External Advisory Council

Deputy Commissioner, Business, Community and Rural Development; Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development

Allen Borden serves as deputy commissioner of business, community and rural development for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Borden is focused on job creation across the state and is responsible for expansions of existing companies, the recruitment of new companies to Tennessee and the FastTrack Incentive Team.

Borden is from Maryville in Blount County, Tennessee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and began his career in economic development with the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.

His additional economic development positions include executive vice president of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Blount County Industrial Board and Smoky Mountains Visitors Bureau. He was appointed by then-Mayor Victor Ashe as director of economic development for the city of Knoxville.

Later, Borden moved into the private sector where he has held executive positions in the staffing industry, banking industry, call center/outsourcing business, and commercial real estate & development. Mr. Borden has come “full circle” and is excited to be once again involved in what he calls “direct” economic development. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

General Counsel and Vice President for Advancement; East Tennessee Foundation

Tamara Boyer joined the ETF after 26 years of experience in the finance industry as a corporate attorney, business executive, and wealth manager. She is a native of Sarasota, Florida and received her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and went on to earn her law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. Since moving to Knoxville shortly after graduation, she has been actively involved in East Tennessee’s volunteer community. Currently she serves as Chair-Elect Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians, Junior Achievement executive board, Webb School of Knoxville board of trustees, and is a Leadership Knoxville Class of 2016 graduate.

Career Healthcare Executive

Kim Bush most recently spent five years as Director of Life Sciences Partnerships (LSP) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation based in Seattle, Washington. The LSP team is one of several resources that speak to the importance the Foundation places on having active engagement with industry in order to achieve innovative high impact global health outcomes that lead to healthy and productive lives for all people, especially those living in extreme poverty. Mr. Bush’s primary efforts were concentrated on creating and advancing deeper and broader partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies, developing country manufacturers and public/private enterprises.

Bush joined the Foundation in September 2011 after a successful thirty-three-year career at Baxter International where he led several therapeutic and medical device related sector businesses including serving as Division President of its global Vaccine, European Bio-Science, and Blood Therapy divisions.

Bush’s experience includes six years of expatriate healthcare leadership, extensive domestic and international government contract negotiations, global business development, alliance management and public policy development.

Bush recently held a board observer seat on the Global Health Innovation Technology fund (GHIT) and an Institute of Medicine (IOM) appointment on the Forum on Public-Private Partnerships on Global and Health and Safety.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts/Zoology with honors from the University of Tennessee, a Master’s in clinical sciences at the University of Alabama, and attended the executive development program at Columbia Business School.

Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Eastman Chemical Co.

Stephen (Steve) G. Crawford is a Senior Vice-President and the Chief Technology Officer for Eastman Chemical Company.

Crawford is a native of Kingsport, Tennessee. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee. Crawford joined Eastman in 1987. He has held several leadership positions of increasing responsibility in both Manufacturing Operations and Technology. Prior to the CTO position, he has held positions of Vice- President of R&D for the Advanced Materials group and the Vice-President of R&D for our Additives and Functional Products Business group. He has also had direct responsibility for the Asia Pacific and EMEA Technology Organizations.

Crawford is a member of the American Chemical Society and the Industrial Research Institute. He is on the Board of Directors of both Launch Tennessee (Tennessee Technology Development Corporation) and the Eastman Credit Union. He is also on the University of Tennessee’s Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering Board of Advisors.

Crawford and his wife reside in Kingsport with their two sons.

President, Elevated Advisors, LLC

Peter Hoffman is president of Elevated Advisors, LLC.  As a 36-year industry veteran, Mr. Hoffman possess a wide range of technology and business experience with emphasis on development of global technology relationships and intellectual property strategies.  Elevated Advisors, LLC was established to provide consulting services to companies and universities around the world.

Before establishing Elevated Advisors, LLC, Hoffman served for eight years as Vice President, Intellectual Property Management for The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company. In this leadership role, he was responsible for strategies that protect and generate the highest possible value from this significant corporate asset. Hoffman managed the company’s patent portfolio; protection of trade secrets; and licensing of all Boeing intellectual property as CEO of Boeing Intellectual Property Licensing Company.

