2021-2022 Virtual FINALS SHOWCASE Judges

PAULO NUNES

Paulo Nunes is the President of Rocket Club, the global entrepreneurship, coding, and robotics academy for kids aged 7-14. During their time at Rocket Club they start their own businesses, learn complex entrepreneurship topics, and build and code robotics over the course of a two-year gamified curriculum.  

Paulo was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, and excelled in early academics such as Gifted and Talented, President of the Nation Honor Society, Peer leadership, robotics, electronics, and debate. Outside of traditional academia, Paulo was involved in a large variety of extracurricular programs and clubs. From being a four-sport varsity athlete through high school to earning his Eagle Scout before the age of 17, and then going on to Rutgers University, Paulo has been very cognizant of the effect these experiences have had on his life and has made it his mission to guide our next generation in maximizing their own potential. 

When Paulo is not working he loves playing soccer, bushcraft camping, woodworking and carpentry, amateur black-smithing, playing guitar, or painting. He is lifelong mission to find the midpoint where science/technology and art meet! 

PAUL CLAXTON

Paul Claxton is passionate about building companies lean. He has an impressive reputation for taking companies and new concepts from idea to paper to revenue. 

Paul is currently a venture partner with The Robotics Hub. He believes venture capital is one of the biggest catalysts for building a thriving entrepreneurial society and that entrepreneurs can solve many of mankind’s problems.  

Outside of Venture Capital, Paul enjoys continuing other entrepreneurial endeavors within areas of AI, healthcare, public speaking, mentoring (C-level executives down to interns) and writing. 
 
Paul’s 20-plus-year career spans the Marine Corps, working in well-funded hyper-growth startups, and Fortune 500 companies. He spent 11 years on active duty and is an honorably discharged and decorated U.S. Marine. He was named a 40 under 40 entrepreneur by San Diego Business Journal.  

BRIAN HINMAN

Brian Hinman is the Chief Commercial Officer for Aon IP Solutions. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of intellectual property, having held senior executive positions at some of the world’s leading companies. Most recently, he served as Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Philips, based in the Netherlands. In this role, he also held the position of CEO of Philips Intellectual Property and Standards where he led a worldwide team of more than 400 intellectual property professionals in nine different countries. Previous to Philips, he was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Unified Patents Inc., and prior to that, he held positions of Vice President of IP and Licensing at IBM, Verizon and InterDigital, and was founding CEO of Allied Security Trust. Brian holds degrees from RPI and the University of Pittsburgh.

GRETCHEN MONAHAN

Gretchen Monahan is a first-grade teacher at Avalon Elementary in the Northgate School District in Pittsburgh, Penn. She has been teaching at Avalon for 25 years – but has a taught for a total of 28 years. A majority of my career was spent as a reading specialist teaching kindergarten through sixth grade Title I reading and math, as well as Reading Recovery. The last two years she switched to a first-grade classroom and absolutely loves it. In 2008, she became a Keystone Innovator of Technology where she learned about SMART Technologies. Gretchen became a SEE, SMART Ambassador, as well as a SMART Certified Trainer. Using SMART Notebook and Lumio in her classroom has given her opportunities to present at a variety of conferences and workshops. After school, she sponsors Forensics and Tech Club. When not in the classroom, she loves cheering on the Pittsburgh sports teams (Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins) with her husband, family, friends, and 8-year-old basset hound girl named Gus, or playing golf.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DANIEL DESANTIS

Lieutenant Commander Daniel DeSantis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in from Cornell University, a Master of Public Health degree from San Diego State University, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Operationally, DeSantis served as command flight surgeon and medical department head of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 (HMH-361), aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. With HMH-361, he deployed to the Indo-Pacific region in support of Unit Deployment Program 16.2, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. He then served with a detachment of HMH-361 in support of UNITAS 2017, aboard USS Somerset (LPD 25). DeSantis completed his Internal Medicine Internship at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD). He subsequently completed his naval flight surgery training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. After his tour with HMH-361, DeSantis completed his Internal Medicine Residency at NMCSD.  

DeSantis currently serves as a Cardiovascular Diseases Fellow at NMCSD. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Lieutenant Commander Kristin DeSantis, a gynecologic surgeon and obstetrician. They have two children. 

CRAIG GELFOUND

Craig Gelfound is a partner and head of Arent Fox's Intellectual Property Group in Los Angeles, where he leads more than 30 intellectual property attorneys and legal professionals. Under Craig's leadership, the Intellectual Property Group was ranked nationally by Chambers USA in 2013 and recognized as the best in the country for client service. Additionally, Craig has been recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 25 Intellectual Property attorneys in California. Craig has also been recognized as an Intellectual Property "Super Lawyer" by California Super Lawyer Magazine and selected to appear in the second edition of IP Stars from Managing IP (MIP) Magazine.

