Our 2024 Tech10 and Next Tech Generation Award Recipients

Meet the innovators in the information technology field who are embracing the latest technology that impacts the way we live and learn about the world. For the past decade, Rhode Island Monthly and the Tech10 Advisory Group have partnered to highlight the work of these tech pioneers, as well as the winners of the Next Tech Generation, who represent the future of the industry, and to distribute the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join us in celebrating this year’s honorees at the Gamm Theatre on Monday, December 16. Tickets are available for purchase here. 

Tech10 Advisory Group

Jason Albuquerque, Envision Technology Advisors • Vic Fay-Wolfe, University of Rhode Island • Linn Freedman, Robinson & Cole • Todd Knapp, Envision Technology Advisors • Kathleen Malin, Rhode Island Foundation • Envision Technology Advisor David Marble, OSHEAN • Rick Norberg, Vertikal6 • David Hemendinger, Brown Medicine

The Honorees

Mary Aceto, vice president of global information technology at KVH Industries

Mice Chen, chief information officer at Thundermist Health Center

Brad Crough, senior director of analytics at Brown Physicians Inc.

Joe Friedrichsen, managing director of IT operations and infrastructure at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

Gary Harlam, president of Technology Advisory Group

Melissa Kearns, senior program manager at Dassault Systèmes

Gaurav Khanna, director of research computing at the University of Rhode Island

Jay Longley, senior consultant, public sector specialist at Envision Technology Advisors

Indrani Mandal, associate teaching professor at the University of Rhode Island

Aaron Read, chief engineer at The Public’s Radio

Next Tech Generation

Reese Babington, network system administrator at the Foster-Glocester Regional School District

Nick Garvey, cybersecurity analyst II at Axiotrop 

Ali Jobe, software engineering manager at Cleo

Victor Montanez, CRM project manager at Onward We Learn

 Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Moreau, senior vice president and chief information officer at Amica Mutual Insurance Company

 

Tech10 Awards

Explain your job title and what it entails.

I am the vice president of global information technology at KVH Industries, as well as the manager of the corporate systems and processes related to the company’s global information technology network. This includes providing secure and reliable access to more than 300 employees around the world, whether they are working on a customer’s vessel, luxury super yacht or in the home office. —Mary Aceto

I’m the chief information officer at Thundermist Health Center. I oversee all things IT, electronic health record, data analytics, contact center, referral management and document management. —Mice Chen

As a senior director of analytics for Brown Physicians Inc., my job entails directing a highly skilled team to turn raw data from a variety of sources into accurate, consumable and actionable insights. The job is not easy, but simple — put good data in the hands of the best. BPI Physicians and senior leadership are unequivocally the best in the world and that requires good clean data for quality of care, sharable research and the most efficient operations. —Brad Crough

I’m the managing director of IT operations and infrastructure at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. My teams are responsible for the efficient operation of our multiple cloud platforms and supporting all our applications. Our product managers set the roadmap, which our engineers build. We deliver great support experiences to our associates, which translates to great experiences for our customers. —Joe Friedrichsen

At Technology Advisory Group, our goal is to work with our clients to assure that their networks are secure and work well. My leadership team and I work together to make sure we have the best team to serve our clients. We continually review our processes and procedures to be as effective as possible.
—Gary Harlam

My role is senior program manager at Dassault Systèmes. In my sixteen-plus years here, I’ve worked on several types of projects, including release management, acquisition integrations and customer engagements. I’ve recently pivoted to a global internal change management initiative. It’s an ambitious program to improve cloud–based communication and collaboration for all 25,000 employees worldwide.—Melissa Kearns

My job title at the University of Rhode Island is director of research computing; it reflects the responsibility of infrastructure and support for all things related to the use of advanced computing (including high-performance, artificial intelligence, quantum, etc.) for research purposes at the university and in the region. I also serve as the director for the URI Center for Computational Research. —Gaurav Khanna

My current title is senior consultant, public sector specialist. I work with nonprofits, schools and governments, and assist them with their technology needs in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity or building a modern workforce. —Jay Longley

