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IEEE Boston Section Leadership Team
Ramon De la Cruz, Chair
Ramon De la Cruz has more than 25 years in the semiconductor equipment industry as test development and process technical lead, design engineer, subject matter expert and consulting roles. He is currently at Teradyne, Inc. New Product Introduction Group (NPI), where he participates in operations strategy workgroups to define processes and methods supporting next-generation system and instrumentation development for current and future Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Platforms.
An IEEE Senior member and member of the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu honor society serves on the IEEE Boston Section as Chair and IEEE Boston Section MD Committee co-chair and has served as Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Member-at-large among other leadership positions. Ramon serves on the ESDA Northeast Board of Directors and has served on the IEEE Boston Reliability chapter as Chair, Vice chair and Member-at-large.
Ramon holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University. His background includes Design for Testability, Process FMEA, Systems and Circuit Analysis, Risk Assessment, and Highly Accelerated Stress Testing.
Wigna Balasingham, Vice Chair
Wigna is a seasoned Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Electromagnetic Engineering with more than 30 years of experience ensuring reliable system‑level performance. His work centers on electromagnetic mitigation, noise‑reduction techniques, and protecting electronic systems from RF vulnerabilities. Before joining Raytheon, Wigna held technical roles at General Dynamics Canada Limited and spent 19 years at Sun Microsystems/Oracle. He is recognized for impactful design improvements and innovative EMI/EMC solutions.
He also serves as Vice Chair of the IEEE EMC Society Boston Chapter, supporting collaboration and professional development through seminars and technical events.
Wigna holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA. He is a member of Sigma Beta Delta, reflecting his commitment to excellence and leadership in the engineering field.
Chunlei Tang, Treasurer
Chunlei Tang, PhD, is a Senior Member of IEEE and a data scientist whose work focuses on the data economy, with an emphasis on how data systems operate in real-world economic, healthcare, and infrastructure environments. Her contributions span theory, research, and applied systems development.
She introduced and developed the concepts of data capital and the data industry, framing data as a human-created resource that functions as capital through production, accumulation, circulation, and governance.
Dr. Tang is a research affiliate at Harvard Medical School, where she completed her postdoctoral training. She is the founding Academic Director of NurseKnowsNurse™, a practitioner-led initiative advancing applied data systems at the intersection of healthcare and data science.
Varshitha Manjunath, Secretary
Varshitha Manjunath is an Assistant Professor and Cybersecurity Program Lead at Lasell University, recognized for her contributions to cybersecurity education, threat intelligence, and the advancement of diversity in the engineering profession. She has strengthened enterprise threat‑detection capabilities through her work in cyber threat intelligence at the Cleveland Clinic, developing SIEM and YARA‑based detection rules and advancing large‑scale data preprocessing pipelines.
As a leading educator, she has built and led a full undergraduate cybersecurity program, mentored emerging professionals, and delivered more than 5000 hours of global computer science instruction, significantly broadening access to STEM learning.
Varshitha also serves as WiCyS Faculty Advisor and Co‑Director of Tech Walk Boston, championing initiatives that expand representation, elevate women in cybersecurity, and strengthen community engagement. Her leadership and service have been recognized through distinctions including the MAPFRE Business Simulation Competition award and the Dr. Laura Myers Community Service Award.
Her work reflects sustained impact across academia, industry, and professional service—advancing cybersecurity practice, driving educational innovation, and contributing meaningfully to the broader IEEE community.
