About

The Steering Committee

The strategic leadership and advisory council guiding the mission of the Edison Awards and its affiliated innovation programs.

Current Members

Steve Bakken

AVP, Business HR:Life Sciences Market Group, Agilent Technologies

Andrew Banks

Founder, Talent2 International, and Shark, Shark Tank Australia

Jim Behmke

Founder, Behmke Innovation Group LLC; Founder and CEO of Behmke Ventures LLC

Shravan Bharadwaj

Manager, New Enclosure Technologies, Apple, Inc.

Sandhiprakash Bhide

President, Anwaya Consulting LLC

Frank Bonafilia

Executive Director, The Edison Awards; Co-founder, Lewis Latimer Fellowship

Janine Brady

Managing Director of Communications, Office of Eric Schmidt

Carly Chase

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business Management Division, Columbia Business School

Jonathan Cropper

Founder, Futurlogic Advanced Concepts; Co-founder, Lewis Latimer Fellowship

Maria De Capua

Executive Leader

Aditya (Adi) Gottumukkala

Catalyst, Office of Strategic Alliances & Technology Transfer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mark E. Jones

Creative Director, MJPhD, LLC

Ryan Kelly

Chief Communications Officer, Recursion

Gami D. Maislin

Founder, Maislin Systems LLC; CXO, BRITE Energy Innovators

Rob Manes

Vice President, Edison Universe Board; Director of Business Development, Edison Awards

Hari Nair

Chief Design Strategist, Design for Winning LLC and Professor, Savannah College of Art and Design

Nate Newman

Chief Executive Officer, Paramagnetix Inc.

Eusebio Scornavacca

Ph.D., Director & Professor of Innovation Policy, ASU

Thomas Stutesman

Principal Solution Architect, Pure Storage

Chris Thompson

CEO, Power & Water Division, Zoetic Global

Chris Vazzana

President, Holland, L.P.

Peter Vollenberg

Research Fellow, SABIC

Diana Zhou

Venture Partner, Eclipse Ventures

Emeritus Members

Steve Carr

Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University

Kenneth D. Gray

Director Emeritus, Central Illinois Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired; President, Gray Ventures, LLC;

Walter Herbst

Director-Master of Product Design and Development Program, Professor, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University

Calvin Hodock

Edison Awards Founder and Former Chairman of the Board, American Marketing Association

Clinton O. Robinson

Associate Vice President, Black & Veatch Corporation

Hari Nair

Vice President, R&D Fabric & Home Care Global Packaging, Learning Lab and Partner Lab at Procter & Gamble, Co-Author The Innovative Leader

Former Members

Aristos A. Aristidou, Ph.D.
Cargill

Sandra Bates
The Innovation Partners

Dave Brenner
Intuit

David H. Brenner
Innovation Park at Notre Dame

Sarah Miller Caldicott
Great Grand Niece of Thomas Edison

Michael Docherty
NextBig Inc.

Eric Egnet
Trendigm

Harry Epstein
Quadrant Management Consulting

Tim Fiala
Text100

Gary Fischman
Future Strategy Solutions

Simon Fung
3M Corporation

Andy Gilicinski
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

Joyce Gioia
Herman Group

Dr. Christine Gulbranson
U+Nova; Treehouse Studios

Matthew Heim
inno360

Shannon Hodock
Acosta Marketing Group

David Holly
Sr. Business Development Executive

Dirk Hondmann
Mead Johnson Nutrition

Jennie C. Hunter-Cevera
Hunter-Cevera and Associates; SacroNatura

David Hurst
Founder & CEO, Orbital Transports

Sandra Kauanui
Florida Gulf Coast University

Gail Buerger Kerr
Gail Buerger Kerr and Associates

Jason Kovac
Linn-Benton Community College

Philip T. Krein
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Robert S. Langer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bret Lewis
Xenergy Holdings

Kevin Lynch
Northwestern University

Ashley Maher
Charlotte Community Foundation

Deana McDonagh
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology

Kevin McGinnis
Keystone Community Corporation

Moises Norena
Allstate Insurance

David Parma
Ipsos Marketing U.S.

John L. Petersen
The Arlington Institute; The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation

Col. John P. Powell
PAMCO Investments Corp.

Susanne Seitinger
Philips Lighting

Sheree Speakman
CIE Learning

Tom Stat
IDEO

Clifford J. Thomas
Cisco New York Enterprise Operation

Arpana Verma
NanoMech Industries

Rebecca Von Der Heide
Nielsen Company

Innovation in Motion

Video

Gwynne Shotwell’s Inspiring Edison Awards 2024 Achievement Award Acceptance Speech

June 11, 2024

Video

Bracken Darrell:  2022 Edison Achievement Award Honoree

April 28, 2022

Video

Carmichael Roberts:  2022 Edison Achievement Award Honoree

April 28, 2022

Video

Pat Gelsinger:  2023 Edison Achievement Award Honoree

June 29, 2023

Join the legacy of excellence In global innovation

For nearly four decades, the Edison Awards has set the global benchmark for market-ready solutions that redefine industries and shape the future. 

The Steering Committee

Current Members

Steve Bakken

Andrew Banks

Jim Behmke

Shravan Bharadwaj

Sandhiprakash Bhide

Frank Bonafilia

Janine Brady

Carly Chase

Jonathan Cropper

Maria De Capua

Aditya (Adi) Gottumukkala

Mark E. Jones

Ryan Kelly

Gami D. Maislin

Rob Manes

Hari Nair

Nate Newman

Eusebio Scornavacca

Thomas Stutesman

Chris Thompson

Chris Vazzana

Peter Vollenberg

Diana Zhou

Emeritus Members

Steve Carr

Kenneth D. Gray

Walter Herbst

Calvin Hodock

Clinton O. Robinson

Hari Nair

Former Members

Innovation in Motion

Video

Video

Video

Video

Join the legacy of excellence In global innovation

Ready for Nomination Season?