I am an associate teaching professor in the Department of Computer Science and Statistics at the University of Rhode Island. I focus on teaching and mentoring students in computer science and data science. Additionally, as the computational educational specialist for the URI AI Lab, I develop educational initiatives and resources, fostering computational and AI-related learning within the university. I design and deliver educational workshops focused on topics in AI and data science for diverse audiences, including university students and the broader community. —Indrani Mandal

I manage and maintain pretty much all the technical aspects of The Public’s Radio’s studios and transmitters. If it breaks, I fix it. If it might break, though, I try to stop it from breaking. —Aaron Read

What skills are you currently developing?

Cybersecurity skills such as risk and compliance, cybersecurity operations and cloud defense are among the most vital skill sets, as securing our systems and network is a top priority. As new innovations — such as AI demand and integrations within cyber technology — increase, the demand for cyber skill sets continues to grow. —Mary Aceto

More expertise in leveraging AI to improve business efficiency and intelligence. —Mice Chen

I am working on using AI and cloud native solutions to streamline the movement and curation of data. It’s more secure, less prone to deficiencies and enables us to shift efforts and focus to more advanced analytics. —Brad Crough

I’m developing my skills and seeking to better understand how to apply AI in business solutions. While AI is an example of staying on top of technology, a desire to learn has always been and always will be extremely valuable. I’m currently striving to learn how to be a better listener and to improve my problem-solving abilities through an enhanced consultative style. —Joe Friedrichsen

As the company leader and CTO, I’m always looking at our tool set to make sure we not only have the correct tools, but that they are used properly to keep our clients secure. In addition to security, we have initiatives around cloud computing and AI. —Gary Harlam

Dassault Systèmes’ global headquarters is near Paris, France. When I took on my current role two and a half years ago, I decided to start learning French as a new challenge and to connect with colleagues overseas. I practice with Duolingo, listen to French songs and build my fluency confidence through casual chats and conversations with colleagues. —Melissa Kearns

My team and I are working to keep up with the AI revolution. We are also developing ourselves to be ready for quantum computing that will arrive in a few years. —Gaurav Khanna

Professionally, I’m finalizing my CCISO (Certified Chief Information Security Officer) certification. I also have a large focus on artificial intelligence. Personally, I’m working on my ASELT (Airplane Single Engine Land Taildragger) pilot endorsement. —Jay Longley

Lately, our focus has been on generative AI, including image, text, speech and video generation. It’s new and extremely exciting. —Indrani Mandal

I’m a longtime radio engineer, but due to our recent merger with Rhode Island PBS, I’m trying to broaden my knowledge base a bit more into video and television engineering. I’m also doing more deep dives into specific applications of point to point/point to multipoint wireless networking. — Aaron Read

Do you have any hobbies?

A few of the tech-related hobbies I enjoy are assisting family and friends in configuring and purchasing technology products or services. Non-tech hobbies I love include Pilates, playing with and walking our two goldendoodles, spending time and traveling with my husband, sons and extended family. —Mary Aceto

I am extremely passionate about technology. I’ve spent time learning the latest technology trends, innovative ideas and how to leverage data analytics to drive decisions. I also love teaching others what I know — I teach several data analytics classes at Brown University for its master’s in health care leadership program. —Mice Chen

I like Legos and spending quality time with my kids — they are my priority. Two out of three are in college and post-college, so when I get the time, I take it. —Brad Crough

I’m in my happy place when I’m on my boat and going out fishing. It doesn’t matter if I catch a fish; it’s about being on the water. I’ve also begun to pursue hunting as a new hobby. At home, I’m an avid reader and I also love to putter, just doing little stuff that doesn’t require thinking. Cooking with my wife is also something we both love to do. —Joe Friedrichsen

As a technician, challenging problems always intrigue me. I routinely work extra to improve the process that I’m involved in, whether it’s a script or an internal process. Often these projects extend to fixing things around our house and boat. Outside of technology, my two biggest passions are pickleball and being on the water. My family loves to travel around Narragansett Bay and regional waters. We’ve traveled from Maine down to New York City. I also love playing pickleball recreationally with friends and competitively in leagues and tournaments. —Gary Harlam

