QIB 2026 Speaker Lineup

Drawing on more than two decades of engineering, operations and strategic leadership in the electric industry, Janet Rehberg is focused on advancing EPB’s mission to enhance quality of life for our customers while preparing Chattanooga for the future. Before becoming CEO, Rehberg served as EPB President of Strategic Initiatives, leading efforts to operationalize innovation by deploying next-generation energy and fiber optic technologies. In doing so, she helped forge our community’s national reputation as the most advanced hub for commercializing quantum technologies while expanding Chattanooga’s opportunity ecosystem through major partnerships with universities, private sector companies, and government research organizations.

Sheila Boyington is CEO and Co-Founder of Thinking Media, the educational technology firm behind TN QuantumWorks, one of the nation’s first K–12 quantum technology education programs. The company also developed nationally recognized workforce programs, including KeyTrain^® for WorkKeys^®, acquired by ACT, and Learning Blade^® and Ready for Industry^®, acquired by Pearson.

Sheila has served as Board Chair of Erlanger Health System for four years and is the National States Chair for Million Women Mentors^®. She also serves as Co-Chair of the University of Florida Chemical Engineering Department’s Undergraduate Committee and on the board of UTC’s Engineering Department.

A well-known philanthropist, she has received many honors include the Athena Award, SuperNova Award, Leading Philanthropist of the Year and Small Business of the Year. A Professional Engineer, Sheila holds an M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida.

Bo Watson was first elected to the 104th General Assembly in 2004 as the representative for District 31 (Rhea County and part of Hamilton County). And then elected to the 105th General Assembly as senator in 2006 for district 11 (Hamilton County). He was appointed to serve Speaker Pro Tempore position in 2011 and served in this position until 2016. In 2017 he was appointed to Chairman of the Finance, Ways & Means Committee, and serves on Health and Welfare Committee, Senate Rules Committee and serves as a member of Commerce and Labor Committee, Council on Pensions & Insurance among various other committees.

Governor Bill Lee appointed Deniece Thomas as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in September 2022.

Before her appointment, Commissioner Thomas had served as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner since 2019. She started her career with the state of Tennessee in 2007 working in the Clarksville American Job Center. Over the years, Commissioner Thomas has risen through the ranks of the Department as a Director, Assistant Administrator, Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner.

Commissioner Thomas is a member of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) where she serves as co-chair for Workforce ITSC, previous chair of the Employment and Training Committee, past member of both the Veterans Committee since 2015 and the National Apprenticeship Workgroup.

Additionally, she also serves as the State Workforce Liaison for the National Governor's Association where she serves on the Executive Committee. She also serves as a member of the Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations.

Commissioner Thomas is a 2014 Graduate of LEAD Tennessee Alliance 5 and Leadership Tennessee Class VIII. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Civic Leadership from Lipscomb University in Nashville and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama Birmingham.

Dr. Colin Soutar is a Managing Director in Deloitte and is based out of Arlington, VA. Colin is the Deloitte US and global leader for quantum cyber readiness. In 2013, he helped NIST to develop the Cybersecurity Framework and has since helped many leading private and public sector organizations implement it. Colin has also supported clients and NIST programs in the areas of IoT, biometric technologies, trusted identities, and privacy engineering. Prior to his current role, Colin served for more than 10 years as Chief Technology Officer for a Canadian-based biometric and trusted identity public company. Following his PhD studies in physics in Dundee, Scotland, he began his working career with a two-year post-doctorate fellowship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, developing pattern recognition techniques for autonomous rendezvous and capture operations.

Dr. Shaun S. Gleason is the Director of Partnerships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), responsible for mission areas including technology transfer, commercialization, economic development, industry and non-DOE partnerships, and research security. He has more than three decades of service at ORNL across three different directorates (Energy Science and Technology, Computing and Computational Sciences, and National Security Sciences).

Shaun has 35 years of experience in R&D leadership, applied image processing, data science, and machine learning for energy, industrial, security, and medical imaging applications. He earned the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has authored and coauthored 120 publications, four book chapters, and has been issued 10 patents in the field of electrical engineering, computer vision, and machine learning. He is a fellow of AAAS, a Senior Member of the IEEE, and served as chair of the East TN Chapter of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

Tim Liston is EY’s US Civic Strategy & Engagement Lead working with civic and business leaders in the largest US markets to drive meaningful public-private partnerships and civic engagement across the firm. He spent two years each as EY’s Market Strategy & Operations Leader – Great Lakes and Corporate Responsibility Leader – US Central Region. Before joining EY, Tim held senior leadership roles at Big Shoulders Fund, Navy Pier, and Old St. Patrick’s Church; he started his career at WXRT 93.1FM. Throughout his career he has focused on executive stakeholder engagement, revenue growth, and social impact.

