CONVERGE '25

John E. Kolb ’79, P.E., received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Rensselaer. A licensed professional engineer in New York State, Kolb’s Rensselaer career spans over 40 years. He previously served as dean of Computing and Information Services; assistant dean of Engineering, head of Core Engineering; director of Engineering Computing Services; and manager in the Center for Interactive Computer Graphics. Kolb has taught courses in Engineering Science, Management, and IT. He is a member of the NYSERNET.org Board and the chair of the NYSERNET.net Board. He is the co-chair of the University of the State of NY Technology Policy and Practices Council (TPPC), and member of the board of the Rensselaer Newman Foundation. He is also a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is the former chair of the CIO Council of the Capital Region Business-Higher Education Roundtable and a former board member of the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST), Internet2, and WMHT. He is a past recipient of the Boeing Outstanding Engineering Educator Award. Kolb conceived and implemented an innovative mobile computer program for all undergraduate students at RPI that has been in place for over 25 years. He was instrumental in attracting and implementing three generations of supercomputers (with the current system having a computational capacity of 8 PetaFLOPS) at the Rensselaer Computational Center for Innovations (CCI). He successfully completed the latest initiative to install at RPI the first IBM Quantum System One on a college campus. He has been recently appointed as the Vice President and Head of RPI Future of Computing Institute (FOCI).

Albert Pulido, Deputy Secretary for Finance and Technology, NYS Executive Chamber

In Albert’s current role, he is responsible for state agencies and efforts including those overseeing financial regulation, tax, technology development and policy, and broadband expansion. He is focused on the governor’s vision, including promoting a fairer financial services system, closing the digital divide, improving digital services, and the responsible use of emerging technology.
Previously, Albert served as the Director of Citywide Operations at New York City’s City Hall, where he oversaw numerous agencies and efforts, including technology and broadband expansion efforts. He holds a BA from Cornell University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Andrew Rainone is Senior Vice President, for Altice USA’s Optimum telecommunications business. In this role, he leads the development and execution of the company’s sales

and revenue growth strategies and performance. This includes oversight for all business sales channel activities supporting Optimum managed services for small, medium and enterprise business customers. Andrew leads critical efforts driving the company’s local market business community engagement e orts designed to strengthen sales and local activity to advance Optimum’s competitive position and drive growth.

Andrew previously spent 18-plus years at T-Mobile in a variety of business sales leadership roles, most recently as Vice President of Strategic & Global Accounts, the largest revenue generating channel for the business sales division, where he was responsible for over $1 billion in revenue with Fortune Global 300 accounts. In that role, he led the teams responsible for capturing global connectivity market share in some of the most competitive markets across the United States by optimizing go-to-market capabilities and developing best-in-class customer acquisition, base and retention strategies through global partnerships.

Throughout his career, Andrew has served in a variety of corporate and field roles managing business services at cutting-edge SaaS organizations and Fortune 500 companies. He is known for leading cultural sales transformations in complex organizations across a variety of sales channels, from retail to call center to door to door and more.

Andrew received his B.A. from Fordham University in Rose Hill, New York.

Camille Shelley is a transformative technology executive specializing in digital innovation and AI strategy within higher education. As Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Mercy University, she orchestrates comprehensive digital transformations that reshape how institutions deliver educational experiences and achieve operational excellence. Her distinguished career includes serving as Northeast General Manager at Ellucian and Chief Information Officer at both Yeshiva University and Brookdale Community College, establishing her reputation for driving strategic technology initiatives that enhance student success and institutional effectiveness.

Camille’s influence extends well beyond individual institutions through her leadership roles in key industry organizations, including EDUCAUSE’s CIO Program Advisory Committee, the CNBC Technology Executive Council, and the Westchester County Association’s Digital Connectivity Committee. She currently leads Mercy University’s $2.6 million Federal Internet for All grant program, targeting digital equity challenges across New York State. As an accomplished presenter on emerging technology trends, she maintains active membership in the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Technology Business Management (TBM) Council. Camille holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Faulkner University and an MBA in Information Systems from Troy University

Christopher B. Fisher is a Partner at Cuddy & Feder LLP and Chair of the firm’s Digital Infrastructure Group. With a deep understanding of real estate development, the nuances of state and local government, and litigation, Chris is a go-to resource for navigating complex projects and infrastructure in the region. Over thirty years of strategic problem-solving and experiential regulatory acumen have assisted clients to deliver housing, energy, healthcare, broadband, retail and warehouse facilities in New York and Connecticut—no matter the challenge.

