The IEEE Board of Directors shapes the future direction of IEEE and is committed to ensuring IEEE remains a strong and vibrant organization—serving the needs of its members and the engineering and technology community worldwide—while fulfilling the IEEE mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.
This article features IEEE Board of Directors members Sergio Benedetto, Jenifer Castillo, and Fred Schindler.
IEEE Life Fellow Sergio Benedetto
Vice President, Publication Services and Products
Sergio Bregni
Benedetto is a professor emeritus at Politecnico di Torino, in Turin, Italy. His research in digital communications has contributed to the theory of error-correcting codes, which yield performance close to the Shannon theory limits and, according to Benedetto, explain “the astonishing performance” of turbo codes. Benedetto has collaborated with the European Space Agency and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to design codes that are now standard for satellite communications.
As an active member of the IEEE Communications Society and in positions he has held related to IEEE publications for more than 20 years, Benedetto has seen IEEE’s most invaluable asset at work—great scientists in the IEEE field of interests willing to serve their community as volunteers.
Benedetto has been active in digital communications for more than 40 years. He has coauthored five books and more than 250 papers. His publications have received more than 20,000 citations. He is an IEEE Life Fellow and a member of the Academy of Science of Turin. He has received numerous international awards throughout his career, including the 2008 IEEE Communications Society Edwin Howard Armstrong Award.
IEEE Senior Member Jenifer Castillo
Director, Region 9: Latin America
Lufthansa Technik
Castillo is a sales and key account manager in Puerto Rico for a leading maintenance, repair, and overhaul services provider in the aviation industry. In her role, she heads projects, including negotiating and executing contracts, and considers customers’ needs while prioritizing aviation industry safety. Or, as Castillo likes to say, she “plays with planes on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.”
A member of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society and IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Castillo has been an active IEEE volunteer for many years. She was the first Latina to chair the IEEE Women in Engineering committee, bringing a different perspective to the organization. During her 2021-2022 term, she introduced several benefits, including two awards and an international scholarship, while nurturing a global volunteer network supporting women’s advancement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
Castillo helped found IEEE MOVE Puerto Rico, which is a portable version of the IEEE-USA MOVE program that provides communities affected by natural disasters with power and Internet access in areas. The disaster response during hurricane Maria, supported by the IEEE Foundation, was the turning point for the local sections to promote this initiative that enabled volunteers to support the Red Cross’ response and recovery efforts.
Castillo has been a member of the IEEE Industry Engagement Committee and chair of the IEEE Puerto Rico and Caribbean Section. In 2020, she was recognized with the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Achievement Award for “sustained and outstanding achievements in promoting students, IEEE Young Professionals, and IEEE WIE membership development in Latin America and the Caribbean.” She was honored with the IEEE Region 9 Oscar C. Fernández Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2020.
IEEE Life Fellow Manfred “Fred” Schindler
Vice President, Technical Activities
Schindler has spent his career in industry working on RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave semiconductors. He has led the development of advanced RF semiconductor products for commercial and defense applications. “Taking a technology from the lab and seeing it through to high-volume production is rewarding,” he says, “especially knowing that virtually everyone carries a device using the technologies we developed.”
A member of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (IEEE MTT-S), Schindler served as its president in 2003. He also has served as chair of both the IEEE Conferences Committee and the IEEE International Microwave Conference. As vice president of Technical Activities, he is working to overcome structural barriers among established communities to ensure IEEE’s future stability and success.
Schindler holds 11 patents and has published more than 40 technical articles. He founded the IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium, and has contributed a column on microwave business to IEEE Microwave Magazine since 2011. He received the 2018 IEEE MTT-S Distinguished Service Award for his efforts benefiting the society and the microwave profession.