Karen Panetta, Junior Past Chair
Karen received the B.S. degree in computer engineering from Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Northeastern University, Boston. She is currently the Dean of graduate engineering education and a Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA. She also holds secondary appointments in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering and a Visiting Faculty appointment in the Tufts School of Dental Medicine. She is the Director of the Panetta Vision and Sensing System Laboratory. Her research interests include developing efficient algorithms for Artificial Intelligence, simulation, modeling, signal, and image processing for biomedical, security and conservation applications. She was the recipient of the 2026 IEEE Mildred Dresselhaus Meda, the 2023 IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni award for Outstanding Technical Leadership and Excellence, the 2012 IEEE Ethical Practices Award and the Harriet B. Rigas Award for Outstanding Educator. In 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Award for Engineering and Science Education and Mentoring by U.S. President Obama for her Nerd Girls Program to empower young women in STEM. She was the Vice President of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society. Karen was the 2019 President of IEEE-HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) honor society and 2021- 2022 IEEE Awards Board Chair. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine. She was the IEEE-USA Vice-President of communications and public affairs and Vice-President of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society. From 2007 to 2009, she served as the Worldwide Director for the IEEE Women in Engineering, overseeing the world’s largest professional organization supporting women in engineering and science. She is the editor-in-chief of the award-winning IEEE WIE Magazine and co-author of the book, “Count Girls In.” Karen is the CEO and Co-founder of Tessera Intelligence Inc. and Co-inventor of the first Digital Twin. She is a Fellow of NAI, IEEE, AAIA, NASA JOVE and AAAS and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Her passion is utilizing her engineering knowledge for the benefit of humanity. Karen has advised world leaders and led humanitarian projects around the globe to change lives, help communities thrive and to protect the environment.
Maira Marques Samary, Senior Past Chair
Maira is currently an Assistant Professor at Boston College, where she teaches CS1, CS2, SE and CS Principles.
Her research interests include computer science education, collaborative work and software engineering education. She received an MS and PhD in computer science from the University of Chile, and an M.Ed. from Boston College.
Maira is the Senior Past Chair of the IEEE Boston Section and has served as the Chair of IEEE Boston’s Women in Engineering (WIE) since 2019. You can also find Maira running to support Dana Farber in the Boston Marathon.
Joseph Campbell, Membership Development Co-Chair
Dr. Joseph P. Campbell, an IEEE Life Fellow, is a Laboratory Fellow at MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) specializing in artificial intelligence technologies for national security. Since joining MIT LL in 2001, he has led groups advancing human language technology, deep learning for cyber analytics, and operational evaluation methods, delivering significant mission impact for U.S. government applications. His leadership has extended to major programs in forensic speaker recognition, biometrics, big data analytics, and technologies for combating human trafficking, with innovations transitioned to operational use by the U.S. government.
An active IEEE volunteer, Dr. Campbell has served as a distinguished lecturer, editor, and officer in multiple IEEE roles, and currently co-chairs MIT LL’s Professional Societies Committee. He has authored more than 120 publications with over 9,200 citations and an h-index exceeding 40, holds a U.S. patent, and has led multiple U.S. Federal and NATO speech-coding standards. His technical leadership has been recognized with MIT LL’s highest honor, the Technical Excellence Award, and numerous national awards in biometrics and speech processing.
Cecelia Cheng, Young Professionals Affinity Group Chair
Cecelia (Qingwan) Cheng received a B.A. degree in Computer Science and Applied Psychology, with a minor in Cyberstrategy and Design, from Boston College in 2023. She was honored with the General Excellence Award for her academic and community contributions.
Cecelia is currently a Data Analyst at Dell Technologies, where she works at the intersection of data, storage technology, and program management. Alongside her industry role, Cecelia remains deeply engaged in education and research by mentoring undergraduate researchers and conducting research on textile waste, design thinking, game-based learning, and AI literacy.
Cecelia currently serves as the Chair of the IEEE Boston Section Young Professionals (YP) Group, where she is committed to bringing young professionals across the Boston area together to learn, connect, and build community.
Karthik Ganesan, Member-at-Large
Dr. Karthik Ganesan is currently a principal engineering director at Cognizant US Corporation. He is a distinguished researcher, technical leader and innovator whose work bridges the gap between complex mathematical algorithms and real-world industrial applications. He is a post doctoral fellow from The Ohio State University and holds an MS and PhD in systems engineering, a IEEE senior member and professional member of Eta Kappa Nu, Boston He has authored more than 90 publications in reputed scientific and engineering Journals and contributions to book chapters.
