Speaker Bios

H. Giovanni Carnaroli

Aviation Safety Technical Advisor

Giovanni Carnaroli is a seasoned leader with 30 years of experience in transportation technology and federal program management. His career spans impactful roles with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and private sector. Recognized for driving transformative technology initiatives, Giovanni has successfully led multimillion-dollar contracts, cybersecurity programs, and strategic IT investments across government agencies. Giovanni is currently back at the FAA in the Office of Aviation Safety, Aircraft Certification Service. Previously, he was with Deloitte and GDIT, overseeing the DOT and FAA Accounts, which included projects such as the FAA Security Operations Center. In his previous Federal Government career, he was the Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) at DOT. In this position, he was responsible for the strategy, policy, implementation, and oversight of the following IT areas: business planning and governance (which included investment management, Enterprise Architecture, governance, and policy), project management and performance (which included portfolio management, information/knowledge management, continuous service improvement), as well as cybersecurity and privacy. He was credited with overseeing the drafting of a cybersecurity policy for the Department and building a compendium of cybersecurity procedures to supplement the policy. Even before that, he was the Director of the PMO in the Office of the CIO at the FAA. In this position, he was responsible for all aspects of IT capital planning and investment management; overseeing the development of the agency’s IT business cases and IT portfolio; and implementing Earned Value Management and other program management best practices and processes. He was credited for ensuring that security would be included during the software development of major systems rather than after the system is developed and tested. This accomplishment contributed to the Government Accountability Office removing the Air Traffic Modernization Program off the High-Risk List.

Deep Patel

Robinhood

Deep Patel is a Senior Data Engineering and Analytics leader with extensive experience building large-scale, real-time data platforms that power personalization, decision intelligence, and risk systems at major tech firms like Robinhood and Meta. His work spans finance and technology, where he has led the design of resilient data architectures, low-latency streaming systems, and AI-driven analytics used by millions of users. Deep is passionate about bridging deep technical concepts with real business impact, and is known for translating complex data problems into practical, actionable solutions. He regularly speaks and writes about modern data engineering, applied AI, and the future of data-driven decision-making.

Jared Purdue

Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation

Jared W. Perdue, P.E. was appointed Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) by Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2022. A career public servant and transportation leader, Secretary Perdue brings over two decades of experience within FDOT, having risen through the ranks after beginning his journey in the Department’s Professional Engineer Training Program. His career has been defined by a deep commitment to public service and a passion for building a transportation system that enhances the quality of life for all Floridians.

As FDOT Secretary, Perdue oversees one of the most expansive and dynamic transportation networks in the nation. He leads more than 6,200 employees across seven regional districts and the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, managing an annual budget of $15 billion and a five-year work program totaling nearly $70 billion. Secretary Perdue has championed a forward-thinking, transformative approach to transportation, emphasizing innovation, stronger infrastructure, and strategic investment. He is responsible for implementing Florida’s largest infrastructure initiative on record, Moving Florida Forward, which accelerated critical projects by 10 to 15 years.

His tenure has prioritized workforce development and cutting-edge research, leading to the creation of a Statewide Workforce Development Program, the Florida Transportation Academy, and the Florida Transportation Research Institute. As a strong advocate for emerging technologies, Secretary Perdue has advanced initiatives such as SunTrax Air and SunTrax Ground, a state-of-the-art, first of its kind, facility for testing autonomous and connected vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility.

Perdue also represents Florida on several influential boards, including Space Florida, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation O􏰀icials, and the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Program.

Secretary Perdue’s leadership has strengthened Florida’s transportation system through strategic partnerships, global trade initiatives, and rapid emergency response, including the record-time restoration of critical infrastructure that reconnected Sanibel Island to the mainland just 15 days after Hurricane Ian.

Shengwei Xu

Research and Accountability Administrator, Seminole County Public Schools

Shengwei Xu has served as the Research and Accountability Administrator for Seminole County Public Schools since 2012. She plays a pivotal role in monitoring and evaluating the District’s Strategic Plan, providing insights to the Superintendent and the Cabinet members based on both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of various data points.

Shengwei received her master’s degree in Statistics from UCF with a full-ride scholarship, and her academic journey was further enriched by the multi-disciplinary research collaborations across several departments, including the College of Science, College of Business, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and the College of Optics and Photonics.

In addition to her professional work, Shengwei is a strong advocate for girls in STEM, annually giving speeches to K-12 students to inspire them to pursue careers in mathematics and science. She and her husband, both proud UCF alumni, are committed to giving back and passionate about empowering students by supporting programs and initiatives that foster their academic and personal growth.

