E Learning Partners
3
Board of Directors
Founder and President
Vicki Ben-Yaacov received her BS degree in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University and her MS and PhD degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She spent more than 16 years in the tech industry, including nearly 12 years as a Principal Radio Engineer and later as a Technical Product Manager at Sonos, a leader in multiroom wireless home audio systems. Having spent most of her career as a female engineer, she experienced firsthand the challenges tech companies face in achieving diversity and gender balance. She is also the mother of two girls and is very involved in their education. Through volunteering in classes, she learned that many children do not have access to extra curriculum, role models, or even basic technologies needed to engage them in the STEM fields. During her time at Sonos, she led a number of outreach programs aimed at inspiring a love of science and engineering in elementary school through college age students. She believes that we need to engage youth in powerful, interdisciplinary educational programs starting in primary school, and help them build confidence and solid foundation to face the unforeseen demands of the future. She has been serving as the Board of Trustee for Goleta Union School since 2020.
Tyler Susko is an active professor of teaching at UC Santa Barbara where he teaches 9 courses in product and machine design. He is also the founder and Chief Technical Officer of Cadense, Inc, a company dedicated to providing novel solutions for people with neuro-related mobility challenges. Prior to this, Tyler completed his PhD in mechanical engineering at MIT where he focused on rehabilitation robotics, developing the MIT Skywalker gait robot. Before his PhD at MIT, he was a design engineer for Ingersoll Rand, where he designed small vehicle systems and power tools. Tyler has 3 Children who love to build legos and are excited about engineering and robotics.
Lisa Williams serves as the CTO of a local Ad Tech business, bringing extensive experience from her previous roles in the education and telecom industries. She holds a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. A dedicated volunteer, Lisa has supported mathematics education at her local elementary school and served on the Board of Directors for a non-profit focused on gymnastics. Residing in Goleta, CA with her husband and two children, she balances her professional and volunteer commitments with a passion for tennis and a love of sailing.