Chris aligns creative legal strategies with sound economic development policy and business objectives, making him a key figure in the development of public-private partnerships. In recognition of his leadership, Chris was elected Vice-Chair of the Westchester County Association Board (WCA) in 2022, where he continues to drive and advocate for connected communities, affordable housing, a strong workforce and sustainable energy solutions. His personal work in launching the WCA’s nationally recognized Y-Zone digital equity initiative and supporting Connect Westchester are notable pro bono contributions.

Chris is also a founding board member and past President of the New York State Wireless Association (NYSWA), where he currently serves as State and Local Government Affairs Advisor. He also sits on the Board of Visitors at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Chris previously served as the Managing Partner of Cuddy & Feder and Chaired the firm’s Land Use & Development Practice. Chris has been recognized on City & State’s Telecommunications Power 50 list, named a US Best and Super Lawyer in New York, and received the Distinguished Service Award from Pace Law School

Deborah Novick is the Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation within the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, where she directs Launch1000, the Element 46 incubator program, the Westchester County Biosciences Initiative, and oversees the Biosciences Accelerator program.  In addition, she looks for opportunities to enhance and expand the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in Westchester. Since February 2020, she has been a member of the Board of the Westchester County Association.

Novick was most recently Director of the Biotechnology Incubator at New York Medical College, a position she held since late 2017. Among her responsibilities was creating a collaborative community within the incubator and recruiting new start-ups. She was also responsible for overseeing the design and physical expansion of the incubator, which doubled in size after achieving full occupancy during her tenure.

Her background also includes having served as an instructor for a course on entrepreneurship at the Women’s Enterprise Development Center; co-founded a successful real estate staging firm and served as fund manager for several venture capital funds.

A resident of Larchmont, Novick earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s College of Industrial and Labor Relations. She holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Drew Parker, PhD is an AI Systems Engineer at SandboxAQ and CTO/Co-Founder of Rationarium, specializing in the rapid prototyping and deployment of AI applications and multi-agent systems. With expertise spanning frontend development (TypeScript), backend systems (Python, PostgreSQL), and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Terraform, Docker), Dr. Parker has extensive experience building both individual AI agents and complex multi-agent frameworks that automate sophisticated business workflows.

Dr. Parker’s work exemplifies the evolution from traditional automation to intelligent agent orchestration—precisely the advanced AI paradigms that drive strategic value creation in modern enterprises. Their hands-on experience developing agentic frameworks provides practical insights into how businesses can move beyond simple AI tools to implement the kind of sophisticated, adaptive automation systems that define competitive advantage in the AI era.

Drew Peterson is the Director of Technology Innovation at Crown Castle, where he leads the development and implementation of new technologies that improve the efficiency, quality, and scalability of network deployment. With more than a decade of experience across civil engineering, network infrastructure, and telecommunications, Drew plays a critical role in advancing Crown Castle’s mission to deliver cutting-edge connectivity solutions.

Before stepping into his current leadership role, Drew served as Principal Architect for Network Deployment Innovation at Crown Castle. Earlier in his career, he was a Technical Program Manager at Google, where he focused on network infrastructure engineering, helping support some of the most complex and high-performing systems in the industry. He also co-founded Lightyear, a startup aimed at simplifying how businesses source and manage connectivity.

