vish) is a Digital AI Transformation Leader at Cognizant Technology Services, serving as Chief Architect/Engineering Director for the Americas CMT portfolio. He brings over 23 years of experience across delivery and sales, managing development, production support, and QA programs across North America, EMEA, and APAC.

He has deep expertise in AI/ML, Generative AI, Large Language Models, and Robotic Process Automation, along with strong experience in designing sales strategies and building market-leading service capabilities.

Vish has led large-scale program transformations to Scaled Agile models, establishing Communities of Practice at program and portfolio levels. He has played a key role in building strategic client relationships and Centers of Excellence for major financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.

His domain expertise spans capital markets, particularly Risk & Compliance (AML, trade surveillance), consumer banking, mortgage, KYC, custody, and funds. He has extensive experience in enterprise systems across web, databases, data warehousing, and ERP platforms.

As a techno-functional architect, he has driven automation and innovation initiatives by developing accelerators and utilities that improve delivery efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver faster ROI. He has also served in roles including Program Delivery Manager, Practice Lead, Technical Manager (AI/ML, AssistEdge, DevOps, RPA), and Validation Lead, consistently delivering strong operational efficiency and productivity improvements.

Eric Hao is a software engineer who has worked in cloud infrastructure for over five years, but has been building things for much longer.