He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (Fellow-IEI) and a recipient of the BOYSCAST award for young scientists by the Dept. of Science and Technology, GOI. He is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, ASEE. He is the Founder and Chair of the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS) Boston Chapter and is dedicated to advancing the mission of the IEEE Region 1 engineering community. His work to advance the Chapter’s goals has been deeply influenced by the mentorship and support of engineering pioneers Arthur Winston, Hal Goldberg, and Gus Gaynor and helped establish TEM Chapter as a hub for technology leadership in the region. Previously he served as Vice-Chair of the Boston Entrepreneurs Network (ENET) and has helped several budding engineering entrepreneurs from all over the world to pitch their ideas, learn product development, prototyping and successfully launch their ventures. He currently mentors early career engineers for leveraging machine learning and optimization to solve the next generation of challenges in reliability engineering, medical informatics and technology transfer.
Denise Griffin, Publicity Chair
Denise Griffin is a Senior Member of IEEE, an HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) member, and a Past Boston Section Chair. She was President of the Tufts University IEEE Chapter during college. In IEEE Region 1, she is a Past Women in Engineering Coordinator and currently is the Area Chair for the Northeastern Area. She serves on the Board of IEEE-HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) as Governor for Regions 1 and 2. Denise is passionate about Awards & Recognition and is a member of the IEEE-USA and MGA Awards & Recognitions Committees and will serve as MGA Awards Chair in 2026.
Denise is a long time member of the Steering/Organizing Committees for the IEEE WIE Forum, mainly focused on sponsorship, and was the General Conference Chair in 2016. She strongly values industry sponsorship and was also the Sponsorship Chair for the 2018 IEEE-USA Future Leaders Forum, the 2025 WIE International Leadership Forum and Rising Stars conference (since 2024).
Denise has twice received the Region 1 “Enhancing IEEE and Industry Relationship” award and has also received the IEEE-USA Regional Professional Leadership Award. She has a BSEE from Tufts University where she still volunteers extensively as a speaker, reunion event planner, alumni community event planner, fundraiser, and admissions interviewer. She is also a long time member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), serving most notably on the Awards Committee and as Past Boston President, and still speaks on behalf of SWE at high schools.
Fernando Rebolledo, Member-at-Large
Fernando studied Electrical Engineering in Veracruz, Mexico at the University of Veracruz, he graduated with Honors. With a Fulbright Scholarship he obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University focused on Microtechnologies and MEMS devices. Currently, he is a Process Engineer / Material Scientist for Applied Materials Inc. He is always excited to talk and encourage the next generation of STEM students, just like they did with him.
Gil Cooke, IEEE Boston Section Historian Emeritus
Gil is currently registered as Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and California. Before his retirement in 2001, he worked as project engineer for large engineering firms in California and Massachusetts, responsible for system designs, construction, and startup operations on numerous industrial and power generating facilities. Since retirement, he’s becoming passionate about the history of technology in New England. Gil is a collector of old engineering books, trade catalogs, electric meters, and electrical artifacts. Currently, Gil is working on the biography of Fred Stark Pearson, an eminent but unknown global engineer.
Gil is a member of IEEE Boston Section’s Executive Committee and was appointed Chair of the Boston Section History and Milestone Committee several years ago. In that capacity, he’s been responsible for research, nomination, and recognition of four electrical engineering milestones awarded by the IEEE Center of History. He’s advocated for additional milestones which are currently in process of receiving high awards later this year. Furthermore, each year, he participates on a committee to help organize National Engineers Week in Boston. Gil is a Senior Life Member of the IEEE. He belongs to other historical non-profit groups on Cape Cod and New England.
Trina Lorigan, Business Manager
Trina has spent her career in financial management, operations, marketing and event planning in multiple industries including retail, education, media and technology. She joined the IEEE Boston Section as Business Manager in May of 2024.
She holds a business degree from the University of California, Berkeley and enjoys the outdoors, art, books, music, food and nature. Join her in a Zoom meeting and you might meet a cat or two… or three.