Drew holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and brings deep technical expertise across OSP engineering, GIS, and telecom systems design. His work is driven by a passion for innovation, collaboration, and building the networks that power our digital world

As CEO of EnableComp, Frank Forte brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in revenue cycle management and executive leadership, having most recently served as CEO at AnatomyIT, a leader in Cyber Security and IT solutions for healthcare. Prior to AnatomyIT, Forte held the position of CCO and General Manager at Cloudmed Solutions, where he was responsible for defining and executing the company’s commercial and automation strategy and was successful at scaling operations, building a high-performance organization, and managing the integration of multiple acquisitions. Prior to Cloudmed, Forte also held executive roles in business development, operations, and strategy for various healthcare, services, and technology companies, including Emerson Electric Corporation.

John Emra is president of the Atlantic Region (the 13 state region plus DC from Maine to Virginia) for AT&T.  He leads the company’s strategy, policy, and corporate affairs activities, as well as guiding governmental and community policy decisions.  He works closely with community leaders, legislators, and other policy makers, as well as local and regional business leaders and customers, to help meet AT&T’s objective of connecting people with technology everywhere they live and work.

John began his career at AT&T in September of 2001 and worked as its regional vice president for external and legislative affairs in Connecticut until being named the company’s Connecticut president in 2013.  He served as president of AT&T New England from April 2020 to November 2023.

Before joining AT&T, John was a consultant to the company working on the formulation of national broadband policy by the US Congress and Federal Communications Commission as well as serving as the company’s national media spokesperson.  His other professional experience includes more than twenty years in the field of strategic communications including electoral politics, government service, and legislative advocacy.

Mr. Emra volunteers his time with a number of organizations including serving on the boards of: CAPA Connecticut, CBIA, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Regional Plan Association, Southern Connecticut State University Foundation, The Business Council of New York State, YMCA of Greater New York, and the United Way of Connecticut.

In addition to his work at AT&T, John is an adjunct professor of communication at Fairfield University.

John holds a Master’s degree from Purdue University and a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University.  He lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Mr. Levy is the CEO and co-founder of SEEQC, a quantum computing chip company based in New York, London and Naples. Mr. Levy served as the Chair of Hypres, a superconductive high-speed computing and RF systems company which spun out SEEQC in 2019.

Mr. Levy was a founding partner of L Capital Partners, a venture capital fund where Mr. Levy led investments in the technology sector. Mr. Levy served as founding CEO of ePlanet, a pioneering computer vision company funded by Intel. During the mid-1990’s, Mr. Levy worked at Interval Research Corporation, a Palo Alto based technology think tank sponsored by Paul Allen.

Over the past 15 years, Mr. Levy has been a frequent lecturer at Columbia University Business School and recently at the new Quantum Information Sciences program. He received an A.B. from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Joshua Breitbart is the Senior Vice President, ConnectALL, at Empire State Development. In that role, he serves as Director of the Division of Broadband Access, overseeing the statewide digital equity plan and administering over $1 billion in public investments across the state. Joshua Breitbart brings more than two decades of experience to ConnectALL, including as Senior Advisor for Broadband and Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York and as an advisor to the broadband subcommittee of the Reimagine New York Commission.

Judah Holstein began his career as a software developer in the corporate sector and, in 1995, founded his own company, Miracom Computer Corp. Over the past 30 years, Miracom has delivered critical control systems to clients including Pratt & Whitney, Alfred Dunner, and hundreds of newspaper organizations across North America and around the world. These include Gannett, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Seattle Times, TC Transcontinental of Canada, and Lee Enterprises.

Guided by a deep commitment to public service, Judah served three terms on the Eastchester School Board before being elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 2023. He is known for his thoughtful leadership, clear communication, and ability to listen to constituents while helping them understand the complex factors behind important decisions.

Since joining the Legislature, Judah has led efforts to protect and strengthen communities. He has championed cybersecurity and emerging technology protections, advanced legislation to combat domestic violence, and supported the preservation of local history alongside efforts to grow the economy and support small businesses. He has also been a strong advocate against hate and bigotry, including antisemitism, and works to bring people together in a time of growing division.

Judah is the proud father of three: Sammy, a student at Stony Brook University; Matthew, completing his ER residency in Syracuse; and Elana, a writer with UJA Federation.

Karim Mohammadali is a Manager on Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team, where he leads policy development and engagement on critical issues including AI, consumer choice, and interoperability for Google’s hardware and platforms businesses.

