IEEE Computer Society
Terry Benzel
Candidate for Vice President, IEEE Computer Society
I am currently running for Vice President 2026 of the IEEE Computer Society and would appreciate your vote.
Position Statement
If elected as Vice President of the Computer Society, I will collaborate closely with the President to advance the IEEE Computer Society's (CS) Strategic Plan under development. Drawing upon decades of volunteer experience in CS conferences and publications, including a two-year tenure as VP of T&C, I am committed to fostering the ethical integrity of our conferences and publications.
Recent years have seen an increase in ethical violations within conference management, such as issues with program committee composition, conflicts of interest, deliberate collusion, and even counterfeit conferences. These challenges threaten the CS's reputation and the communities we serve. To address this, I propose convening a working group comprising conference leaders from various sizes and research domains, the VP of T&C, and the CS conference and publishing staff. This group's mission will be to develop standardized processes and guidelines to uphold ethical standards across our 200 conferences. Developing these is not enough. We need to educate and socialize to a higher standard. I will explore new training material and interactive webinars to promulgate these new approaches.
Beyond ethics, engaging students and young professionals is crucial. Conferences offer a gateway for these members to contribute as volunteers. I have a history of supporting Student and Young Professional (SYP) initiatives and will continue to collaborate with the T&C Board to craft innovative communication strategies that create pathways for all SYPs to engage.
Finally, I will leverage my experience on the BOG and my extensive background in academia and industry to forge new partnerships that support CS Strategy Goal 3: bridging the gap between research, industry, and society. We must transform conferences to represent better and include differing constituents.
I am deeply passionate about the CS's mission and believe we are uniquely positioned to provide valuable services and cultivate communities for all members.
Biography
I am the Managing Director of the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at the University of Southern California. I manage all aspects of operations and strategic direction. I am responsible for finance, contracting, purchasing, IT, administrative staff, and communications/marketing. Previously, as Director of Networking and Cybersecurity Research at ISI, I managed a team of 70 researchers, faculty, students, and staff, responsible for research directions, development of research proposals to government funding agencies, and management of execution and finances.
I led the DETER Cybersecurity Testbed and Experimentation program. I am a recognized leader in advanced technology, spanning government research labs, startups, industry, and academia. In multiple director roles, I’ve led teams of 50-150 people and managed budgets up to $ 80M. As a strategic thinker, I contribute to business and organizational strategy and serve on advisory boards for leading organizations, helping shape their research and business agendas.
I served in multiple positions for the Computer Society, starting with Security and Privacy Conferences. Subsequently, I served in positions on the Technical Committee for IEEE Security and Privacy. Later, I joined the editorial board of the IEEE Security and Privacy Magazine. As a senior editorial board member, I was responsible for curating special issues highlighting the IEEE Computer Society Conferences. I am in my second term on the Board of Governors (2021- 2023, 2024 – 2026) and second term as VP for Technical Activities and Conferences.
I am an IEEE Fellow and have received Computer Society awards for Golden Core, Associate Editor in Chief, Outstanding Service, Outstanding Community Service, Continuing Service, as well as awards from the US Department of Homeland Security, and testified twice before the US Congress in 2001, 2013.
I hold an Executive MBA, University of California, Los Angeles, 1996, and an M.A., Mathematics and Computer Science, Boston University, 1982.
IEEE Computer Society Activities
- IEEE Computer Society Board of Governors – 2021– 2023, 2024 – 2026
- IEEE Computer Society VP Technical & Conference Activities (T&C) – 2024-2025
- IEEE Conference Publications Committee (CPC) 2025
- IEEE Computer Society Emerging Directions Committee – 2024-2025
- IEEE Computer Society Ethics and Integrity Ad Hoc Committee – 2024
- IEEE Computer Society Representative IEEE Future Directions Committee – 2023-2024
- IEEE Computer Society Chair Integrity Committee, Pubs Board, 2022 – 2023
- IEEE Computer Society Treasurer Technical & Conference Activities 2021 - 2023
- IEEE Computer Society Chair Ad Hoc Committee on Nominations 2022
- IEEE Computer Society 2022 Nominations Committee
Major Accomplishments
- Vice President Technical & Conferences and Activities BoardI am in my 2nd year as VP for the Technical & Conferences and Activities Board (T&C).
