The IEEE Board of Directors determines the future direction of the IEEE and is committed to ensuring that the IEEE remains a strong and dynamic organization that serves the needs of its members and the engineering and technology communities around the world, while fulfilling the IEEE’s mission of advancing technology for the benefit of mankind.

This article features IEEE Board Members Teresa Brunasso, Vicky Ozburn, and Ali H. Syed.

IEEE Senior Member Teresa Brunasso

Director, Region 3: US Southeast

A smiling woman with short brown hair, wearing a blue dress and blue earrings.Teresa Brunasso is an IEEE Senior Member and Director of the IEEE Region 3 (Southeastern United States).Teresa Brunasso

Brunasso, with over 30 years of experience in electrical engineering, specializes in electromagnetism. Her work includes the design and development of RF, microwave and millimeter wave components and subsystems for the defense and aerospace industries.

Brunasso said her favorite — and, in her opinion, coolest — project was leading the team that won the contract to build the Ka-band radar antenna that was used to land the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on Mars. The team has developed a strong, compact and lightweight antenna. She also led the development of a microwave feed for the antenna, which produced low sidelobes. Brunasso and the rest of the team were awarded a Letter of Appreciation from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for accomplishing complex requirements under tight deadlines.

Brunasso, an active IEEE volunteer, is a member of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society and the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. She has served as secretary, vice chair, and section chair of the IEEE Atlanta section. She was one of three women from Georgia honored in 2008 as part of the ninth annual Women of the Year in Technology Awards. The award recognizes Women of Power winners for their achievements as business leaders, technology visionaries, and women who make a difference in their communities.

Brunasso has presented papers at the IEEE International Microwave Symposium, the IEEE Radar Conference and the IEEE Ultra-Wideband Conference. She is a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the National Physical Honor Society, and HKN. She is set to speak at the IEEE Vision, Innovation and Challenges 2023 Summit and Awards Ceremony on May 5 in Atlanta.

IEEE Senior Member Vicki Ozburn

Director, Region 4: Central US

Smiling woman with short blond hair, wearing a pink shirt, pearls and a black sweater.IEEE Senior Member Vicky Ozburn is the Director of IEEE Region 4 (Central US).Read photo

Ozburn’s mission as director of IEEE Region 4 is to use her leadership talents to inspire, encourage and collaborate, she said. She has over 30 years of experience in leadership, project management, engineering management, quality, software development and manufacturing. Osburn says she enjoys working on projects that allow her to reach different markets to dream, design and build without limits. She works for the Avionics business unit, where they ensure aviation safety through their products and services. Her focus is on keeping passengers, aircrew and the military safe, connected and informed.

A member of the IEEE Computer Society, Osburn has been an active IEEE volunteer for over 17 years. She has held several senior committee positions in her section and region. The committees set strategies and goals for the region. Osburn prides himself on coming up with many creative ideas and initiatives and, more importantly, laying out clear action plans and steps to help IEEE members. She is a founding member of the IEEE Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Women In Engineering Affinity Group section.

As a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, she devotes her time and effort to promoting and expanding membership, and engaging IEEE members to use their skills and diversity of views to solve real problems.

Osburn received the Ted A. Hunter Award from the IEEE Cedar Rapids Section for outstanding individual service to the section’s goals and objectives. She was the recipient of the 2016 Collins Aerospace Enterprise Women’s Champion of the Year and the 2013 Women’s Forum Contributor of the Year award.

Fellow IEEE Ali H. Syed

Director of the 9th department

A man with dark hair, mustache and glasses.Ali H. Syed, an IEEE Fellow, is the Director of IEEE Division 9.EPFL

Syed is a leader in the design of adaptive systems and the development of learning methodologies to manage their performance. These are self-learning intelligent systems that are used in many areas, including communication, guidance and control systems, biomedical devices, and artificial intelligence machines. Syed’s research focuses on adaptation and learning theories, data and network sciences, statistical inference, and multi-agent systems. His research group is developing algorithms and theories that have taken the understanding of adaptive systems to new levels. He co-authored several textbooks that have helped educate generations of researchers and practitioners in the art of adaptation and learning.

As an active IEEE volunteer, Syed is familiar with the needs of IEEE members, especially students, young professionals and industry. In 2018 and 2019, he served as President of the IEEE Signal Processing Society, where he promoted initiatives for a more diverse and inclusive society. Syed says the IEEE is “an impressive network of professionals from academia, industry, government and the private sector” and their knowledge is a huge force for the common good. As a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, he promoted policies that expand education and training opportunities, support student mentoring and industry internships, and encourage open access and open science programs.

He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the World Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over 600 scientific publications and nine books. Syed has also received several awards, including the 2022 IEEE Fourier Technical Field Award and the 2020 IEEE Norbert Wiener Society Award.