The new fiscal year brought a change in leadership to the UNH InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Erica Johnson, former director, left the university for an opportunity at QA Café, a software testing company in Portsmouth, NH. Erica is widely recognized as an industry leader with her abilities to drive technical innovation. Under her leadership the last decade, the UNH-IOL enjoyed tremendous revenue growth and industry partnership opportunities due to Erica’s business acumen and in-depth understanding of complex networking technology. Additionally, she led the Lab’s move in 2016 to a 28,000 square foot facility which provides dedicated space for hosting plugfests for companies and standards organizations to run interoperability tests. In her new role as Chief Operating Officer for QA Café, she is responsible for oversight of business operations and delivery of continued growth strategies for the company. We wish her all the best in her new role and look forward to seeing her at future events.
The UNH-IOL has enjoyed a smooth transition in leadership with the appointment of experienced UNH-IOL employees Jeff Lapak to executive director and Michayla Newcombe to associate director. Prior to this appointment, Jeff held the positions of associate director, industry lead, and senior manager at the UNH-IOL since joining in 1998. Jeff’s new role will include facilitating the lab’s development in certification test programs and creating strategic partnerships between the University and industry leaders. Michayla began her career at the UNH-IOL in 2012 as a DHCPv6 test technician. Her new responsibilities include general oversight of testing groups and working with industry forums and standards bodies to further standards development.
We are thrilled to have such talented, experienced, and hardworking individuals stepping into these management positions at the UNH-IOL. The lab plays an important role in the UNH community and in the data communications industry, supporting and developing emerging technology while providing students with unique opportunities to build deep technical skills and experience. The UNH-IOL is an incredible example of how UNH regularly helps businesses across the globe with critical strategic decisions and information. Jeff and Michayla are both committed to the UNH-IOL’s mission and vision and the lab will continue to grow and expand under their leadership.
Paige Smith
Business Manager
UNHInnovation
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