Chelsea Dalager

Director of Development, UCF College of Sciences

Chelsea Piner serves as the Director for Advancement for the College of Sciences where she plays a pivotal role in advancing the university’s mission and fundraising efforts.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and holds a dual Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and Public Administration from the University of Central Florida (UCF). She realized her passion for research during her undergraduate studies when she joined the Political Ecology Lab and produced her first peer-reviewed publication using grounded theory.

Chelsea has a strong background in fundraising working at prominent nonprofits such as the Chelonian Research Institute and Orlando Science Center. She is a self-motivated fundraiser who enjoys relationship building, storytelling, and facilitating meaningful experiences that support donor values.

Originally from Jacksonville, FL, Chelsea moved to Orlando in 2011 to attend UCF and is proud to work alongside the College of Sciences to maximize impactful giving toward student career success and innovative research.

Kerstin Hamann

Ph.D. | Senior Associate Dean and Pegasus Professor, College of Sciences

Kerstin Hamann is the Senior Associate Dean of the College of Sciences and Pegasus Professor in the UCF School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA). She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science, a Master’s in Political Science, and a Master’s in West European Studies (all from Washington University). She previously served as SPSIA Director (2011–2021).

She twice served as Vice President of the American Political Science Association (APSA). Hamann was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the APSA Section on Political Science Education and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Political Science Education.

Hamann is a recipient of the UCF Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award (campus-wide) and an Excellence in Professional Service Award (campus-wide), as well as Research Incentive Awards, teaching awards, and university-wide Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Awards. She served as Provost’s Senior Faculty Fellow, as a Fellow at the UCF Teaching Academy, and as Faculty Fellow to the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.

In the profession, she has served on the governing bodies of several associations and has chaired and served on numerous APSA and SPSA committees. She serves on the editorial board of several academic journals and a book series.

Hamann’s research interests focus broadly on comparative politics, especially politics in Western Europe with a focus on organized labor and Spanish politics. Her recent research analyzes the political determinants of child marriage globally. She has also published extensively in the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Florencio “Eloy” Hernandez

Ph.D. | Interim Director, School of Data, Mathematical, and Statistical Sciences

Florencio “Eloy” Hernandez serves as Director, guiding the transition to merge the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Statistics and Data Science into a single school. This marks a significant step forward in unifying and advancing UCF’s quantitative sciences.

Hernandez obtained his PhD in Chemistry from the Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela) in collaboration with L’Université Franche Comté (France) in 1996. Following that, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research from 1996 to 1998, and as a Visiting Research Scientist at the College of Optics/CREOL (UCF) between 1998 and 2002. In 2002, he joined the Department of Chemistry at UCF as an Assistant Professor and advanced through the ranks to become a full professor. Throughout his career, Hernandez has authored over 100 articles in peer reviewed journals and holds three US patents. He has also contributed to more than 100 national and international conferences (36 as an invited speaker) and has secured over five million dollars in external funding from various national agencies and private sector organizations (including NSF, DOE, DoD, Lockheed Martin, Kraft Food, and IAI) to support his research.

Throughout his career, Hernandez has been dedicated to imparting knowledge, developing critical thinking, and understanding how students from the new generation learn. He is also passionate about designing new strategies to support faculty, students, and staff in his academic community. Several years ago, Hernandez made a firm commitment to become an educational leader and administrator, helping others grow in their roles and achieve their full potential. With this goal in mind, he earned his MBA from UCF in 2018. He participated in several leadership programs at UCF, including the Academic Leadership Academy and the Provost Faculty Fellow program, to gain a deeper understanding of academic administration. During the last seven years, he developed an exceptional interest in institutional academic affairs. In June 2019, he became the Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Community Innovation and Education at UCF, and in February 2023, he embarked on a new journey as the Inaugural Dean of the College of Science at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.

Winston Schoenfeld

Ph.D. | Vice President of Research and Innovation

Dr. Winston V. Schoenfeld is currently Vice President for Research and Innovation, and Professor of Optics, MSE, and ECE at the University of Central Florida. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2000, and holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida.

Prior to joining UCF in 2004, Dr. Schoenfeld served as Device Manager at Uniroyal Optoelectronics, working in the area of high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs), and later in 2003 founded Medical Lighting Solutions, Inc., a supplier of specialty LED lighting solutions for the medical and biomedical industries.

From 2011–2017 he served at UCF as Director of the c-Si Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC), establishing the first industry-led U.S. c-Si PV consortium and overseeing more than $10 million in collaborative research projects between consortium members.

At UCF, he has secured more than $24 million in research funding and authored/co-authored more than 140 refereed journal publications in the areas of photovoltaics, the epitaxial growth and properties of oxide semiconductors, oxide and nitride-semiconductor light-emitting diodes, self-assembled quantum dots, e-beam nano-lithography, quantum information/networks, comprehensive modeling of nanowire devices, and solid-state nuclear material detection.

Dr. Schoenfeld is a Fellow of SPIE and a life member of OSA.