Evann serves as Vice President of Government & Community Relations at EPB, where he leads efforts to strengthen partnerships that expand opportunity and innovation.

A Chattanooga native, Evann has played a central role in initiatives like HCS EdConnect, providing internet at no charge to more than 28,000 K-12 students and their family members while also advancing Chattanooga’s position as a national leader in fiber and quantum technology.

Evann serves on multiple state and regional boards, including the Fiber Broadband Association, Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, where he focuses on building coalitions that connect economic growth with community impact. Prior to joining EPB in 2020, he held various roles with former U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, collaborating extensively with local, state, and federal stakeholders.

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann is a conservative Republican representing the 3rd District of Tennessee. The District is comprised of 10 counties: Anderson, Bradley, Campbell, Hamilton, McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Roane, and Scott.

Chuck earned his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Illinois. He received both Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude honors. He then went to the University of Tennessee law school, where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence.

For 24 years, Chuck and his wife ran a small business together in Chattanooga after they both graduated from law school at the University of Tennessee.

Chuck has served on the board of the National Craniofacial Association and the board of the Cherokee Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. He has also served as the president of the Chattanooga Bar Association and chairman of the Chattanooga Lawyers Pro Bono Committee. Since taking office, Chuck has a 100% pro-life voting record and continues to support legislation that protects the Second Amendment rights of East Tennesseans.

Chuck serves on the Appropriations Committee, which is vitally important to the residents of the 3rd District. Within the Committee, he serves on three crucial subcommittees:

• Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies

• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

• Defense

As well as serving on the Appropriations Committee, Chuck also sits on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Within the Committee, he serves on the Energy Subcommittee. In the 119th Congress, Chuck was named Chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations. As Chairman, Chuck leads the charge to fund the federal agencies and programs responsible for the United States’ national laboratories, nuclear security, and energy independence. Chuck’s role as Chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies subcommittee allows him to fight for funding for the Chickamauga Lock, a critical East Tennessee infrastructure project. In addition, this subcommittee assignment is of paramount importance to the northern region of the Third District, which is home to Oak Ridge National Lab, Y-12 National Security Complex, and a large environmental cleanup mission, all of which rely on funds appropriated by this subcommittee.

Chuck and his wife, Brenda, live in Ooltewah, Tennessee, and have three children.

Niccolo de Masi is an experienced public company chief executive officer and board member with expertise in deep tech, mobile, and creating enterprise software-hardware ecosystems. He has served as IonQ’s CEO since February 2025 and was named Chairman of the Board in August 2025. Prior to that, de Masi served on IonQ’s board of directors since 2021.

Over the course of his career, de Masi has served on the boards of 14 public companies including IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), Xura (NASDAQ: MESG), Glu Mobile (NASDAQ: GLUU), Monstermob (LSE: MOB), Rush Street Interactive (NYSE: RSI), Genius Sports Group (NYSE: GENI), Resideo (NYSE: REZI), Planet (NYSE: PL), and six dMY Technology Group blank cheque vehicles. He has immense public market corporate governance experience having chaired or served on compensation, nominating and governance, and audit committees for over a decade. de Masi also has extensive global market experience as a three-time public company CEO and a three-time private company CEO, and was appointed ChiefExecutive Officer of Glu Mobile and of Monstermob before the age of 30.

de Masi has also served on several private boards including Chairing Carlyle-backed Jagex and General Catalyst-backed Ares Interactive. He has helped lead and consummate approximately 50 mergers and acquisitions and has helped raise over $5 billion in equity to support public and private companies he has led. He began his career in roles at JPMorgan, Siemens, and Technicolor.

de Masi received first class B.A. and M.Sci degrees in physics from Cambridge University where he specialized in quantum mechanics and next-generation electron-beam lithography. He has been a member of the Leadership Council of the UCLA Grand Challenge for nearly a decade.