In my 1st year, I established a committee on sustainability at conferences and developed a young professional initiative on student travel grant awareness. I supported the Computer Society, 2nd Vice President, on an initiative to collaborate with the CRA. I supported the TAC Chair, creating a TAC Offsite to encourage TAC engagement.For 2025, my goals for T&C include increasing communication across our committees and activities: TAC, TMRC, CAC, Treasurers and TCs, Conferences, and Finances.I continue to focus on awareness, and transparency around TC budgets while leveraging new tools for financial tracking. I recruited a Treasurer for T&C who is actively engaged and working closely with the TAC Chair and staff on finances. Finally, I am initiating a project to develop new approaches to addressing ethics in conferences.
- Computer Society Board of GovernorsI am in my 2nd term on the Board of Governors (2021- 2023) and (2024 – 2026). I have served on Emerging Directions and Ethics and Integrity committees. In my first term, I served as Treasurer for T&C, Chair of the Integrity Committee on the Publications Board, Chair of an Ad Hoc Committee on Broadening Participation in nominations, the 2022 Nominations Committee, and the CS Broadening Participation Committee. In 2023, I was appointed to be the CS representative to the IEEE Future Directions Committee. My contributions in each of these have been impactful – increasing spending on broadening participation, working with staff and the publications board to establish new criteria for integrity violations beyond plagiarism, ensuring that the nomination process encourages and values diversity, and bringing the CS perspective to IEEE Future Directions.
- Computer Society Technical and Conferences (T&C) Treasurer 2021 – 2023As Treasurer for the T&C I was responsible for the financial operations of the T&C Board. I provided financial guidance for 29 Technical Communities and reported financial activities to the T&C Board. I assisted Technical Committee (TC) chairs with preparing their annual budget requests, reviewed and approved requests, and monitored TC income and expenses. I worked with TCs to develop new strategies for spending to benefit their communities.
- Associate Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE Computer Society Security and Privacy MagazineAs a senior member of the editorial board, I was responsible for curating special issues highlighting the IEEE Computer Society Conferences including the Security and Privacy Conference, the SPW Workshops, and the European Security and Privacy Conference. I developed processes for managing special issues and mentored new AEICs in this process.
- Organizer for long-standing Computer Society ConferenceI was involved in IEEE Security and Privacy Symposium (conference) since its inception. I helped manage the steering committee, supporting the TC through periods of growth. As a member of the steering committee for the IEEE Security and Privacy Workshops, I helped create a series of workshops in conjunction with the conference, increasing participation in the conference.
Qualifications
An experienced leader in advanced technology, spanning government research labs, startups, industry, and academia. In multiple director roles, I’ve led teams of 50-150 people and managed budgets up to $80M. As a strategic thinker, I contribute to business and organizational strategy, serving on advisory boards for leading research organizations to help shape their research and business agendas.
On the BOG, I lead efforts to broaden participation and ethics. I chaired an Ad Hoc Committee on Broadening Participation for Computer Society nominations, recommending process changes to increase diversity on the BOG, and oversaw implementation as a member of the Nominations Committee. On the T&C board, I’ve focused on budget management, sustainability, and ethics in conference management. Currently, I am working to enhance communication between TCs, treasurers, and conferences to improve funding, budget accuracy, and TC participation.
My efforts to address ethics issues began with my work as Chair of the Integrity Committee and participation in an Ad Hoc led by VP Grace Lewis on Ethics and Integrity. I’m now collaborating with conference volunteers and staff to tackle ethics concerns in conference program committee composition, collusion, and AI tool misuse, aiming to safeguard the CS brand and establish clear guidance for conferences.