Mariela Machado is a skilled professional with +15 years of experience building, deploying, and scaling international humanitarian programs at the intersection of technology, social/environmental impact and public policy in the private sector, public sector and academia. As the Senior Director of Humanitarian Technology at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Mariela leads multiple programs at the intersection of social/environmental impact and technology for this engineering society worldwide. Prior to IEEE, she was the Director of Programs at Newlab, a social innovation hub focused on scaling transformative technologies through public-private partnerships; she was also the Senior Program Manager at the American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME) & Engineering for Change working to support technology for sustainable development across all continents. Mariela advises capstone projects at the intersection of digital technology and policy at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and teaches a class on emerging digital technology for social and environmental impact. She is a Telecommunication Engineer with MSc in Information and Communication Technologies and a MPA in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. Mariela is fluent in 5 languages: Spanish, English, French, Swedish and Italian.

Julianna Pichardo joined the Humanitarian Technology & Sustainable Development Activities team at IEEE in 2018 after returning to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. While in the DR, she worked with Esperanza International, a microfinance nonprofit dedicated to poverty alleviation. A fluent Spanish speaker, she has studied in Valparaiso, Chile, and volunteers as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher through the Bernardsville, NJ library program. As the Humanitarian Technology & Sustainable Development Program Manager, Julianna supports the work of all the committees of the Humanitarian Technologies Board to ensure smooth and consistent processes that lead to meaningful impact. She especially enjoys meeting the IEEE volunteers from around the world that conduct projects that use technology to address a local sustainable development challenge for their community.

Betsy Toland joined the Humanitarian Technology & Sustainable Development Activities team at IEEE in 2016, returning to employment at IEEE after previously working with the IEEE Signal Processing Society where she managed the conference business of the Society.  While on a break from IEEE to raise her family, Betsy focused much of her time volunteering with the Home & School Associations in her town, serving in various fundraising roles and as one group’s President. She also volunteered with her son’s Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop, as well as a local dog rescue group.  She continues her volunteerism with both the rescue group and the town’s Project Graduation. Returning to IEEE brought Betsy the opportunity to be an important part of IEEE volunteerism in the HTB, where her time is spent helping to develop operational processes, supporting the work of HTB committees, and managing the financial operations of the department.

Khanyisile joined the Humanitarian Technology & Sustainable Development Activities in 2022, and has been working to support IEEE volunteers to implement sustainable development projects that have a positive and lasting impact on the communities that they serve. She served as the secretary to the African Students Association and Association of Caribbean Students during college, where she helped with fundraising efforts for underserved communities in those regions. Originally from South Africa, she has experience working with international audiences and regularly volunteered with her college's international student admissions team to help increase the school's diversity. Prior to joining the team, Khanyisile worked as a project manager within pharmaceutical marketing, where she was responsible for the process to develop and execute medical marketing print and digital projects.