Civil Engineering Alumnus to Kick Off “Leaders Up Close” Series
By: Rachel Murphy
Harold Mills, the former vice chairman and CEO of ZeroChaos, a leading global workforce management company based in Orlando, will kick off the Engineering Leadership & Innovation Institute (eli2) at UCF’s Spring 2018 “Leaders Up Close” seminar series.
Mills was recently named a top-five finalist in the Orlando Sentinel’s annual search for Central Floridian of the Year where he was referred to as, “one of Central Florida’s most successful entrepreneurs”.
The speaker lineup includes six accomplished leaders from diverse fields and includes four UCF alumni including Mills; Ankush Oberai, an entrepreneur and senior director for research and development at Synopsys Inc.; Christine Kefauver, the area manager and vice president of HDR Engineering; Ricardo Zaurin, a UCF civil engineering lecturer; Amanda Mitskevich, the program manager of the launch service program at NASA; and Tim Reynolds, principal at Wild Manta, LLC.
The hour-long seminars are available to students of the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science. See past seminars and studio interviews with speakers here.
The eli2 “Leaders Up Close” Seminar Series provides practical and engaging advice to CECS juniors and seniors enrolled in the course, “Engineering Leadership I.” Tim Kotnour, professor of industrial engineering and management systems, leads the course as the director of eli2.
Since the seminar series’ launch in Spring 2011, more than 1,000 students have learned from dynamic leaders within commercial and government organizations. The series is just one of many leadership and skills-building opportunities offered to all CECS students as part of eli2.
Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute (eli2) at UCF
Developed based on input from engineering leaders in the corporate, government and academic sectors, the mission of eli2 is to inspire students to be creative, innovative, collaborative and accountable to emerge as leaders capable of delivering world-changing solutions.
The institute strives to transform students so they can easily transition from the classroom to the workforce with sought-after proficiencies. Students will graduate fully prepared to collaborate and work effectively in teams, communicate with polished speaking and writing skills, make compelling presentations, and contribute with ethical responsibility and knowledge of global issues.
The institute offers a variety of programs including the seminar series, workshops, senior design “boot camps,” and the Maker Space Lab Complex – the Harris Gathering Lab, Idea Lab, Texas Instruments Innovation Lab, and Manufacturing Lab – that enables the transformation of ideas into working prototypes.
To fulfill the promise of lifelong engagement, eli2 provides resources to help young professionals quickly become technical and program managers. As they advance in their careers, technical managers can benefit from eli2 resources to emerge as executives who will ultimately shape and influence the next generation of engineering up-and-comers.
For more information, please visit the eli2 website.
Spring 2018 Seminar Series Schedule
Each one-hour seminar starts at 11:30 a.m.in the Engineering II building, Room 102.
- Friday, Jan. 19 – Harold Mills, Former CEO of ZeroChaos
- Friday, Jan. 26 – Ankush Oberai, ‘83, Entrepreneur and Senior Director for Research and Development at Synopsys Inc.
- Friday, Feb. 2 – Christine Kefauver, ‘98, Area Manager/Vice President of HDR Engineering
- Friday, March 2 – Ricardo Zaurin, Ph.D., ‘09, UCF – Civil Engineering Lecturer
- Friday, April. 6 – Amanda Mitskevich, Program Manager, Launch Services Program at NASA
- Friday, April 13 – Tim Reynolds, ‘86, Principal at Wild Manta, LLC
Those interested in attending a seminar or joining eli2 should email Kate Hurt, Assistant Director, Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute at UCF.
– CECS –