His policy perspective is further informed by his experience within Google’s sales organization, where he provided strategic insights on business operations, and his prior role as an M&A consultant at PwC, where he advised executives in technology, energy, and infrastructure.

Karim graduated with High Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning dual degrees in Finance and Accountancy with a minor in Political Science. Outside of work, Karim enjoys cooking, exploring New York City, and spending time with his Siberian Husky, Glacier.

Margaret Käufer is the President and Chief Visionary Officer of The STEM Alliance. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a grassroots effort to a Westchester County leader in STEM enrichment. Meg champions STEM both as a tool to inspire future leaders and to connect underserved populations with skills that increase employability and wages. The STEM Alliance is the lead programmatic partner for Connect Westchester—the county’s first large-scale digital equity initiative—providing devices, internet access, and tech education to bridge the digital divide for hundreds annually. Since 2021, Meg has been a member and partner of the Westchester County Association (WCA) and was honored with their Leadership Award for her role in advancing digital connectivity as a driver of workforce and economic development. (BA, Brown University; M.Ed., Teachers College – Columbia University)

Prof. Robert J. Harrison is the interim Executive Director of the Empire AI Consortium, a strategic partnership between New York State and its leading academic institutions to provide world-class AI computer resources for research benefiting the public good. At Stony Brook University (SUNY), he is a Professor of Applied Mathematics and Statistics and the Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS). His research focuses on theoretical chemistry and high-performance computing, with a particular emphasis on developing accurate computational methods for large systems and heavy elements.  His career includes significant leadership positions: Director of the Joint Institute of Computational Science (JICS) at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and roles at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he spearheaded the development of the NWChem computational chemistry software. He holds degrees from Cambridge University and has been recognized with the IEEE Computer Society Sidney Fernbach Award and multiple R&D 100 awards for his work on NWChem and MADNESS. He also co-chaired a National Academies committee on Future Directions for NSF Advanced Computing Infrastructure.

Assemblyman Steve Otis serves Sound Shore communities of Westchester County by using his work on local, county, state and federal issues and long-time leadership in the environmental community to win results and move issues of importance statewide and to the 91^st Assembly District.

Otis chairs the Assembly Science and Technology Committee. He is the leading advocate for digital inclusion programs in the state legislature. These programs provide broadband access, devices and training to individuals excluded from essential digital world most take for granted. Digital inclusion programs are the leading nationally recognized model for addressing digital equity issues based on race, age or economic ability. His initiative to create a state Digital Inclusion Grant program was included in the 2021-22 state budget.

The committee’s work includes a focus on legislation to improve cybersecurity protection, provide oversight of state government use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making systems, and issues related to data privacy.

Assemblyman Otis also helped initiate the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015, the state grant program to assist municipalities in financing needed clean water projects. Since the creation of WIIA, the program has provided over $2.8 billion in water grants to over 1100 projects statewide: creating jobs, making environmental projects possible and making these projects more affordable for local taxpayers. Westchester communities have secured over $132 million in grants for 53 projects. In addition, the Assemblyman’s proposal for a $250 million municipal stormwater grant program was included in the voter approved 2022 Environmental Bond Issue.

Dr. Travis L. Scholten works as the Technical Lead for Public Sector at IBM Quantum. He focuses on large, strategic activities with government entities to identify opportunities for leveraging quantum computers and advances in quantum computational science to drive technical, economic, and social impact. In prior roles at IBM Quantum, Travis developed and led research collaborations with startups and enterprises on topics related to quantum benchmarking and applications.

Travis serves on the Board of Directors of the Unitary Foundation, a non-profit working to create a quantum technology ecosystem that benefits the most people, as well as the Ecosystem Advisory Board of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center at Fermilab. He is the creator of The Quantum Stack, a Substack on quantum computing.

Previously, Travis was a Policy Hacker Fellow with the Foundation for American Innovation, a non-profit whose mission is to develop technology, talent, and ideas that support a better, freer, and more abundant future. Prior to joining IBM Quantum, he received a PhD in Physics from the University of New Mexico, and a BS degree in Physics from the California Institute of Technology.