ANUJ GARGEYA MALKAPURAM

Anuj Gargeya Malkapuram is a Principal Security Engineer at Salesforce supporting and leading cross-functional teams and enterprise level security initiatives. As an expert and practitioner in information security detection and incident response, threat intelligence and security engineering, he evangelizes information security across organizations. Prior to joining Salesforce, he worked in FinTech, E-Commerce and SaaS organizations such as Amazon and Lending Club Corporation.   

Anuj graduated from San Jose State University with a master's degree in electrical engineering with specialization in Computer Networking and Security. He has filed multiple patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and his work was published in multiple international journals. Anuj is also a panel judge and review committee member for various security conferences and competitions. 

ANTOINE TANNOUS

Antoine Tannous is the Local Lead of NASA Space Apps in Lebanon. He is also a Lebanese managing director, a famous TV analyst, and senior lecturer. He has presented and produced many high-tech shows on Middle Eastern and International TV and radio stations. Tannous delivers several senior courses like STEM, Quality Management Systems, Intelligence (MIS), Strategic Management & Policy, Essentials of Entrepreneurship, Project Management, and others at universities. Throughout his life, Antoine has received many prestigious awards. He was selected three times as a Grand Award Judge at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and he is the director of ISEF in Lebanon. He has been an Ambassador and Panel Judge with Conrad Challenge since 2018. Currently, Tannous is working with many Lebanese, Middle Eastern, and American officials to present Lebanon in worldwide fairs and organizations to support the Lebanese brains in Space and STEM initiatives. His latest accomplishment is making Lebanon reemerge in the worldwide atlas of astronomical presence.

JOHN CYRUS

John Cyrus is a senior information technology (IT) executive and business solutions leader with more than 28 years of experience in management and technology. A Harvard University-certified cybersecurity executive, he has a proven record in IT strategy, planning, and execution of large engineering information technology portfolios for the public and private sectors. He is also a thought leader on emerging technologies such as AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and intelligent automation. He currently serves as the Vice President of IT Strategy & Emerging Technologies at Concilium Services LLC. 

John earned his MS in electrical engineering at Wichita State University. He is a Project Management Professional and a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute Leadership for a Democratic Society, and he completed Harvard University’s “Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age” program.  

John participates and moderates panel discussions on AI, Cybersecurity, Intelligent Automation and RPA at different forums. 

CDR RICHARD “PAUL” GOODRICH JR.

Richard “Paul” Goodrich Jr. graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He played middle linebacker for the nationally ranked Indians and was a four-time NCAA Academic All-American and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete.  

Paul earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008 and completed a transitional internship at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Upon successful completion of Undersea and Dive Medical Officer training at the Naval Undersea Medical Institute, he was awarded the Surgeon General’s Award for exemplary leadership. He completed subsequent operational tours with the First Naval Construction Division/Underwater Construction Teams and Submarine Squadron Six. During these tours he earned his Master of Business Administration from Liberty University. 

More recently, Paul transitioned from active duty to the Navy United States Naval Reserves and is completing an Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship at Miami Valley Hospital/Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He plans on returning to Western Pennsylvania to practice at Conemaugh Memorial Hospital when his fellowship ends.  

BRIAN MILDER

Brian Milder brings a wealth of varied experience to his role as a Conrad Challenge judge. He began his career as a general practice litigator before successively launching a wireless communications business and later, a marketing and communications consulting practice. Throughout his career, Brian has had an entrepreneurial focus – he was one of the first employees at PowerFood (PowerBar), developed tag lines for start-up t-shirt company Silo8, and pitched new product ideas to LEGO. Brian now helps teams develop compelling proposals, coaches orals presentation techniques, and writes and produces videos. When he is not working, he serves as the Board President for HopeNet, an organization working to fight food insecurity in Los Angeles, and volunteers on a disaster response team. Brian enjoys relaxing at home in Los Angeles with his family as well as hiking, camping, and pursuing a variety of athletics.

REDWAN FERDOUS

Redwan Ferdous is a prominent and professional electrical engineer and project manager in the industry of Bangladesh. He is PRINCE2 certified Project Manager and CSCM holder. Currently he is leading the Electro-Mechanical Engineering department of the largest super specialized hospital of Bangladesh by Labaid Group. He is a visionary investor in several cross-border IT and agro startups. 

He has more than 10 years of experience in commercial and education robotics and IoT solution design. In addition, he is a Senior Member of IEEE. He is also the country representative of the International Robot Olympiad and World Robot Olympiad in Bangladesh.  

VINCENT LIBERTO

Vincent Liberto is a supervisor and former engineer for National Grid in Brooklyn, NY. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and currently lives in Astoria Queens NY. He has been working with National Grid since graduating from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 2015. He is currently working toward a master's degree mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with an anticipated graduation date of Summer 2023. He enjoys traveling (having been to 48 states and 12 countries), skiing, visiting the beach, and going to concerts.