Prior to leading Intellectual Property Management, Hoffman served as director of global research and development strategy for Boeing Research & Technology, the company’s advanced research organization. In that role, he was responsible for developing technology collaboration relationships with companies, universities and national laboratories around the world.

Hoffman played a leadership role in the expansion of Boeing’s global technology engagement, and was instrumental in the establishment of Boeing research centers in Australia, India, China and numerous technology relationships in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.  Hoffman joined Boeing in 1984 holding leadership positions in international business development plus 14 years conducting research in the area of advanced materials and structures.

Hoffman earned a bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering technology and a master’s of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, a master’s of manufacturing engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and a master’s of international business from St. Louis University. Hoffman is industry board chairman of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, an advisory council member for the vice chancellor of research at the University of Tennessee, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Deputy for Projects and Interim Deputy for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Moe Khaleel is the Deputy for Projects and Interim Deputy for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Most recently, he served as ORNL’s Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environmental Sciences.

Before joining ORNL in fall 2015 to manage the Laboratory’s Office of Institutional Planning and its Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program, Khaleel was executive director of the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, where he led the establishment and execution of programs in renewable energy, water conservation, and atmospheric sciences.

Earlier, during a 20-year career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Khaleel held several positions, including leadership of the Design and Manufacturing Technical Network, Advanced Manufacturing Product Line, Computational Mechanics and Material Behavior Group, and PNNL’s Hydrogen, Transportation, and Industrial programs. Dr. Khaleel directed PNNL’s Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division from 2003 to 2013.

Khaleel was instrumental in establishing the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) and served as SECA national coordinator for modeling activities associated with solid oxide fuel cells. He was a co-founding director of the Northwest Institute for Advanced Computing at the University of Washington.

Khaleel received his doctorate in structural mechanics from Washington State University and an MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In 2000, Khaleel and his colleagues received an Award of Excellence in Technology Transfer from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer for transferring superplastic forming technology to General Motors. He has published some 250 refereed articles and holds two patents.

Admiral (Retired); United States Navy

Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, a native of Alexandria, Virginia, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1982 and earned his wings of gold at Meridian, Mississippi, in September 1984. Subsequent flying tours were based in Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, California, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and NAS Lemoore, California, where he was qualified in numerous aircraft including the E-2C Hawkeye and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

Klunder has served at sea in Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 112; VAW-115 as a department head, and as commanding officer; and Carrier Air Wing 2 as air wing commander. He has made eight deployments and multiple surge operations to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and to the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf.

Klunder’s shore tours include serving as a flight instructor, Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization officer and Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet evaluator at VAW-110; test pilot/project officer at Force Warfare Test Directorate; senior operations officer and Single Integrated Operational Plan officer at the Joint Staff J-3/National Military Command Center; Joint Staff liaison officer and section chief at the U.S. State Department; Combined Air Operations Center deputy director at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar; deputy director for Information, Plans, and Security for OPNAV N3/N5; 83rd commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy; and director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capabilities Division, OPNAV N2/N6F2. Highlights during these tours include receiving the 1988 Hawkeye of the Year award, the 1991 Test Pilot of the Year award, and the 2002 George C. Marshall Statesman award.

In November 2011, he became the 23th Chief of Naval Research, with additional duties as director, Test Evaluation and Technology Requirements.

Klunder received his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s degree in Aerodynamics and Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee, and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the National War College.

He has flown more than 45 different aircraft and accumulated 21 world-flying records. His awards include the Legion of Merit (four Awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two Awards), Meritorious Service Medal (two Awards), Joint Commendation Medal (two Awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four Awards) and various unit and campaign awards.

External Innovation Manager, Eastman Chemical Co.

