Beyond the Classroom: Exploring Tech in the Real World – Season 3

Brian Dunkel
Owner and President at eCorporateCollege.com

Brian holds degrees from MIT in both Mathematics and Computer Science, as well as advanced degrees from the University of Michigan. His career in computer technology began in the previous millennium and has spanned the globe from Switzerland to Michigan to Hawaii. He has spent much of the past three decades providing customized training and consulting services to companies ranging from Union Bank of Switzerland to the Detroit automotive companies and their suppliers. He is about to enter the “seventeenth year of a one-month contract” with IBM’s global marketing technology division based in New York City while residing six time zones away in Niu Valley.

Nick Tsamis
Founder at Relevant Technology Group

Nick Tsamis is the Founder of Relevant Technology Group, specializing in critical infrastructure protection, adversary emulation, and Operational Technology (OT) security. He brings 15 years of experience in critical infrastructure across commercial and U.S. government environments. He previously served at MITRE as Chief Engineer for Critical Infrastructure Protection, leading key OT security initiatives including the invention of Caldera for OT. Prior to this role, he was a Principal in the Threat Operations Center at Dragos, leading threat operations and R&D, and held cybersecurity and safety engineering roles at JHUAPL and Rockwell Collins. His work focuses on advancing the state of practice for active cybersecurity defenses within critical infrastructure missions.

Jennifer Kumura
Digital Transformation Lead at Servco Pacific Inc.

Jennifer is currently the Digital Transformation Lead at Servco Pacific Inc., an automotive distribution and retail company, where she brings her background in UX and product design to modernize how the business operates. She’s also a cofounder of UXHI, a professional organization for human-centered practitioners. She deeply cares about understanding people, systems, and communities to create effective transformations that actually serve the humans inside them.

Sony Atmadjaja
Product Design Director at Doximity

Sony is a Product Design Director at Doximity, where she leads design for digital tools that serve clinicians across the country. She previously worked at Postmates and Pivotal Labs. She’s trained as a graphic designer, and brings strategy, brand, and design to her work with UXHI.

Sean Tangco
Director of Research and Action at Culturalyst

Sean works on Culturalyst, which is like a LinkedIn for Artists but much more. He also has a research consulting business called Small Kine Research and Action. In all of his roles, he focuses on building deep listening systems so that teams can build products and devices that help solve people’s needs.

Sydney Kim
Purchasing Assistant at KYD, Inc.

Sydney is a Purchasing Assistant with KYD, Inc., a local disposable foodware distribution company. Her role consists of data wrangling, report design, and identifying opportunities to convert legacy tools and processes to modern platforms. She has had additional experience in engineering, software development, and UX. Outside of work, she enjoys dance and trying new foods.

🎓 ICS Alum

Jenna Ganitano
Senior Applications Administrator at Punahou School

Jenna Ganitano is a Senior Applications Administrator at Punahou School, where her work ranges from end-user support to full-scale enterprise implementations that impact every member of the school community.
At 13, Jenna took apart her laptop just to see if she could put it back together. That same curiosity carried into her career: with a degree in Sociology from UH Mānoa, she began in IT as the sole support for a startup nonprofit, where the mandate was simply “figure it out.” From there, she moved into managed services at Intech Hawaii — advancing from Systems Administrator to Director of Managed Services — before landing in enterprise IT at Punahou School.
Through it all, Jenna has leaned into what she considers her real strength: connecting with people. She builds rapport easily and is skilled at discerning what someone actually needs — even when it’s not quite what they first ask for.
Jenna serves as the Director of Membership for Hawaiʻi Women in Tech (HWIT). She is Native Hawaiian, and resides in Kaneohe with her husband Brandon and three children.

Jason Ginchereau
Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft

Jason Ginchereau is a principal software engineer currently working on GitHub Actions. Over 26 years at Microsoft and GitHub, he has worked on a variety of projects including Windows, Xbox, and Visual Studio, with a recent focus on cloud services and developer productivity. He has also mentored engineers throughout his career, helping them develop their technical skills and navigate career growth. He lives in Honolulu and works remotely with teams across GitHub

Ryley Higa
Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Sumo Logic

Ryley Higa is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Sumo Logic, where he works on production AI systems with a focus on AI agents, reliability, security, and observability. His work spans large language models, machine learning, distributed systems, and the engineering challenges of deploying AI in real-world software products.
Ryley is also the founder and organizer of Pie and AI Honolulu, a local community focused on improving AI literacy and connecting Hawaii’s students, engineers, researchers, and technology community.

Brad Christ
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at University of Hawaii System

Brad Christ is the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (VPIT/CIO), leading enterprise technology strategy, cybersecurity, cloud transformation, and digital modernization initiatives across the statewide university system.
The Office of the VP for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer provides systemwide leadership for information technology systems and services, and leads Information Technology Services (ITS). ITS comprises Academic Development and Technology, Administrative Services, the Client Service and Operations Center (CSOC), Enterprise Systems, Information Security, Research Cyberinfrastructure, System Services Infrastructure, and Telecommunications and Network Infrastructure.
Brad brings over 28 years of experience in higher education and information technology. Originally from Minneapolis, he holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining UH, he served as Chief Information Officer at Eastern Washington University and Southern Oregon University, leading major initiatives in governance, ERP modernization, cloud migration, and service transformation.

Chad Morita
Associate Security Architect at First Hawaiian Bank

Chad Morita is an Associate Security Architect at First Hawaiian Bank with a primary focus on vulnerability management and additional expertise supporting cloud security and application security initiatives. He also graduated with his B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer science from UH Mānoa.

🎓 ICS Alum

Shirlene Cardenas
Chief Executive Officer at MC3 Technologies

Shirlene Cardenas is the CEO of MC3 Technologies, a woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in Hawaii. She leads company operations, contracts, and program delivery across the Pacific region, and she built MC3’s intern program bringing local students into real federal project work. She also serves as Deputy of Community Outreach for AFCEA Hawaii and President of the Hawaii National Guard State Advisory Council.

Michael Cardenas
Chief Technology Officer at MC3 Technologies

Michael Cardenas is the founder and CTO of MC3 Technologies, a Hawaii-based systems integration and cybersecurity firm working across Hawaii, Guam, CNMI, and the broader Pacific. He leads the company’s work in agile development, rapid prototyping, systems integration, cybersecurity, and unmanned systems. Born and raised in Hawaii, he also serves as VP of Cyber for AFCEA Hawaii.

Jimwel Aguinaldo
Software Engineer at Torc Robotics

Jimwel is a Software Engineer at Torc Robotics. He brings over 6 years of full stack development experience across different industries including autonomous vehicles and blockchain security, having previously worked at companies like Daimler Trucks North America, RVCM, and CertiK. Jimwel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Oregon State University.