The internal structure of the FD-Tech Center is comprised of the following:
- Dr. Vijay Mookerjee (Director)
- Dr. Eric Zheng (Associate Director)
- Dr. Robert Kieschnick
- Academic Committee (Faculty Members, Director and Associate Director)
- Administrative Assistant
External Structure
The external structure will consist of an advisory board and industry members.
Board of Advisors
Advisory board members will:
- Advise members of the research center on key challenges faced by entities in the Fintech ecosystem and how these translate into research opportunities
- Identify new/emerging training and teaching needs and advise the center on programs that it may offer to address these needs
- To serve as an advocate for the center and help build important ties and connections between JSOM and the business community
- Guide and advise the center on its outreach mission and strategies to reach key target audiences
- Attend annual advisory board meeting
- Provide keynote talks at conferences held by the center
Industry Members
- Membership dues are valid for a period of one year. The membership can be renewed with the consent of all parties. Newly appointed members shall begin their term with the first regular meeting of the board
- Industry members are honorary members and their participation on the advisory board does not impose any restrictions on them
- Industry members may deputize others with specific specialties and backgrounds to attend specific meetings where their specialties and/or backgrounds may be relevant to the meeting’s purpose
- Ex-officio members may deputize others from their organizations to attend meeting sessions in person or electronically
Leemon Baird
Dr. Leemon Baird is the inventor of the hashgraph distributed consensus algorithm, Co-founder of Hedera, and Co-founder and Co-CEO of Swirlds Labs. With over 20 years of technology and startup experience, he has held positions as a Professor of Computer Science at the US Air Force Academy and as a senior scientist in several labs. He has been the Co-founder of several startups, including two identity-related startups, both of which were acquired. Leemon received his PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and has multiple patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences in computer security, machine learning, and mathematics.
Karthik Kumar
Karthik Kumar is the EVP & COO of LendArch and he leads the US Mortgage industry towards disruptive digital and cognitive solutions. Has focused the last 20 years in Consulting, Solution architecture, Operational delivery, Project management, Compliance management and as a change agent for technology endeavors . He is an international speaker , host and facilitator known for disruptive change and digital transformation at various platforms. Karthik is a Chartered Accountant and a LEAD Alumni from the Stanford Graduate School of Business . He is also COPC Certified , CRU from MBA and a 6 Sigma Black Belt. He is an advocate for Youth Mental Health and Member of The Board of Advisors for Sky Schools.
Lee Bratcher
Lee Bratcher is the President and Founder of the Texas Blockchain Council. The Texas Blockchain Council is an industry association with more than 100 member companies and hundreds of individuals that seek to make Texas the jurisdiction of choice for Bitcoin and blockchain innovation. The TBC helped to research two pieces of blockchain legislation that were passed in the 87th Legislative session and an additional two bills in the 88th Session that were signed into effect by Governor Abbott. Lee and the TBC team have a specific focus on the regulatory environment around Bitcoin mining in Texas. The TBC hosts the North American Blockchain Summit at which speakers like Vivek Ramaswamy, RFK Jr., Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Cynthia Lummis and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce address sold-out audiences. Formerly, Lee was a political science professor at Dallas Baptist University teaching international relations with a research emphasis on property rights. Lee was awarded a master’s in International Relations from St. Mary’s University and a Ph.D. from UT Dallas with a research emphasis on blockchain land registries. Lee lives in Richardson, TX with his wife Becca and their three daughters.