Lee Cheatham, Kenmore, Wash., executive director, Washington Technology Center. Since 1998, Cheatham has been responsible for the strategic, financial, and operational leadership of the state of Washington’s leading technology-based economic development agency. Under his direction, the Washington Technology Center increased its investment leverage to $15 for every $1 of state investment, and created significant new programs in alternative energy and nanotechnology. Cheatham also supervised growing research organizations, served in executive roles within the private sector, and started his own software company. He currently serves on advisory boards at Washington State University, the University of Washington, and the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute. He holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University, a M.S. from Washington State University, and a B.S. degree from Oregon State University, all in electrical engineering.

T. Dwayne McCay, Melbourne, Fla., provost and executive vice president, Florida Institute of Technology. As the chief operating officer at the Florida Institute of Technology, McCay oversees a $120 million budget and has led efforts to update the strategic plan, modernize Florida Tech’s academic programs, revamp its enrollment management approach, and improve the institution’s research profile and productivity. McCay is also a professor of physics and space sciences and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Florida Tech. His previous academic experience includes vice presidencies at the University of Tennessee, with responsibility for oversight of the operating contract at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where he was also professor of engineering science and mechanics. He also worked for NASA at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and as a research scientist and engineer for the Air Force. McCay received his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and applied mathematics from Auburn University, where he was a NASA Fellow. His M.S. in aerospace engineering and B.S. degree in physics are also from Auburn University.

Greg R. Weisenstein, Grand Forks, N.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, University of North Dakota. Weisenstein has been the chief academic officer at the University of North Dakota since 2005. Among his projects, he has focused on increasing the institution’s visibility and community engagement, with UND being among the first universities in the country designated by the Carnegie Foundation as an “engaged university.” He has also gained support for capital development initiatives and developed new recruitment strategies to increase out-of-state and international enrollments at the Grand Forks campus. He previously held administrative positions at Montana State University, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Clemson University, and the University of Washington. He holds a doctorate in administration/special education from the University of Kansas. His master’s degree in special education and B.A. degree in U.S history and geology are both from the University of Washington.

Robert A. Wharton, Pocatello, Idaho, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Idaho State University. As the chief academic officer since 2005, Wharton has responsibility for advancing the academic and scholarly life of 13,280 students and 670 faculty members on the Pocatello campus and at four outreach centers. He successfully led the first campus-wide effort to implement and align evidence-based strategic planning, budgeting, and assessment at ISU, and led student recruitment and retention efforts that resulted in a 4 percent enrollment increase as of fall 2007. He is a tenured professor of biology at ISU and previously served as its chief research officer, leading the university’s efforts to foster, support, and expand its research enterprise. He has past service with the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has a Ph.D. in botany from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, a M.A. degree in biology and a B.A. in botany from Humboldt State University in California.

David M. Woodall, Klamath Falls, Ore., interim president, Oregon Institute of Technology. Woodall has served as acting or interim president at Oregon Institute of Technology since last June, but his principal role has been as provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2003. In his tenure at OIT, the institution has added new degree programs in engineering, engineering technology, applied science, and applied health. During his academic career, he has also been an engineering department chair, associate dean of engineering and director of research, and a dean of engineering and science at such institutions as the University of New Mexico, University of Idaho, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also has directed research activities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Woodall holds a Ph.D. in applied physics from Cornell University, a M.S. in nuclear engineering from Columbia University, and a B.A. in physics from Hendrix (Ark.) College.