Nature walks, kayaking and rock climbing are some of my favorite physical activities. On the quieter side, I’ve always loved falling into a good book. In any setting, there is nothing like spending time with friends to bring me energy, ideas, laughter and a renewed sense of purpose. —Melissa Kearns

I have a modest collection of Apple Mac computers going back to the late ’80s! I also have a 1970 VW Beetle Convertible that I love to take out in the summer months. —Gaurav Khanna

My tech-related hobbies center around knowledge graphs and harnessing data to drive decisions in both my personal and professional life. My non-tech life centers around my family and kids. With my free time, I fly all over the U.S. as a general aviation (private) pilot. —Jay Longley

I have a preschooler and a kindergartener who love conducting science experiments around the house, which keeps me busy. The experiments are fun but very sticky and messy most of the time. We love gardening and this year we grew ten varieties of pumpkin and squash (all planted by my kids). —Indrani Mandal

I’m a true nerd at heart: The work is my hobby. But I do rather enjoy the ocean part of being in the Ocean State. Any day I get to be on the beach, even in the winter, is a good day. —Aaron Read

What was your favorite work-related project?

Pinpointing a favorite project is difficult. Among the many, cybersecurity and network architecture are my favorites. It has always intrigued me how the network is built — from the design of the network to sourcing the equipment required for the services and security. My team and I have built out and relocated all the infrastructure for multiple facilities several times. A treasured contribution was starting the IT department for KVH more than thirty-five years ago as well as implementing many on-premise systems and solutions, after which we migrated many of those systems to the cloud. —Mary Aceto

Implementing various innovative technology solutions to improve patient care and experiences. —Mice Chen

One of my favorite projects to work on is our primary care nurse care management storyboard. It takes advantage of all our tools and is next-level population health management. It provides our care team with the “needles in the haystack” for point of care and care transitions for our patients who need our care teams the most. —Brad Crough

Transforming our tech stack to run in the cloud was a great project. It took our entire IT and business teams to accomplish. We had a great program manager who kept us focused. As we hit obstacles, everyone leaned in to overcome them. Our partners helped us out dramatically with talent and solutions. We all learned so much while having fun. —Joe Friedrichsen

Years ago, a large portion of my computer science background revolved around programming. Our client engagements typically don’t involve any customer programming. I’ve had the opportunity to do some small projects for a few clients over the years. I’ve always found myself immersed in those projects, often working at night trying to find better ways to accomplish the program’s goal. I always had a great sense of accomplishment when I could over-deliver the finished product and exceed the client’s expectations. Any time we make the decision to deploy new technologies or products, I look forward to having the opportunity to research the product then design the implementation for our clients. Recently, those included implementing a zero trust architecture and Office 365 cloud monitoring for our clients. —Gary Harlam

Hands down, my favorite project is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education volunteering I do on behalf of Dassault Systèmes and on my own, directly in the Rhode Island community. Sharing my excitement for STEAM topics with students is so rewarding for me. —Melissa Kearns

Over a decade ago, we built a supercomputer with PlayStation 3 consoles and got national attention (including a story in The New York Times!). That was a thrilling experience, both in terms of the technology involved and the outcomes. I continue to have fond memories of that entire experience. —Gaurav Khanna

I enjoy assisting organizations in their time of need. For the past five years or so, I’ve been acting as a breach coach. Breach coaches are called upon when a school, government or commercial entity suffers a ransomware attack. They assemble fusion teams and work to secure the entity, all while rebuilding it. Many organizations don’t have the tools to address the situation, so to be able to help in a time of need is what drives me to get out of bed daily. —Jay Longley