Charlie Brock is CEO of the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative, where he leads efforts to drive economic growth and workforce development through quantum technology and position Southeast Tennessee as a national innovation hub.

He brings more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and ecosystem builder, including leadership roles as CEO of Launch Tennessee and CO.LAB. He also co-founded the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, the region’s first angel investment fund, and has launched and scaled multiple companies.

Dr. Rick Mukherjee joined the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in December 2024 as the inaugural Director of the Quantum Center and an Associate Professor of Physics. He earned his PhD at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and held research appointments at Rice University, Harvard University, and the University of Hamburg, with expertise spanning AMO physics, optimal control, and machine learning applied to quantum science.

He has authored nearly 40 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, holds patents in quantum optimization, and actively contributes to the field through NSF service, scholarly reviewing, invited talks, and his role on the board of the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative.

Dr. Krishnendu (Krish) Roy received his B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, his M.S. from Boston University, and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. After two years in the biotech industry, Dr. Roy joined the Biomedical Engineering Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin in 2002, eventually becoming Professor and Fellow of the Cockrell Chair in Engineering Excellence. In 2013 he moved to Georgia Tech, where he was most recently a Regents Professor and the Robert A. Milton Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering. He also served as Director of three centers — the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), The Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M), and the Center for ImmunoEngineering. In 2023, Dr. Roy joined Vanderbilt University as the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and a University Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering, and Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, with a secondary appointment in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

In recognition of his seminal contributions, Dr. Roy has been elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the Controlled Release Society (CRS). He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Clemson Award for Basic Research from the Society for Biomaterials, the Industry Growth Award from Georgia Bio, Young Investigator Awards from the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and The Society for Biomaterials (SFB), the NSF CAREER award, etc. He has also received the Best Teacher Award from the Biomedical Engineering Students at UT-Austin and the Best Advisor Award from Bioengineering students at Georgia Tech. Dr. Roy serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Controlled Release, the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine, and the Journal of Advanced Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing. He also serves as a board member of the Standards Coordinating Body for Regenerative Medicine and several other academic and industry advisory boards. Starting in August 2023, he co-chairs the Forum on Regenerative Medicine of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

Dr. Muhammad Ismail is the Director of the Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Outreach Center (CEROC) and Professor of Computer Science at Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN, USA since August 2019. He is an experienced academic with more than 12 years of research and teaching experience in prestigious institutes including Texas A&M University at Qatar, University of Waterloo, and Ain Shams University. Dr. Ismail has a research portfolio of over $10 million. He is a co-recipient of the best paper award at IEEE ICC 2014, IEEE Globecom 2014, SGRE 2015 and 2024, Green 2016, the IEEE Technical Committee on Green Communications and Networking (TCGCN) best paper award at IEEE ICC 2019, the IEEE Intelligent Systems (IEEE IS) 2020. His research interests include cyber-physical security, quantum networks and security, AI-assisted cybersecurity, wireless networks, smart grids, deep machine learning, blockchain, optimization, and stochastic modeling.

Dr. Ismail taught various courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels and presented in various leading conferences around the globe. He is an IEEE senior member and an Associate Editor for IEEE Journal on Internet-of-Things, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking, IET Communications, and Elsevier PHYCOM. He served as an Editorial Assistant for IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. He serves regularly in conference organizations and TPC membership for several IEEE flagship conferences, in addition to refereeing for leading IEEE journals.

Dr. Hanna Terletska is a Professor of Physics at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where she serves as Founding Director of the QRISE Center. A nationally recognized researcher in quantum materials and quantum information science, she has secured more than $14M in external funding as Principal Investigator on multiple NSF and DOE projects, including an NSF CAREER award, NSF ExpandQISE and ExLENT, and DOE RENEW and DOE-BES programs. Her research investigates many-body effects in quantum materials, with a focus on the interplay of disorder and electron correlations in strongly correlated and disordered systems, using advanced computational quantum methods. Alongside this work, she focuses on expanding quantum workforce development programs at emerging research institutions and strengthening their role in the national quantum enterprise.

She is currently leading the Middle Tennessee Quantum Consortium under the DOE TN-QuMat program, uniting five Nashville-based universities with ORNL laboratory partners to collaboratively grow the region's quantum research and workforce ecosystem, with an emphasis on democratizing access to quantum training and infrastructure for underserved communities. Dr. Terletska also advances quantum education and workforce development through interdisciplinary curricula, undergraduate and high school summer programs, and training initiatives for faculty, teachers, and students. She works closely with university, national laboratory, industry, community college, and K–12 partners.

