TLI Industry Advisory Council

The Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation (TLI) maintains an active industry advisory council (IAC) that meets twice per year in the fall and the spring. The IAC's mission is to serve as an advisory council for the leadership and faculty within the TLI department on strategy, important issues affecting the future of the department, and external affairs; to establish an enduring collaboration between faculty, students, and industry; and provide insights to the TLI leadership team to maintain and enhance the department's position of academic excellence and prominence.

IAC Responsibilities

Provide program validation including mission and goals, course sequencing, instructional content, technical support, industrial applications, assessment, accreditation, and program review.
Provide industrial insight into new and emerging areas of discipline within the TLI department
To assist the department in program publicity, student and faculty recruitment, intern and student placement, alumni employment, special project identification, and funding.
To provide feedback and other assistance to the department's students, faculty, admin, and alumni.

Members

Dana Vogt

Jordan bridges

Donzel A. Leggett

With more than three decades of leadership experience at Fortune 200 companies, Donzel is the Principal of Destiny Development Delta, LLC, where he focuses on executive leadership development. He is also the award-winning author of Make Your Destiny Happen: Take Control of Your Life with the Destiny Development Delta Model for Transformational Success.

Recognized for his strategic vision and commitment to mentorship, Donzel is passionate about coaching and developing leaders worldwide. His purpose is clear: to help people unlock their full potential and become the best leaders they can be. A proud Purdue graduate and former Academic All-America football player, Donzel now splits his time between Florida and Chicagoland with his wife, Tracy.

Brian Johnson

Jordon Christopher Lazaro

Jordon Lazaro is an Active-Duty Staff Sergeant of Marines with a decade of service in the United States Marine Corps. Through his military education program at Purdue, he has become a committed advocate for the defense industry and a dedicated mentor to NROTC midshipmen, helping develop the next generation of Navy and Marine Corps leaders. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, complemented by minors in Naval Science and Design and Innovation. A Dean’s List scholar and Brand Ambassador for the Defense Innovation Networking Group (D!NG), Jordon brings together operational experience, academic excellence, and a passion for mentorship.

Justin Whitman

Justin Whitman works within the HR function at Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Waltham, MA as the Group Vice President of Human Resources for the Analytical Instruments business and is a member of the Company’s HR leadership team. Justin and his team support the $7.5B P&L and 17,500 colleagues across the globe as they design, sell, manufacture and service analytics instrument equipment. Prior to this role, Justin was the Group VP of HR for the Life Sciences and Laboratory Product business.

Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in late 2019, Justin spent 13 years with General Electric (GE), 10 years with the GE Aviation business, and 3 with GE Corporate. During his final role with GE, Justin supported the Corporate Headquarters site in Boston, MA and was the Executive HR Manager for the GE Accelerated Leadership Programs. In these roles, Justin provided leadership at the HQ from an HR perspective, and provided HR leadership to the accelerated executive development leadership programs and global team members. Justin was based out of the GE Corporate Headquarters in the Seaport District of downtown Boston, MA.

Prior to his transition to GE Corporate in 2016, Justin worked within the GE Aviation business where he held roles as a Executive HR Manager with in the Supply Chain Division and Engineering Organization. Justin also worked on a variety of organizational and talent development activities for GE Aviation and he has provided leadership for the HR Leadership Program, HR recruitment and development strategy, and talent management processes for the business.

Justin began his GE career in 2006 as the Human Resources Manager at GE Aviation’s Madisonville, KY Turbine Airfoils facility and was part of the Batesville, MS Composite Operations plant start-up team in 2008.Prior to joining GE in 2006, Justin spent seven years with the Owens Corning Corporation where he held a variety of human resources roles in both plant and corporate assignments, and initially joined Owens Corning in their Human Resources Development Program.

Justin earned his bachelor's degree from Purdue University in Organizational Leadership and Human Resources, is originally from Lebanon, IN and now resides near Boston, MA with his wife Wendy and two boys, Drew and Dylan.

Maggie McGlynn

Andrea Hancock

Chad Barrett

Taylor Renee Frazier

Autumn Dawn Dransoff

Meridian Jade Beal

Greg Kelley

Greg Kelley is a 2001 OLS graduate and later returned to earn a Master’s degree in Engineering Technology. His career spans more than 25 years in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, with a strong focus on supply chain technology and digital transformation.