Working with kids has been my favorite task to work on. We are deeply committed to advancing AI education for school students. We offer summer programs at URI and collaborate with nonprofit organizations such as Providence After School Alliance, Cape Verdean American Society Development, Providence Middle School Coding Camp and public libraries across Rhode Island to make these opportunities accessible to a wider audience. Middle school students worked on developing apps that used machine learning to track faces and create models capable of distinguishing between positive and negative language. Our focus has been on working with underserved communities to provide them with access to AI education and resources. —Indrani Mandal

Moving and expanding WNPN 89.3 FM to its current home in Tiverton was a graduate-level course in FM facility construction and project management. That was a year of prep and six months of intense effort, and it cost nearly $900,000 on top of what we paid to buy the license. —Aaron Read

Who or what inspired you to get into the tech industry?

After graduating from the University of Hartford, I was hired as a data entry operator and started my IT career at Rockport Shoes in system management. My degree was in education, and I was not familiar with anything related to computers forty-five years ago. However, when the vice president at Rockport decided to leave, I was recommended to take the aptitude test Digital Equipment Corporation offered. I took the test and was hired as a data center operator. I moved up within the organization to be a software specialist on Wall Street. I applied for a position as a disaster recovery specialist who performed DR testing for many banks in the New York/New Jersey metro area. My husband and I started our family, and I continued to work and relocated to Rhode Island. I joined KVH Industries as a system administrator — first as a consultant, then as a full-time employee thirty-five years ago. Since then, I became the vice president of global information technology with a global team of seven, having advanced my career from system manager to senior director of IT and everything in between. —Mary Aceto

I am very sensitive and passionate about the latest and greatest technology. I started learning programming when I was in elementary school. Although I explored careers in different industries such as hospitality, I have never stopped learning technology and pursuing my career in this field. —Mice Chen

I’ve always been a tech junkie. What inspired me the most to learn more about data and the important skill of coding was my time in the U.S. Army. My main job after college as a junior military officer was learning missile defense. It takes lots of technology to get a missile to hit another missile. That’s where the interest was sparked. —Brad Crough

I’ve been blessed with many mentors throughout my career. Early on, my first mentor saw my interest in tech and invested her time in teaching me. In an early manager role, another mentor taught me leadership skills and how to leverage intuition. As I progressed, another mentor taught me about perspectives, innovations and external focus. —Joe Friedrichsen

As a kid, I had some exposures to early computers — I was always fascinated. I studied computer science in school and worked in software quality assurance afterward. I had an opportunity to work in a family manufacturing business. As I worked with my suppliers and tried to understand their process, I always thought about how to improve it. Years later I decided to go back into the computer field and make that happen. Part of my goal when working with clients is to find ways to streamline their operation. That is, of course, after we make sure their computers and network are secure and running well. —Gary Harlam

My grandfather was an aeronautical engineer and one of my first inspirations. This was complemented by an enjoyment of math, science and visual arts starting at an early age. After finishing my Ph.D. in cognitive science, I recognized the tech industry met my desire to apply scientific knowledge in a way that can directly and positively impact the community around me. —Melissa Kearns

I’m a bit of an “accidental” technologist. By training, I’m a physicist who works on computer simulations of black holes. The increasing computational demands of my own research pushed me into the world of supercomputing. Over the years, I’ve developed enough expertise that I could help myself and others, too. —Gaurav Khanna

I had a high school guidance counselor who thought technology would be a good fit for me. She took me to our local vocational-technical school and introduced me to the world of electronics and computers back in the mid-’90s, when computers were in their infancy. I thought it was interesting and pursued it because of her. —Jay Longley

I grew up in India, where I began taking coding classes in elementary school. From a young age, I was fascinated by the power of logic and how it could be harnessed to create games and programs. The ability to bring ideas to life through code was truly inspiring and opened my eyes to the possibilities of technology. The school environment was highly competitive, which played a significant role in my development. This atmosphere encouraged me to push myself beyond my comfort zone, constantly striving to improve my skills and expand my knowledge. It was this combination of early exposure to coding and the motivation to excel that shaped my passion for technology and education. —Indrani Mandal

There are three people you can thank — or blame — for getting me into the industry: John Devecka of WLOY at Loyola University, Baltimore, encouraged me greatly in college. David Maxson of Isotrope in Medfield, Massachusetts, took a chance and gave me a real engineering job soon after college. And Michael LeClair, former chief engineer of WBUR, has been a friend and mentor for more than twenty-five years. —Aaron Read

Had you not discovered the tech world, what would you be doing now?

