TryEngineering Speakers

Kathy Hayashi has been involved in the semiconductor industry her entire career in San Diego, California. She has worked on the software and workflows for many computer chip designs including computers, phones, virtual reality devices, and even a chip that went to Mars in the Ingenuity helicopter. She is currently a technical consultant and an active volunteer at IEEE.

Gautam Deryanni is a Silicon Validation Engineer at Meta and will be joining us once again this year as one of our Speakers at the TryEngineering Summer Institute. He holds his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Shiloh-Marcos School of Engineering at the University of San Diego. He is also a member of engineering honor societies including IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.

Andrew Saad is a System Performance Engineer at Google and one of our Speakers at the TryEngineering Summer Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, as well as a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of California at San Diego. He is a member of engineering honor societies including IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi. He serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering at the University of California at San Diego.

Kathleen A. Kramer is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of San Diego. She has also been a member of technical staff at several companies, including ViaSat, HP,and Bell Communications Research. She worked to develop new engineering programs as a founding member of the University of San Diego engineering faculty, eventually became the Chair of Electrical Engineering, and then served as Director of Engineering (2004-2013), providing academic leadership for all of the University’s engineering programs. She maintains an active research agenda in the areas of multisensor data fusion, navigation, and cyber security in aerospace systems. In 2022, she was named a Fellow of ABET, for her work to advance university engineering and computing education globally, including advances in the criteria for cyber security, mechatronics and robotics, and the incorporation of diversity and inclusion. She is a Distinguished Lecturer for IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society (AESS) and led its technical panel on Cyber Security. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with a second major in Physics from Loyola Marymount University, and both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Kramer is also the 2025 President of IEEE.

Gene Lew is the VP & Principal Architect of Strategic Initiatives at Salesforce. He co-founded a company (HeyWire) focused on mobile messaging technology that Salesforce acquired. He was previously with Verizon (VP Advanced Technology), TimeWarner (VP Engineering) and Equinix (CTO) and started his career with the U.S Dept. of Defense where he worked on the foundations of the Internet.

Gene has been awarded 21 patents to date and has several more in queue, along with multiple published papers. He has spoken at industry conferences globally, and he volunteers as a judge and mentor with the Intel Science & Engineering Fair program as well as with Regeneron. Gene is also recognized on Dave Farber’s List of Interesting People. His work continues to focus on developing solutions associated with innovations for the Internet.

Api Appulingam, P.E., A.A.E., is the Chief Development Officer, and oversees a multi-billion dollar program tasked with making critical improvements and developing new infrastructure at both Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport through architectural, engineering, environmental, planning and sustainability projects. Ultimately, she is responsible for bringing innovation to the airfield, terminals and roadways at both airports. Prior to her current role, Ms. Appulingam served as the Philadelphia Office Leader for RS&H, Inc., a national provider of architecture, engineering and consulting services. Ms. Appulingam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration in Project Management/Corporate Finance from the University of Dallas. She is a registered Professional Engineer and an Accredited Airport Executive. Appulingam is passionate about mentoring and supporting the next generation of STEM professionals. She mentors young women ages 13 to 18 as part of the WTS Transportation YOU program, which provides a hands-on, interactive introduction to a wide variety of transportation careers.

Andrew Ba Than is a civil engineer and NYC’s group leader with Tetra Tech and has over 8 years of experience in consulting, stormwater management, flood protection and mitigation, site civil design, project engineering and management. He completed his Bachelor of Civil and Construction Engineering and Masters of Engineering Management from Curtin University in Australia.

Michael Willis is a civil engineer from Philadelphia with three years of experience in the industry. A graduate of Penn State University in 2020, he currently works for Tetra Tech’s Infrastructure East-to-West division, specializing in stormwater management and climate adaptation. Michael also holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he studied the relationship between sustainable infrastructure design and the health and mobility of local communities. He currently lives in Sunset Park with his 27-pound cat, Franklin, and is a New York Liberty season ticket holder.

James Burroughs, Jr. is a Standards Manager for Siemens working in the electric utility industry. His day-to-day responsibility involves getting all meter socket based equipment approved by electric utilities. He works with the product management team and engineering group to develop products needed by electric utility companies to help in their pursuit to gather electrical power usage from their customers. Additionally, James always makes sure Siemens’ products are inline or ahead of the needs of our customers. James is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and holds an Executive MBA from Kennesaw State University – Michael J. Coles College of Business.

Naetta Bell-Taylor is a marketing and business development strategist with over 20 years of experience at top global companies. Her expertise spans sales enablement, channel development, program management, and growing market share in complex, long-cycle sales environments—all supported by a strong focus on collaboration and sustainable business growth.

In her current role as Product Launch Manager at Siemens, Nae is part of the market launch team responsible for bringing new electrical products to market—products that help power our homes, cities, and industries.

Nae is also a dedicated advocate for STEM education. She partners with national STEM organizations, colleges, and industry councils to help young people explore exciting careers in science and engineering and prepare for the future workforce.

She holds a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Webster University. She’s passionate about solving complex problems, building strong partnerships, and driving innovation.

Anna Cenciarelli works for Siemens as the Product Manager Team Lead for Residential Metering. Following her graduation from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate in Strategy and Innovation, she started her career as a Product Manager launching new residential electrical products to meet customer demands. She is committed to talent acquisition and retention, having co-founded a mentoring program to foster strong networking opportunities and leads cross-functional projects for Leadership Development Program trainees at Siemens. Anna was also recently awarded 2025 tED Magazine’s “30 under 35”.

Brian Davis is an experienced energy industry leader with over 20 years at BP, delivering complex, high-value projects across multiple geographies and disciplines. Currently serving as Vice President, Projects, Gulf of America and Trinidad & Tobago, leading large-scale developments and execution strategies in one of bp’s core regions.

Previously held global and regional leadership roles including Vice President, Projects, Hydrogen and CCUS, where he advanced low-carbon solutions, and Project General Manager for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project, overseeing integration across subsea, FPSO, terminal, and FLNG components. His background spans offshore execution, subsea construction, project management, and executive support to BP’s global projects leadership.

Known for strong cross-functional leadership, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to innovation and sustainability in energy project delivery. Brian has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a Master of Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.