Chad Sakac leads the Field Engineering team at IonQ, who are at the intersection of frontier quantum technology and applied use cases. Chad has experience spanning early stage startups (in Silicon Valley: Metricom, Allocity; Israel: Regatta) to executive leadership at leading FT500 multi-billion companies (Dell EMC, Pivotal, VMware) in market leading positions. Chad holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Prith Banerjee is Senior Vice President of Innovation at Synopsys, leading the Synopsys Innovation Group (SIG), which fosters advancements in EDA, Simulation & Analysis, and IP. Working with Fellows, Chief Technologists, Architects, and the Technical Leadership team, SIG shapes the company's technology strategy and cross-functional collaboration, engaging customers, partners, startups, and academia to refine and share Synopsys' technology vision. Prior to Synopsys, Prith served as Chief Technology Officer at Ansys, guiding the company's long-term technology vision. He has held senior leadership roles including Executive Vice President and CTO at Schneider Electric, CTO and Executive Vice President at ABB in Zurich, and Managing Director of Global Technology R&D at Accenture. He also served as Senior Vice President of Research and Director of HP Labs at Hewlett-Packard, overseeing global innovation efforts.

Earlier in his career, Prith was Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Chairman of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northwestern University, beginning his academic career as a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A serial entrepreneur, Prith founded AccelChip (an EDA software company acquired by Xilinx) and BINACHIP , where he served as Founder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist. His research spans electronic design automation and parallel computing; he has authored over 350 technical papers and supervised 37 PhD students. He was named one of Fast Company's Top 100 Business Leaders in 2009 and is a Fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and the National Academy of Inventors. He is a recipient of the ASEE Terman Award and the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award. He earned his B.Tech. in Electronics Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (President's Gold Medal) and an M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Philippe Barraud is the Director of the KIRQ Test Bed at Numana, Canada's independent, multi-vendor quantum testbed based in Quebec. KIRQ builds and validates hybrid quantum-safe networks, combining classical infrastructure with quantum communication, quantum key distribution (QKD), and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) under real-world network conditions. In this role, Philippe leads the commercial and technical strategy that brings telecommunications operators, quantum hardware providers, and government partners together, including collaboration with Canadian federal programs to help validate these technologies ahead of national adoption. He works with organizations across industries to accelerate adoption of quantum-safe security and help them prepare before Q-Day, the point at which quantum computers can break today's encryption. Under his leadership, KIRQ has become a proving ground for leading telecom and quantum technology providers to test and de-risk quantum security solutions ahead of commercial deployment. Philippe holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from McGill University and a Master's degree in Management from the Université de Sherbrooke. He is based in Laval, Quebec.

Shreyas Ramesh is a Managing Director at Accenture and leads the firm's global Quantum business. He is responsible for Accenture's quantum strategy, use case delivery, commercialization efforts, ecosystem development, and strategic partnerships across quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum security. He works closely with technology providers, governments, academic institutions, and enterprise clients to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies and develop practical business applications. Over the past several years, Shreyas has led the development of the Accenture QuantumHub, evolving it from an early prototype into a mature platform supporting client engagement, ecosystem collaboration, and thought leadership. He has been instrumental in building Accenture's market positioning in quantum, creating industry offerings, developing commercialization strategies, and helping organizations evaluate the business impact of emerging quantum capabilities.

As President of Strategic Initiatives, Robert Long leads EPB’s efforts to identify, develop and advance forward-looking initiatives that leverage EPB’s advanced energy, connectivity and quantum infrastructure to benefit local customers while opening new economic opportunities for the Chattanooga area.

With more than three decades of experience across industries that include energy, advanced manufacturing, consumer healthcare and emerging technologies, Long joined EPB from Novonix Limited, where he was Chief Financial Officer of the publicly traded company focused on advanced battery materials. Before that, he was the entrepreneurial founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bridges Consumer Healthcare and Senior Vice President of Strategic Development at Shaw Industries. Long previously held multiple leadership roles at Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, including Head of North America Region and Chief Executive Officer of Chattem, Inc.

Long earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Economics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A lifelong Chattanoogan, Long has been active in community and professional organizations, including serving on the board of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association at the national level, United Way of Greater Chattanooga, and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.

