Faculty

Richard Tillies

Department Head

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 2 - 240M

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Richard Tillies, aka "Professor T," is a STEM educator by trade with more than two decades of college classroom teaching experience in computer science, information technology and mathematics. His formal education includes degrees in Computer Science and IT Education. Within the tech industry, he held positions as a software engineer and a database specialist. Outside of teaching and industry, Professor T is a certified kickboxing trainer who can perform a backflip and solve a Rubik's Cube – although not at the same time.

Education

MS, Education (Information Technology), Radford University
BS, Computer Science, Radford University

Certifications / Training

PCEP Certified Python Programmer - Python Institute
PCET Certified Python Tester with Python – Python Institute
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
Pearson IT Specialist – Java | Python | Data Analytics | Databases
Pearson IT Specialist Authorized Instructor – Python | Databases
Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft 365 Apps – Word | Excel | PowerPoint
Microsoft Office Specialist 2007 Master – Word | Excel | PowerPoint | Access
Generative AI Foundations – Certiport Critical Career Skills
EPIC Online Teaching Certification - Wake Tech
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)
Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE)

Dr. Frank G. Chao

Professor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 1 - 326Q

919-866-5359 (office)

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Education

Ph.D., University of Missouri
MS, North Carolina State University
BS, Peking University

Certifications / Training

Oracle Certified DBA and Application Developer

Peter Chen

Associate Professor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

Scott Northern Wake Campus
Building B - 340

919-866-5360 (office)

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Education

MIS, North Carolina Central University
BS, Fong Chia University
AAS, Wake Tech

Allister Chhatrala

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

Southern Wake Campus
Building E - 327G

919-866-5362 (office)

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Education

MS, North Carolina State University
BS, North Carolina State University

Certifications / Training

Oracle Certified Associate (OCA)

Hong Cui

Professor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 1 - 326Q

919-866-5996 (office)

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Education

MS, North Carolina State University
BS, Ocean University of China

Certifications / Training

Microsoft Office Specialist Word & Excel 2003 Core
IC3 Certified Professional
Microsoft Specialist: Programming in C#
Microsoft Certified Professional
Information Technology Specialist Certification in Python

Ethan Gardner

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 1 - 326L

919-335-1304 (office)

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Education

MS, Information Systems, Harding University
BBA, Information Systems, Harding University

Certifications / Training

CAPM - Certified Associate in Project Management
PCEP - Certified Python Programmer
Tableau Desktop Specialist
CCST- Networking

Cindy Halliday

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

Southern Wake Campus
Building E - 321Q

919-866-5126 (office)

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Education

MBA, Western New England University
BS, Troy University

Jacob Justice

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

Scott Northern Wake Campus
Building B - 342

919-532-5666 (office)

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Education

MS, Computer Science, Clemson University
BS, Computer Science, Appalachian State University

Leslie Keller

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 1 - 306B

919-335-1242 (office)

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Education

MS, Applied Computer Science, University of West Georgia
MBA, Appalachian State University
BS, Business Administration, UNC-Chapel Hill

James (Jim) Matlock

Assistant Professor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

RTP Campus
Building 1 - 306L

919-335-1317 (office)

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Jim Matlock teaches beginning and advanced Python courses. He has more than 30 years of software engineering experience, having worked at IBM, Texas Instruments and other companies. Jim holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in computer science from North Carolina State University. Since joining Wake Tech in March 2021, Jim has brought a wealth of practical industry experience to offer students a comprehensive and real-world-relevant education in technology.

Russ McCuen

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

919-866-5201 (office)

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Education

MS, Computer Science, Ball State University
BS, Computer Science, Oregon State University
BA, English, North Carolina State University

Certifications / Training

ITS Certified Specialist in Python
CCST - Networking

Don Sommerfeldt

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

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Education

MS, East Carolina University
BS, Old Dominion University

Certifications / Training

MTA Software Development Fundamentals
MTA Java Programming
Learning Tree JavaScript Developer

Alex Tabbal

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

Southern Wake Campus
Building E - 321AA

919-866-5139 (office)

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Alex Tabbal is a computer programming instructor in Wake Tech's Computer Programming and Information Sciences program. His research interests include online education, big data technology and artificial intelligence. He is a certified Scrum Master and Product Owner, and he enjoys running platform-level engineering teams in the cloud and on premises.

Education

MS, Computer Engineering, Louisiana State University
BS, Computer and Communication Engineering, American University of Science and Technology (Lebanon)

Dr. Lorrie Tomek

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

[email protected]

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Lorrie Tomek transitioned to teaching after a 30-year career in the technology industry. She held roles at IBM as a senior technical staff member and at Fidelity Investments as director of Cognitive Computing Architecture. Her professional background includes artificial intelligence, cloud computing, enterprise systems architecture and software development.

Lorrie brings a wealth of industry experience, a strong commitment to lifelong learning and a passion for teaching and student success. Her current interests include applied AI in education, instructional innovation, ethical and responsible technology use and helping students connect academic learning with real-world computing careers. She is especially interested in how generative AI and transparent pedagogy can foster student engagement and achievement in open-access community college settings.

Education

Ph.D., Computer Science, Duke University
MS, Computer Science, UNC-Charlotte
BS, Computer Science & Mathematics, Binghamton University

Certifications / Training

EPIC Master Certification in Online Teaching and Pedagogy – Wake Tech
Advanced Certificate in Effective Teaching Practice – ACUE
QM-Certified Higher Education Peer Reviewer – Quality Matters
Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) – ISC2
PCEP – Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer – Python Institute
IT Specialist in Python – Certiport

College Closed Monday Because of Winter Storm

Faculty

Richard Tillies

Department Head

~ Contact Info ~

Dr. Frank G. Chao

Professor

~ Contact Info ~

Peter Chen

Associate Professor

~ Contact Info ~

Allister Chhatrala

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Hong Cui

Professor

~ Contact Info ~

Ethan Gardner

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Cindy Halliday

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Jacob Justice

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Leslie Keller

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

James (Jim) Matlock

Assistant Professor

~ Contact Info ~

Russ McCuen

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Don Sommerfeldt

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Alex Tabbal

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Dr. Lorrie Tomek

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~

Dr. Jing Wang

Instructor

~ Contact Info ~