Arizona Technology Council Elects Arizona Western College Vice President to Board of Directors

PHOENIX - Oct. 28, 2022 - PRLog -- The Arizona Technology Council today announced Reetika Dhawan, vice president of Workforce Development and Career & Technical Education, Arizona Western College, has been added to its board of directors. Dhawan was elected unanimously to serve a three-year term at the Council's quarterly board meeting held Oct. 27.

The Council also announced the continuation of the following board officers at the meeting:

• Chairman Eric Miller, co-founder and principal, PADT
• Vice Chairman Alex Iuorio, senior vice president, Avnet
• President and CEO, Steven G. Zylstra, Arizona Technology Council
• Secretary Jonathon Talcott, partner-elect, Ballard Spahr
• Treasurer Eric Lewis, partner, Ernst & Young

"Reetika is an excellent addition to the Council's board as education and workforce development lead to help advance our extensive list of public policy initiatives," said Zylstra. "It is also an honor to welcome back our esteemed team of elected officers. Each of these individuals has contributed greatly to the Council's mission of enhancing the growth of our technology industry through public policy initiatives, workforce development programs and networking events."

In addition to the elected officers and new board member, the Council announced directors serving second and third terms. Serving their second terms are Christine Boles, vice president, Network & Edge Group and general manager, Federal and Industrial Solutions, Intel; Jan Janick, chief technology officer, Benchmark; and Drena Kusari, vice president and general manager, Lyft. Serving his third term on the board is PADT's Miller.

The board serves an advisory and fiduciary role by representing the interests of the state's technology industries in the Council's strategic planning and ongoing operations. The current board includes 36 members representing a diverse set of organizations.

The biography of Dhawan is included below:

Reetika Dhawan, vice president of Workforce Development and Career & Technical Education, Arizona Western College

Dhawan's experience includes working effectively with a diverse student body and staff, planning, prioritizing, problem-solving, overseeing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, managing budgets and helping prepare students for success. She served as division chair for Arizona Western College's Math and Engineering Department before advancing to dean. In her experience as dean for Career and Technology, she learned about the workings of the larger community, giving her greater insight in her ability to lead and direct students. Dhawan has taught at the college and university level for 19 years. In addition to higher-level math courses, she has taught courses in statistics, astronomy and physics.

Dhawan's education includes a bachelor of science in math, physics and chemistry; bachelor of education in teaching sciences; and master's degrees in physics and applied math. Her awards include AWC Vice President Innovation Award, AWC Excellency Medal. Teacher of the Year, Endowed Faculty Member and a NISOD Teaching award. She also had the opportunity to create a successful learning center for math, physics and engineering in her home city in India.

Companies and institutions represented on the Arizona Technology Council Board of Directors include:

Arizona Commerce Authority; AccountabilIT; Alerion Capital Group; Alliance Bank of Arizona; American Express; Arizona Public Service; Arizona Western College; Arizona State University; Avnet; Ballard Spahr; Benchmark; Ease; EmFluent; Encora; Ernst & Young; Honeywell Aerospace; IBM; Ideas Collide; ILLUME Advising; Insight; Intel; Iron Mountain; KEO Marketing Inc.; Lyft; MSS Technologies; PADT, Inc.; PayPal; Phoenix Business Journal; Quarles & Brady; Raytheon; Rincon Research; Solugenix; Tech Parks Arizona, The University of Arizona; Translational Genomics Research Institute; University of Advancing Technology; and Vonage Business.