Dr. Nim Cheung is the 18th President of IEEE Communications Society, a global professional organization with 45,000 members in 180 chapters worldwide. He received his B.Sc. degree from University of Hong Kong and Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology, and has held numerous research/management positions at Bell Labs and Bellcore from 1976 to 1998. From 1999 to 2002, he was Vice President of Applied Research Government Program in Telcordia Technologies, managing a Government-funded research program that grew at double-digit rates annually. He has been a consulting professor at Stanford University since 2004.

Nim Cheung conceived and created many innovative gigabit and optical networking testbeds sponsored by the U.S. Government. A recipient of Bellcore Award of Excellence, he was a visiting scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, and has served on the advisory boards of Columbia University, Polytechnic University of New York, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Science Applications International Corporation.

IEEE Activities – (M’85-SM’93-F’95) COMMITTEES/BOARDS: IEEE Fellow Committee, Member, 2008; Technical Activities Board (TAB), Member, 2006-07; TAB Periodicals Committee, Member, 2006-08; TAB Nominations & Appointments Committee, Society President Representative, 2008; TAB Membership Drive Committee, 2007; Publication Services and Products Board, Magazines Committee Editor-in-Chief, 2008. SOCIETY: Communications Society, Junior Past President, 2008; President, 2006-07; President-Elect, 2005; Board of Governors, 1996-2008; Vice President - Society Relations, 2004; Vice President - Technical Affairs, 1996-97; Director, Related Societies, 2000-01; Strategic Planning Committee, Chair, 1998-99, 2005; Distinguished Lecturer, 2000-07; Fellow Evaluation Committee, Member, 2002-04; Conferences Committee, Council Chair, 2004; Nomination and Election Committee, Member, 1998-2000; IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Senior Editor, 1989-2000; IEEE JSAC Optical Communications and Networking Series, Senior Editor, 2003-07; IEEE Communications Magazine, Editor-in-Chief, 2008; Staff, Facilities, and Investments Committee, Member, 1996-97, 2005-08; Technical Affairs Council, Chair, 1996-97; IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, COMSOC’s Editor-at-Large, 1994-95; IEEE Press ComSoc Guide to Communications, Series Editor, 2006-08. COUNCIL: Nanotechnology Council AdCom, Member, 2003-04. CONFERENCES: LEOS and COMSOC Summer Workshop on Gigabit Networking, General Chair, 1994; OFC Steering Committee, Member 2004-07, IEEE GLOBECOM Conference, EXPO Chair, 2008. REPRESENTATIVES: Conference Steering Committee, COMSOC Representative, 2004-07; IEEE Nanotechnology Council, COMSOC Representative, 2003-06; New Technology Directions Committee, COMSOC Representative, 2002. AWARDS: IEEE Fellow, 1995.

IEEE Accomplishments – Nim Cheung has 23 years of sustained accomplishments as an IEEE volunteer in numerous publication, conference and technical committee activities. As ComSoc’s President in 2006-07, he has:

• Engineered the financial turnaround of the Society, moving it off the Watch List and achieving the highest surplus among all Societies/Councils in 2007

• Championed the following 3 initiatives sponsored by IEEE New Initiatives Committee (NIC):

• IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies certification program which engaged hundreds of volunteers and industry executives.
• IEEE Applications & Practice, an IEEE Communications Magazine supplement catered to engineering practitioners, published jointly with 5 other IEEE Societies.
• Industry-sponsored webinars that are well attended and served as model for other IEEE units.

• Achieved record success in ComSoc’s major conferences as measured by attendance, relevance of program, conference surplus, and industry participation. Sponsored IEEE’s first CEO Forum in ICC 2007 on “The Future of Convergence”.

• Significantly expanded ComSoc’s activities in China and India, the two countries with largest number of young information and communications technology professionals.

• Organized ComSoc’s flagship IEEE ICC 2008 conference in Beijing.
• Staged two India Roadshows by ComSoc officers and launched the IndustryNowTM program with 3 Indian companies.

Statement – If elected to the IEEE Board, I will draw upon my extensive volunteer and industry experience to focus on:

• Management and finance -- Develop a sustainable model for the generation and preservation of our Reserve, with prudent investment in new initiatives that benefit members across the board.

• Membership -- Reverse the decline of Society membership, advocating the affordability of becoming an IEEE/Society member, particularly in low income regions and developing countries.

• Conference and publications – Increase the content catering to practicing engineers, which constitute the majority of the IEEE membership, and emphasize the relevance of such content to industry.

• Education – Emphasize continuing education and lifelong learning for established professionals, and career development and mentorship for students and beginning professionals.

I will leverage the platform of Division III Director to attract high caliber volunteers, and enhance IEEE’s visibility to academia, industry, government, and the general public. My extensive research and management experiences enable me to deliver exceptional value to our members while maintaining sound fiscal policy and the highest standard of professionalism.

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By-line –

IEEE Division III Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect, 2009
Nim K. Cheung (Nominated by Division III)
www.NimCheung.com
IEEE is a global and member-driven organization with unsurpassed human capital and plenty of untapped potential.