Chair – Tarun Reddy Nukala
Contact: t.nukala@ieee.org / CTSYP-Chair@ieee.org
Tarun Reddy Nukala is a Systems Software Engineer at Samsung Semiconductor in Austin and a graduate student in the M.S. Artificial Intelligence program at The University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as Chair of IEEE Young Professionals, Central Texas Section. His interests include AI/ML, robotics, embedded systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and community-building for early-career engineers. Through IEEE YP, he focuses on creating practical technical events, networking opportunities, and mentorship-driven programming for students and young professionals in Central Texas.
Program Chair – Akshay Mittal
Contact: akshay.mittal@ieee.org
Akshay Mittal is a Staff Software Engineer at PayPal with over a decade of experience in cloud-native systems, AI-driven security, and DevSecOps automation. He is an IEEE Senior Member and currently serves as Vice-Chair for IEEE Young Professionals, where he is passionate about mentoring early-career engineers and fostering industry-academia collaboration. Akshay is also a PhD candidate specializing in AI-Augmented Security Automation for Cloud-Native Systems and is an active speaker, organizer, and volunteer across IEEE, ACM, and CNCF communities, contributing to professional growth and technical excellence worldwide.
Vice Chair – Rene Moilna
Contact: CTSYP-ViceChair@ieee.org / CTSYP-Treasurer@ieee.org
Rene was born and raised in Dallas, TX and is a graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science, and his professional interests lie in the power systems and cybersecurity fields. In his free time, he loves to enjoy nature, play sports, and make music.
Adviser/Past Chair – Haley Hirschfield
Haley graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering with minors in Physics & Applied Mathematics. She works at a consulting firm called TRC Companies that helps develop & improves distribution grid expansion & reliability. In her free time, you can find her hiking, playing soccer, hanging out with friends, at a concert or just hanging out with her 5 year old Golden Retriever, Halo.
Adviser/Past Vice-Chair – Eric Meier
Eric received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts in 2017. He began working at ERCOT in the Engineer Development Program and is the Supervisor of the Network Model Administration team where he manages the development of power systems models, modeling applications, and trains the next generation of engineers. He is a Licensed P.E. in the State of Texas and serves on advisory boards for the Texas State Electrical Engineering, and Bismarck State College Electrical Transmission Systems Technology programs advising on the curriculums and workforce needs. He’s held leadership positions in IEEE as the chair of the PI2 joint chapter, and is an IEEE senior member. In his free time he can be found traveling the world, playing softball and board games, and experimenting with new recipes while cooking.