About Us

Dr. Jeffrey Fox is the Chair of the Board for Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems (CCALS).

Jeff is the Assistant Dean for Research in the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He joined UVA Engineering in 2019 from UVA’s Office of the Vice President for Research, where he served as Director of Research Development. Prior to his position in the VPR’s office, he served as Managing Director of UVA’s Center for Automata Processing and as Managing Director of UVA’s nanoSTAR Institute.

Before joining UVA, Jeff was an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Jeff also served as an American Institute of Physics/AAAS Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman. Prior to his policy experience, Jeff was a Visiting Scientist with the Center for Applied Mathematics at Cornell University, and a founding scientist at Gene Network Sciences, a biotechnology company.

Jeff graduated from the Ohio State University with a B.S. in Physics, and received a PhD in Physics from Cornell University.

Khawaja Mamun is the Dean of the College of Business & Economics and Professor of
Economics at Longwood University. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX.

Mamun has served in various administrative positions in higher education for two
decades. In these capacities, he led a newly formed School of Computer Science and
Engineering as their inaugural Associate Dean, substantially grew the Department of
Economics and Finance by adding new programs and faculty, and developed a successful
graduate program in Business Analytics. An innovative and collaborative leader, Mamun
has in-depth expertise in academic programs and curriculum development, undergraduate
and graduate student experiences, AACSB accreditation, faculty affairs, strategic
partnerships, and operations.

Mamun has published numerous papers in several quality economics journals, including
the Journal of Urban Economics, the Journal of Environmental Economics and
Management, PLOS ONE, and Applied Economics Letters. His current research interests
are Applied Econometrics, Macroeconomics, and Derivatives. As a professor of
economics, he teaches econometrics in undergraduate and doctoral programs.
In his multiple roles at SHU, Mamun strived to bring a sense of inclusive community
among the students, faculty, and staff. He worked tirelessly to bring faculty from diverse
backgrounds to SHU as the department chair and associate dean at the Business College.
He is currently establishing a new Center for Advanced Analytics that will offer free data
analytics training to non-profit organizations that serve underrepresented communities in
the state and local schools to foster digital equity in the region.

Dr. Kuntal Bhattacharyya (Dr. B) enriches his current association in academe with many years of corporate experience in strategic sourcing, supply chain management, financial economics, and consulting. Dr. B holds a Ph.D. in Operations Management from Kent State University and an M.B.A. in Management from the University of Akron. In addition, he is also a certified risk manager (CRM).

As the inaugural Director and Beazley Professor of the School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations (SSCLMO) at Old Dominion University, Dr. B aims to establish the school as a hub for innovation and research, fostering and streamlining collaborations between academia and the industry. His vision includes positioning the SSCLMO as a top 25 Gartner Supply Chain Program in the USA by creating practitioner-focused curricula, enhancing workforce development, and providing experiential learning opportunities for future business leaders. Before joining ODU, he spent 14 years at Indiana State University, where he played key roles in designing an innovative supply chain program, directing the Center for Supply Management Research, and leading initiatives such as the Logistics 4.0 Innovation Hub, which integrated advanced technologies like AI, ML, and robotics into education and workforce training.

An accomplished researcher, Dr. B’s work at the intersection of global supply chain management and Industry 4.0 has been widely published in prestigious journals like Computers and Industrial Engineering, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Applied Mathematical Modeling, and Supply Chain Management Review, among others.

Dr. Dawit Haile is a Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Virginia State University (VSU), where he currently serves as Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology and Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. With over three decades of experience spanning both industry and academia, Dr. Haile has held previous academic appointments at Xavier University and Southern Illinois University.

As Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at VSU, Dr. Haile led the establishment of undergraduate and graduate programs in computer science and significantly enhanced research capabilities in key areas, including machine learning, data mining, and cybersecurity. His commitment to academic excellence has been recognized through several awards, notably the Bank of America Outstanding Faculty Award.

Dr. Haile’s research expertise includes combinatorics, graph theory, neural networks, and applications of data and graph mining. He has published journal articles, contributed chapters to scholarly books, and chaired several prominent conferences. Throughout his career, he has successfully secured over $25 million in grants as a PI or Co-PI to support research projects and initiatives.

In addition to his academic responsibilities, Dr. Haile holds leadership roles in research-focused organizations and consortia. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Interim President and Executive Director of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems (CCALS). He has been an active member of the CCALS board since 2014, previously serving as its Treasurer. Furthermore, Dr. Haile was appointed to the Commonwealth’s Manufacturing Development Commission, where he is serving his third consecutive four-year term, focusing on policy and strategic planning to enhance Virginia’s manufacturing sector. He also serves on the Southeastern Universities Research Association Coastal and Environmental Research Committee.

