2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Dr. Amit Shukla Seattle University [biography]

   Amit Shukla, PhD, is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and most recently served as the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering (2022-2025). Dr. Shukla's leadership of the college resulted in major progress in Seattle University’s STEM programs, as the university embraces new institutional partnerships and students explore their potential in the new Center for Science and Innovation.

   Dr. Shukla’s career as an academic and administrator has been marked by a commitment to innovation, transparency, collaboration and inclusion. Prior to Seattle University, he served in various leadership roles at Miami University, Ohio, for two decades. He has extensive experience in supporting student success and faculty development, fostering multidisciplinary teaching and research, fundraising, engaging with alumni and forging mutually enriching partnerships with industry. Dr. Shukla was also the founding director of the Miami University Center for Assistive Technology, which identifies socially relevant problems and develops engineering solutions by engaging students in interdisciplinary research.

2. Dr. Peter Rowan Seattle University [biography]

   Peter Rowan is the Lawrence K Johnson Chair in Entrepreneurship and Executive Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. As a member of the Management Department faculty, Peter oversees the undergraduate minor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, as well as the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, teaching required courses for both those programs. His research interests include risk taking among early-stage entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship education and the role of entrepreneurship support organizations like university accelerators in impacting entrepreneurial intention and new venture survival. Previously, he was the Executive Director, Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, and a Senior Lecturer at the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa. Prior to joining academia, Peter was Corporate Vice President, New Ventures at Coinstar from 2001-2010. During his tenure, the company grew from $150 million to $1.3 billion in revenue, entered new lines of business and introduced innovative growth initiatives like its DVD kiosks, money transfer, and e-payment programs. At Coinstar, Peter led more than 20 acquisitions, investments, and divestitures, including its investment in Redbox. Peter has taught entrepreneurship and new venture strategy since 2005. He is active in the entrepreneurial community as an advisor, mentor, and investor. He has a BA in Russian History from Cornell University, an MA in International Policy Studies and an MBA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and a PhD in Business Administration from the Shidler College of Business.

3. John J Ostlund Seattle University [biography]

   JJ Ostlund is a seasoned high-tech executive whose career bridges the scale, discipline, and operational rigor of Fortune 100 companies with the agility, risk-taking and inventive drive of early-stage startups. Over three decades he has led major business units and global operations at prominent technology organizations, delivering innovation-differentiated growth and building high-performance teams. In parallel, he has advised and coached mission-driven startups, supported university-linked ventures, and engaged in philanthropic initiatives designed to expand talent, opportunity and engineering innovation. His track record spans delivering double-digit growth, leading transformations, and unleashing talent in cross-functional, high-velocity environments.

   JJ’s leadership style is inspirational and inclusive: he builds and mentors top-tier engineering, commercial, and product teams, fosters a culture of accountability and creativity, and consistently develops leaders of the next generation. He is recognized for turning vision into action—translating strategy into tangible business outcomes while keeping people fully engaged.

   As the EPIIC Initiative at Seattle University seeks to embed innovation and entrepreneurial capacity into engineering education, JJ’s blend of high-tech leadership, operational mastery, startup know-how and talent development makes him uniquely positioned to support such transformational work—bridging the worlds of engineering, enterprise and entrepreneurship to forge the next generation of engineering innovators.

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