AARUSHI SHARMA

Aarushi Sharma was born and brought up in New Delhi, India. She holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and a doctorate in pharmacology and neuroscience. Prior to Simon, she worked as a scientist in the field of cancer at Mayo Clinic and then as a Technology Transfer Fellow at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In these roles, she was involved in early drug development and processes for commercialization of lab innovations, respectively. 

At Simon, Aarushi is concentrating on building expertise in strategy and marketing. She is also the first-year MBA representative for Simon Life Sciences Club, where she works to promote the interests of fellow MBA students in the healthcare business. Her goal post-graduation is to strategically design and lead decisions for bringing breakthrough therapeutics to patients. 

STEVEN YBARRA

Steven Ybarra is a former Chicago Public School teacher turned software engineer who loves all things related to STEM education. He has a passion for helping others realize their goals and maximize their potential through patience, hard work and creative thinking. Steven has garnered a variety of experience and expertise in multiple areas of both STEM and general education over the years. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology education at Illinois State University, racking up five years of teaching experience at both the high school and elementary levels while also pursuing a master’s degree for software engineering at DePaul University with a concentration in real-time systems architecture through the context of game development. He currently works as a software engineer in medical technology while also teaching several virtual classes with Rocket Club - the premier STEM and Entrepreneurship Tech Academy for 7–14-year-olds. In his free time, Steven enjoys cooking, tinkering with new technology and software development tools, staying active through running, swimming, rock climbing, and catching up with both old and new friends.

SARAH GLATT

Sarah Glatt is the Founder of Paper Crane Associates, a woman-owned and Massachusetts-based consulting firm. Sarah serves as a trusted guide, coach, and confidant to founders and leaders who are launching, growing, and pivoting their mission-driven organizations. She has worked with more than 200 non-profits and mission-driven companies, primarily providing strategic planning and business planning services. Sarah has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and biochemistry from Brandeis University and an MBA with a concentration in social entrepreneurship from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Beyond her consulting work, Sarah regularly serves as a judge for business plan competitions, including the Conrad Challenge, NH Social Venture Innovation Challenge, Hult Prize, Global Social Innovation Challenge, Duke Start Up Challenge, and Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs.

DR. VAMSEE VEERAMACHINENI

Dr. Vamsee Veeramachineni is a Staff Fellow working as a researcher and regulatory reviewer in the Office of Vaccines Research and Review at CBER/U.S.FDA. His research experience is in the fields of enzymology and glycobiology. Dr. Veeramachineni received his PhD in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from State University of New York at Buffalo with a research specialization in enzymology. His current research at FDA involves the study of capsular polymerization in Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A and X. Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis across the globe. A capsule surrounds the bacterial cell wall and is a major virulence factor that protects the bacteria from a variety of host immune responses. This results in severe infection including death in human beings. Studying the mechanism of membrane-bound glycosyl transferases that synthesize the capsule, provides lifesaving tools to develop vaccines and next-generation antibacterial treatments.

JACOB ZITTERKOPF

Jacob Zitterkopf has been a practicing orthodontist in the Denver Metro area for the last five years. He is the founder of Broca, a mobile app offering professional, discipline-specific language learning, working to bridge communication between healthcare providers and patients speaking different languages. Improving healthcare experiences and treatment outcomes for all is one of his greatest passions. Jacob was a 2013 recipient of the Dennis Washington Achievement Award and now serves on the selection committee on behalf of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. He received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 2015 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and his Masters of Science in Dentistry and Orthodontics specialty certificate in 2017 from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, Calif.

DR. MARINA WATANBE

Dr. Marina Watanabe is the Creativity and Entrepreneurship Senior Fellow at the Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship (LPCE) at Harvard University, an organization that empowers Harvard students to solve societal problems by fostering entrepreneurial thinking. At LPCE, Marina has designed and implemented student startup incubators, funding competitions, and creativity and entrepreneurship course curriculum. Prior to joining LPCE, Marina was an Education Innovation Fellow with the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching where she mentored and distributed funding to Harvard and MIT startup teams working to improve the field of education.  

Marina is passionate about educational equity, and has worked to recruit underserved and underrepresented students into science and medicine through her previous roles as head curriculum developer and instructor for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) program and mentoring director for Harvard Medical School's Health Professions Recruitment & Exposure Program (HPREP). She earned her PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University where her graduate research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital focused on the discovery of novel combination therapies in the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer.  