Dr. Haile maintains active memberships in professional societies, including the American Society for Engineering Education, American Mathematical Society, Mathematical Association of America, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Southern Illinois University, a master’s degree in computer science from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master’s degree in mathematics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Dr. Haile currently resides in Chester, Virginia, with his wife and two children.

Karen Jackson is President and CEO of Apogee Strategic Partners (ASP), a high-touch, high-quality business and technology related consulting service. Specializing in strategic analysis, planning and positioning, and technical and grant writing, the ASP team’s areas of expertise include but are not limited to broadband planning and adoption, advocacy, workforce development, technology market strategy, project management, RFP response, and policy development. Clients span the continental U.S. and include public sector (state and local governments), as well as private sector clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.

Soon after founding ASP, Jackson returned to public service, this time as Interim Executive Director of the New College Institute (NCI) in Martinsville, VA. There she rebranded, restructured, and launched programming and industry partnerships to position NCI as a “rural innovation center” and “destination training center” for high-demand credentials, certifications, and traditional academic programs including advanced/additive manufacturing ,health professions, renewables (wind), cybersecurity, cloud, and broadband installation. She launched STEM related programming for students by hosting hands-on, experiential opportunities including annual (virtual) AFA CyberPatriot camps that hosted students from across the U.S. and most notably, launched a Global Wind Organization (GWO) training center, becoming the first site in Virginia to hold that designation, and one of three sites in North America certified to offer GWO basic technical (BTT) training.

Prior to this, Jackson served as Secretary of Technology for Virginia, acting as Senior Advisor to the Governor on technology related issues spanning topics from autonomous systems, cyber security (including IoT), data analytics and Smart Communities. She also managed the state IT infrastructure, developed policies and programs to advance technology creation and adoption as economic development drivers.

Dr. Azim Eskandarian is the Dean of the VCU College of Engineering and the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. endowed chair/professor. Eskandarian previously served as department head and Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Eskandarian’s career encompasses experience in academic leadership, research, scholarship, teaching, and industry. As the Dean of Engineering at VCU since 2023, he has led the College of Engineering through transformative changes, focusing on interdisciplinary research through selected thematic areas of excellence, experiential learning, and creative endeavors to meet industry needs and address current global problems. He has fostered collaborations across multiple schools and colleges, both internally and internationally, and strengthened industry partnerships. Additionally, he has launched several new undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as created new pathways for students to receive credits for experiential learning and fulfill degree requirements while participating in internships and co-ops. Serving as department head at Virginia Tech from 2015 to 2023, he has worked collaboratively within the department and college to enhance innovation and degree programs, improve services, engage a broad spectrum of students, increase enrollment and external funding, and advance faculty and student success. Eskandarian’s research focuses on robotics, autonomous and dynamical systems, including autonomous and intelligent vehicles, collision avoidance and driver assistance, intelligent transportation systems, and vehicle crashworthiness and occupant injury biomechanics. He has won several excellence in research awards and recognitions.

Eskandarian is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) professional association, a member of SAE International, and a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma engineering honor societies. He also served as a part-time expert in the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division of the National Science Foundation for two years.

Before joining Virginia Tech, he was a professor of engineering and applied science at the George Washington University, where he was also director and founder of the Center for Intelligent Systems Research, director and co-founder of the National Crash Analysis Center, co-founder of the GWU Transportation Research Institute and director of the GWU and School of Engineering’s area of excellence in Transportation Safety and Security. He began his academic career as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Pennsylvania State University, York. He had previously worked as an engineer at VSE Corporation and Phillips Cartner & Co. Inc., both in Alexandria, Virginia.​

Eskandarian earned his B.S., M.S., and D.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineeringfrom GWU, Virginia Tech, and GWU, respectively.

Barbara Nelson joined The Port of Virginia in 2018, serves as the Vice President, Transportation and Government Affairs, and is a member of the port’s Executive Leadership Team.

In this capacity, she coordinates federal, state, and local government affairs, supports port-centric development interests, and leads the formulation, implementation, and execution of the port’s outside-the-gate transportation planning efforts.  Barbara also leads the port’s grant team aligning funding opportunities with port-related capital investments.

Barbara has worked extensively across Virginia in previous roles in transportation and planning, and with the USDOT Maritime Administration Strong Ports team.