Greg has spent 19 years at PepsiCo in progressive global leadership roles across Data & Analytics, Technology Innovation, Digital Product Management, and User Experience Design. His work has centered on building technology capabilities that improve supply chain performance, enable smarter decision making, and drive digital transformation initiatives.

Greg is a proud Purdue alumnus and is passionate about developing future leaders. He welcomes opportunities to provide insight on industry relevant skills, emerging trends, and career pathway conversations to help students prepare for the workplace.

Brook Ledford

Brooke Ledford is a 2021 graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Human Resource Development and minors in Organizational Leadership and Human Resource Management. In 2023, she earned her SHRM-CP certification, further strengthening her expertise and commitment to advancing her career in the human resources field.

Brooke has spent the past five years with Bowen Engineering, where she serves on the recruiting team. She began her career as a Campus Recruiter, leading the company’s internship program and building strong university partnerships. In her current role as Corporate Recruiter, she helps drive full-time recruitment strategy and talent acquisition efforts across the organization. Brooke is passionate about growing the business while fostering a culture built on humble, hungry, and smart teams.

Coming from a proud family of Boilermakers, Brooke is deeply committed to supporting Purdue students and helping develop the next generation of leaders.

Abigail Grace Shook

Derick A Vanegas

Scott Kurz

Scott is heavily involved in the development and construction management services for Lincoln Property Company. Over the last nine (10) years, Scott has focused much of his efforts at Legacy Union, the former Charlotte Observer site, managing over 2.5 Million SF of office tower construction including Bank of America Tower, the Deloitte Building and 600 S. Tryon St. He also assisted in the development of Rea Farms, the former Golf Links site, working closely with ownership and managing over $70M of site work and infrastructure.

Scott has over fifteen (15) years of experience in commercial real estate and has gained valuable expertise in due diligence, contracts, pro forma establishment, project management, and overall tracking of financial targets. Prior to his development work in Uptown Charlotte, he worked for five (5) years on the Lincoln Harris Corporate Services team supporting the Bank of America account, specializing in office build outs, infrastructure replacement projects, and retail banking centers. Mr. Kurz served as Senior Project Manager for the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Canadian Portfolio.

Before arriving in Charlotte, Scott spent eight (8) years in Washington D.C. in both the residential and commercial construction arenas.

Scott has a Master’s Degree in Technology and Organization Development and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University. While in West Lafayette, Scott was a member of the Purdue Football Team that went to five (5) bowl games (1997-2001). He was a recruited walk-on who served as starting punter for the 2001 Rose Bowl Team, earning a scholarship his senior year. He was also named an Academic All-Big Ten Athlete.

Scott has a real estate broker’s license and is a member of NAIOP. He will serve as the Charlotte Chapter President for 2027.

Scott is a proud father of three to Sawyer (13), Austin (10) and Sybi (8). His wife, Jennifer, is also in commercial real estate, working for Trinity Partners as a broker on their office leasing team. They are avid travelers, having visited all 50 states and over 25 national parks.

Rex Felton

Rex Felton is a 1992 Purdue OLS alumnus and former Purdue Track Athlete. His career spans more than 30 years of global operations senior leadership in the semiconductor and automotive industries.

Rex joined Texas Instruments after graduating from Purdue and enjoyed a 23 year career leading semiconductor wafer fab operations and other global factories during a time of dynamic change in the chip industry. Rex enjoyed employing a hands on leadership approach while working with his teams to revolutionize TI's approach to problem solving and operational excellence in its factories.

Following TI, Rex served as the Global Ops VP for the Electronics and Safety Division of Delphi Automotive, leading operations in the manufacturing of electric vehicle power components and autonomous driving systems. Subsequently Rex was Senior VP for Wolfspeed leading global operations and expansion of factories in the design and manufacturing of power electronic semiconductors for electric vehicles.

Rex currently serves on the board of directors for Alithia, a seed stage semiconductor start up and works part time as a consultant for Alvarez and Marsal in the area of private equity performance improvement. He looks forward to engaging with Purdue TLI students and alumni as they develop their leadership skill set to tackle the challenges of re-shoring manufacturing in the United States.

Brett Michael Nuzzo

My name is Brett Nuzzo and I am currently a senior majoring in Human Resource Development and Psychology. I enjoy being able to give back to the program and I am the current Treasurer of Young Professionals of Human Resource Development. I’m from Hobart, Indiana.

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