DR. RENA HALE

Dr. Rena Hale is an Entrepreneurial Scholar in the Office of Entrepreneurship at Mayo Clinic. She is responsible for developing and delivering education around the Lean Startup Methodology for Health and Life Sciences, through workshops and graduate level courses. She educates across the Mayo Clinic Enterprise helping employees discover, translate, and apply innovation fast as possible. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas El Paso. She has worked in the fields of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Medicine with a focus on knee and hip injury. She has made significant scientific advances in the prevention of lower extremity injury. Dr. Hale is passionate about experiential learning and translational research. By educating Mayo Clinic personnel Dr. Hale hopes to bridge that gap between an innovative idea and its fundable execution for the improvement of patient care.

KENNETH MATUSZEWSKI

Kenneth Matuszewski is a registered Patent Attorney and Associate at Goldberg Segalla with a background across a broad range of areas, including life sciences, software, electrical, and mechanical technologies. His practice focuses on complex and high-value intellectual property litigation in federal district court and before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Representative technologies he has worked on include gaming technologies, cancer treatments, blockchain, opioid treatments, medical devices, microphones, drones, gene therapies, pollution control technologies, and power tools. He has also won several awards for his leadership and writing. 

When he is not working, Kenny is the current Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section Council, the Member Services Manager for the Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, and a member of the Hon. Richard Linn American Inn of Court’s Hon. Arlander Keys Scholarship Committee, among other leadership roles and organizations. A firm believer that learning is a lifelong process, Kenny graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Oregon State University in December 2019. Previously, he double-majored in biological sciences and Spanish at the University of Notre Dame and earned his J.D. at Chicago-Kent College of Law. 

ETHAN FENG

Ethan Feng is an entrepreneur, educator, and sports podcaster. He is the CEO & co-founder of Alpha Partners Education. As a recognized leader in youth global understanding education, Ethan was invited to speak at events hosted by the United Nations, Harvard University, and TEDx Talks. Outside of education, Ethan is a soccer expert. He is the founder and host of the Football (Soccer) Café Podcast, a Top 3 ranked soccer podcast in China. Ethan began his Conrad Challenge journey as a judge in Energy & Environment in 2020. He was amazed by the quality of students' innovations and the power of the Challenge. This experience inspired him to become the lead of Conrad Challenge China Chapter, which has been successfully run for two years.

JENÉ MACHINSKI

Jené Machinski is a Human Resource and Business Leader with more than 25 years of experience in HR Leadership, Operations Management, Employee Relations, Training and Development in Information Technology and Contact Centers. She has held several local, regional and global leadership positions with Dell Technologies and is currently a HR Services Director leading an organization of 30 HR Generalists and Employee Relations Investigators across the Americas. She has led regional and global programs including global performance management, global site leadership development, design and implementation of digital solutions for on demand non-executive leadership development and has vast experience in Employee Relations. She is passionate about driving flexibility and balance that leads to team member engagement and encourages a full and fulfilling career and life, while achieving business results. 

Jené holds a bachelor's in business management and a master's in organizational management from Dallas Baptist University.  

RUSSELL BRAND

Russell Brand has started three successful companies. The first of these, Responsible Solutions Limited, saved the American taxpayer more than $250 million by teaching federal agencies how to use what is now known as open-source software. His second company, Enhance Security Research, successfully monetized a patent portfolio for more than 500% of its appraised value. His third company, Einstein's Elephant patent portfolio was also profitably acquired. 

Russell has been awarded seven US patents and has key publications in computer security, mass storage and computer ethics. He was among the first to identify the infamous Morris computer worm and a GAO study was conducted to better replicate his methods. He has advised more than 100 national laboratories, major corporations, universities, and NATO working groups. 

Russell has led and participated in numerous due diligence teams through Keiretsu Forum and is a global entrepreneur in residence at Founder Institute where he personally mentors early-stage companies throughout the English-speaking world. 

AMY ARMSTRONG

Amy Armstrong is a Pursuit Senior Manager for Deloitte’s Advisory business with more than 25 years of experience coaching presentations teams and crafting compelling messaging and value propositions to help win new business.  

Amy has been with Deloitte for 11 years providing pursuit and sales support, including pursuit strategy, pre-RFP meetings, proposal and message development, and orals coaching. She has a passion for training, development, and mentoring young professionals. Prior to Deloitte, Amy worked in various marketing and business development roles in the legal and construction industries. 

Amy is originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in political science from North Carolina State University. She also earned an MBA from Kennesaw State University, near her current home in Marietta, Geo. In her free time, Amy enjoys playing tennis and attending her children’s baseball games, wrestling matches, and equestrian events. 

MIKALA SHEMSHOCK

Mikala Shremshock is a technical sales and applications specialist with two decades of experience supporting R&D labs around the world. She has a background in materials science and inorganic chemistry and has worked in academia, government and private industry. She is currently a Science Sales Engineer for Teledyne FLIR supporting high speed infrared camera applications for government and industrial development. Mikala’s hobbies include reading, traveling and running. She has completed more than 25 marathons and 40 ultras.