Dawn Mason is an External Innovation Manager at Eastman Chemical Company in Raleigh, N.C. where she is influencing front end innovation by identifying and leveraging external resources to accelerate internal growth initiatives. Since her arrival at Eastman in 2003, Mason has been a key contributor across a broad spectrum of areas that range from bench chemist to building a career development matrix that enhances workforce capabilities, employee engagement and future leader capability. Prior to her arrival at Eastman, Mason worked with E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. as an area superintendent and R&D chemist, and she was part of an effort to institute a Laboratory Safety Management program at DuPont.

Mason earned her B.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Throughout her career, she has used her combination of science expertise and people skills to drive a safety culture, which has resulted in zero injuries to direct reports without sacrificing business results.

Mason is an ACS Fellow, is a member of the UC Center for Laboratory Safety Advisory Board and was a member of the APLU Task Force on Laboratory Safety. Away from work, Mason is raising a young man and enjoys playing outside and cooking.

President, Center of Excellence for Technology, Engineering and Operational Excellence; Arconic

Moustapha (Tapha) Mbaye has been President of Arconic Global Rolled Products’ Center of Excellence (GRP CoE) since November 2011. He oversees research and development, transfer of standard practices and new technologies, quality, and capital project planning and execution for Arconic’s approximately $5 billion GRP businesses. He is the Chairman of GRP Technology Management Review Board (TMRB) focusing on R&D projects in aerospace, automotive, brazing sheet, packaging and industrial products, and breakthrough process, including the Arconic Micromill™.

Prior to that assignment, he was Vice President of Alcoa Global Primary Metals’ Technology, Innovation and Center of Excellence in 2008, an organization he successfully built and led through 2011. As Vice President of Technology and Innovation Strategy for Alcoa’s Business Excellence/Corporate Strategy, he successfully led the Alcoa Technology Advantage program designed to leverage parental advantages across businesses and to accelerate deployment and commercialization of technologies.

Mbaye began his Alcoa career in 1997 as a Senior Process Engineer at the Alcoa Technical Center, the world’s largest light metals research facility, developing couple fluid flow, mass and heat transfer, and stress computational three-dimensional models. His scientific contribution led to the Alcoa Parallel Efficient Casting Simulator (APECS) used to model casting processes worldwide. In 2000, he took increasing leadership roles, from Process Engineering, Operations Manager and Technical Director for Alcoa Automotive business unit. He joined Sales and Marketing as Director of Global Application Development, overseeing innovative light-weighting applications in automotive. Later in 2006, he transferred to the upstream group, Alcoa Primary Metals, as Director of Global Casthouse Network with over 20 operations across the America’s, Europe and Australia.

Prior to joining Alcoa, Mbaye was a Research Scientist at the Canadian Center for Mines and Energy Technology (CANMET) federal laboratory, Assistant Professor at École Polytechnique de Montréal in Canada.

Mbaye holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from “École Polytechnique de Thiès” and a Ph.D. from “École Polytechnique de Montréal”. He holds over 50 technical publications and granted patents. Since 2011, he has served on the Board of Directors for Tennessee FIRST, “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”, a non-profit organization.

Major General (retired), CSRA Defense Senior Principal/Client Executive; U.S. Army

Doug Robinson joined CSRA (formerly CSC) in January 2009 after over 32 years of service to our Nation and our Army. He is currently responsible for ensuring quality and positive relations across all CSRA Defense business. He is also charged with the support, development, and synchronization of efforts across CSRA that support defense efforts at home and abroad, both profit and loss and new business growth.

Prior to his career at CSRA, Robinson served in the United States Army for over 32 years, retiring as a Major General. He has successfully commanded at every level of our Army from Platoon to Division and served in both peace and war. His most recent military assignments are as follows:

• Commanding General of the Army’s Research, Development, and Engineering Command. Was responsible for ensuring the right research for the Army, as well as many aspects of the Department of Defense, were executed.
• Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division. Mission requirements extended from performance of units in combat, recovery and reset of all Soldiers and equipment from combat, and redesign of organization for maximum efficiency and effectiveness under limited budgets.
• Army Director for Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization.
• Commanding General of the Army’s Operational Test Command.
• Robinson earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee and master’s degrees from Memphis State University.