J.Ed. Marston leads EPB’s Strategic Communication efforts which include public relations, community engagement and corporate communications. Since joining EPB in 2014, he has played a key role in promoting EPB and Chattanooga with a particular focus on community benefit and economic development. Marston is particularly proud of contributing to the launch of HCS EdConnect powered by EPB, a national model for providing access to home-based, fiber optic broadband to every K-12 student in need who attends Hamilton County Schools along with their families.

Prior to joining EPB, he served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce for twelve years. He has also held positions in marketing, operations management and newspaper reporting in the greater Atlanta area. Marston holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Writing from Spring Hill College in Mobile. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute of Organizational Management.

With a decade of dedicated service at EPB, Daniel Crawley is a seasoned expert in energy and communications technologies, currently serving as the Manager of Strategic Research. Crawley’s career is marked by his expertise in research and economic modeling of cutting-edge technologies, including 5G/Spectrum, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Geothermal (Thermal Energy Networks), Quantum Computing/Networking, Artificial Intelligence, Solar Power, Energy Storage, and Blockchain.

His strategic insights into these areas help identify and analyze strategic opportunities for EPB to remain well-positioned to incorporate state-of-the-art innovations over the next 10 to 15 years. Crawley also translates complex data into actionable strategies that influence decision-making. His contributions are pivotal in guiding EPB through the evolving landscape of energy, connectivity, and community, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of innovation while addressing the challenges of tomorrow.

Crawley’s academic background includes a dual Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Science in Data Analytics from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, equipping him with a robust blend of financial insight and advanced analytical skills.

Matt Cimaglia is the Founder and Managing Partner of Quantum Coast Capital (QCC), an investment firm working to build the foundational layer of the quantum economy. QCC's thesis is that infrastructure comes before applications: the networks, facilities, and connective systems that early-stage quantum companies have historically had to build alongside their own products. Cimaglia has spent more than two decades founding and scaling technology and media companies, with operating experience spanning SaaS, digital infrastructure, and content platforms. That background informs QCC's emphasis on the practical realities of bringing frontier technology to market.

He is an active voice in the development of the U.S. quantum economy, with particular engagement in Florida's emerging quantum corridor. He works across capital, public policy, and industry, collaborating with academic institutions, federal stakeholders, and quantum technology companies on workforce development, infrastructure, and post-quantum security initiatives. Outside of his professional work, Cimaglia is an avid cyclist and has trekked to Everest Base Camp. He has served on boards including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, and The Center for Arts & Innovation in Boca Raton.

John Licata is a Futures Director and Quantum Lead at ServiceNow, where he drives the company’s long-term innovation vision, connecting current offerings with future-ready possibilities. With over 20 years of experience in research, strategy, and trading, John bridges the technical and business worlds.

Before joining ServiceNow, John was the Chief Innovation Foresight Strategist for SAP and the CEO of Blue Phoenix Inc., where he led research and strategy projects for clients like Dow Jones, Salomon Smith Barney, and Toyota.

John's passion for digital transformation and his diverse experiences have made him a sought-after industry expert, featured in media outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and CNBC. He is based in New York and holds degrees from Saint Peter’s University and NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is also the author of "Lessons from Frankenstorm".

Ganesh Sivakumar, SVP, Chief Data, Applied AI and Technology Innovation Officer for Unum, leads a newly formed organization that brings together data strategy, data platforms, digital incubation, applied AI and technology innovation at Unum. His team focuses on unifying data and AI, strengthening cross-functional collaboration and accelerating business value.

Prior to joining Unum, Ganesh served as Global Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer at Reckitt / Mead Johnson Nutrition, where he led one of the company's most significant enterprise transformation journeys, embedding data and AI into the core of business decision-making and delivering measurable impact across functions and markets worldwide.

He brings more than 25 years of experience advising and partnering with executive leadership teams across Fortune 100 companies to drive growth, improve performance and lead enterprise transformation at global scale. He is recognized for connecting business strategy with technological innovation and has successfully built and scaled capabilities in data, analytics, artificial intelligence, digital, manufacturing and enterprise operations, with a strong track record of translating those investments into measurable business outcomes.

Ganesh holds a master’s degree in industrial management and decision support systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and he is a Certified Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Certified AI Expert, CDSP, PMP, CSM, Azure Data Engineer and AWS Solutions Architect.