I would have been an elementary school teacher. —Mary Aceto

I have a degree in hospitality management, so I could have been the most tech-savvy person as a non-IT employee of the company that I work for in the hospitality industry. —Mice Chen

My chosen career probably would have been in finance or accounting, modeling financials or predictions with numbers. —Brad Crough

I don’t know that I consciously chose my career in tech so much as I just slipped into it and continued to evolve. While it has become a passion of mine, my dream job these days might be as a charter boat captain taking people fishing. Or running a small farm-to- table restaurant, where my wife supplies the vegetables and I provide the fish and meat. —Joe Friedrichsen

I’m not sure. I’ve always loved working with people or clients to help them in some capacity. I would have picked a field where I could make that happen. —Gary Harlam

As a generalist, I love learning things in different topic areas, growing my knowledge and sharing my excitement by connecting with others. Had I not pursued tech, I probably would have chosen teaching as a career, either K–12 or higher ed. —Melissa Kearns

I continue to be a physics researcher to date, so I probably would have just stayed in the field. However, I may have shifted my research efforts toward something more theoretical. —Gaurav Khanna

I like to create things that do not readily exist. I also like to help those in need, so I would have found a career in a field where I could make a difference at some level. —Jay Longley

I absolutely love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else. This is what I have always wanted to do since I was little, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to make it a reality. —Indrani Mandal

Ugh, that sounds awful; I can’t imagine it! —Aaron Read

Next Tech Generation, presented by Cox Business

What do you think the future of technology looks like in your field?

Technology’s omnipresence in education causes a cascade effect. Technology must rise to the occasion as an important tool to enable students to meet an ever-growing benchmark. The future of technology in education depends on stronger cybersecurity, networks and a strong focus on collaboration between organizations. —Reese Babington, network system administrator at the Foster-Glocester Regional School District

I believe that cybersecurity will continue to be a critical skill as technology becomes more integrated into our everyday lives. With cloud technology and AI becoming central to our world, the need to secure these systems will only intensify. —Nick Garvey, cybersecurity analyst II at Axiotrop

The future of health tech will deliver faster, personalized and higher-quality care, reaching more people than ever before. Increased accessibility will extend support to underserved populations, benefiting not only individuals but also their families, and transforming health outcomes across diverse communities. —Ali Jobe, software  engineering manager at Cleo

Technology is all about innovation and transforming the way we gain insights and engage. Virtual reality technology will shape how future college visits will look by creating immersive experiences for students, and AI will be a powerful tool helping students decide between decisions like college majors and life after college based on their interests. While we look ahead, it’s crucial to maintain equitable access for all. It will be exciting to see how people adopt new approaches and leverage these tools to help them in the post-secondary process. —Victor Montanez, CRM project manager at Onward We Learn

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Moreau, senior vice president and chief information officer at Amica Mutual Insurance Company

Peter Moreau has nearly forty years of information technology experience in the insurance industry. Responsible for the oversight of Amica’s corporate information systems department, Moreau manages the planning, organization and control of the company’s information processing operations and systems development. As CIO for the past fourteen years, Moreau has worked closely with the senior leadership team to establish a corporate strategy to support Amica’s mission, which is to create peace of mind and build enduring relationships. The strategy included a complete technology transformation from mainframe legacy systems to best-of-breed, cloud-based package solutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Bryant University and has also earned the insurance industry’s Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter professional designation. He holds professional certificates in strategy and innovation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the MIT Sloan School of Management. In 2013, InformationWeek Insurance & Technology recognized Moreau with an “Elite 8” designation. He served as a board member for the Tech Collective and SIM Boston, and is an alumnus of Leadership Rhode Island.