Head of Group Research Batteries, Electrified Drivetrain and Materials

Oliver Schauerte joined the Volkswagen research team in 1998 and was quickly appointed project manager for titanium and special materials. Later he became team leader at Volkswagen chassis development and then moved to Bugatti where he lead the development work for chassis and lightweight engineering, followed by functions as assistant to the board and responsible for Bugatti customization. He was then put in charge of technology- and property-development in fiber composite plastics at Audi.

Today, he is responsible at Volkswagen Group Research for batteries, electrified drivetrain and materials.

Schauerte wrote his dissertation on high-temperature fatigue in a titanium alloy at the Technical University of Hamburg.

Lead Researcher for Programs, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Stephen R. Stinson is leader of the Research Team for Programs at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. His team provides grantmaking programs with best-in-class data and intelligence that senior staff and program officers need for informed and knowledgeable concept design and strategy development, which emerges as grantmaking that has been refined for impact in the real world.

Stinson joined the Foundation in 1995, and was first a staffer in the Mental Health Program, where he gained experience with the MacArthur model of research networks and with the full array scientific networks on mental health and human development. From 2000 through 2015, he was program administrator for the Justice Reform Program and worked on the initiatives, Models for Change:Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice; National Campaign to Reform America’s Juvenile Justice Systems; and on the Safety and Justice Challenge, working to address over-incarceration in the United States by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.

Prior to joining the MacArthur Foundation, Stinson was a professional fund-raiser for healthcare and educational organizations, including Loyola University Chicago, where he served as Director of Foundation Relations. Stinson received master’s degrees in philosophy and in theology from Loyola University Chicago. He studied graphic design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and in English literature from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Stinson also maintains memberships in the American Philosophical Association, the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, the Public Philosophy Network, and the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management.

General Manager, Systems Strategy & Development; IBM

Jamie Thomas is presently the General Manager, Systems Strategy and Development in the IBM System s Unit, a role she has held since January 2016. Jamie leads the teams responsible for Business and Technical Strategy, Development, Supply Chain and Client Experience for the Systems unit. Systems unit provides Enterprise Server and Storage solutions that power businesses worldwide. Product lines managed include IBM Z, IBM Power and IBM Q Systems development.

Prior to this role, Thomas led the Storage and Software Defined Systems unit where she led the teams focused on storage and compute solutions for both traditional data center and cloud deployment models. In this role, she led a next generation strategy that focused on market leading software defined storage and Flash solutions. In addition, the team drove delivery of the IBM midrange and mainframe based storage solutions.

During her career, Thomas has held numerous development roles in IBM Software, as the Vice President of Tivoli development and strategy. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Rational development and client support , and as Vice President of WebSphere Server Development. Prior to that, she served as Director of WebSphere Strategy and Communications.

Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Bridgestone Americas

Nizar Trigui was named the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Bridgestone Americas, in March 2017. As CTO, Nizar oversees the Bridgestone Americas Technical Center (ATC) in Akron, Ohio, and is building a business-first approach to innovation. He works to accelerate the commercialization of technology products, services and solutions; to bring new ideas to market; and to fuel business growth around such marketplace dynamics as autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence. Trigui also serves as a member of the Bridgestone Group Global Research and Development Committee.

Trigui’s automotive career spans nearly 30 years. During this time, he’s demonstrated his ability to create brand and business transformation, honed his management and leadership skills, developed a track record for meaningful product and technology development and gained extensive experience in program management, financial and quality controls, supplier negotiations and supply chain management.

Trigui has been recognized for a natural aptitude for leadership, talent development, operation streamlining, brand positioning, brand DNA definition, corporate strategy, business planning, product strategy, technology development, lean manufacturing and marketing strategies.

Prior to Bridgestone, Trigui held executive positions at Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Dura Automotive.

Trigui’s personal interests include the future of mobility as well as corporate leadership, business development and a fascination with outer space. He holds a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. In addition, he received executive training at the Yale University School of Management and is a two-time winner of the prestigious Henry Ford Technology Award.