President

Dr. Voytek Panas

Dr. Voytek Panas has been appointed as the third President at Virginia Institute of Science & Technology (VIST) by the Institute’s Board of Directors & Trustees (BoD) in July of 2021. Dr. Panas is an accomplished higher-education leader with demonstrated success in college operations, growth, and development. His professional background bridges leadership, business, and higher education administration. Over the past 20 years, he served in various academic roles ranging from an instructor, academic dean, campus president to a college president.

Before joining VIST, Dr. Panas served as Campus President of ECPI University in Northern Virginia, overseeing degree programs specialized in cybersecurity, information systems, software development, digital forensics, electronics engineering, and others. In this role, over a period of 3 years, he doubled the number of enrolled students, stabilized and substantially increased the college’s budget, introduced several new degree programs, successfully passed re-accreditation visits, secured articulation agreements, and initiated international programs. During that time, the cybersecurity program offered by the Institute was recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE). In the past, Dr. Panas also managed teams of almost 200 staff and faculty members and college budgets of more than 20 million dollars.

He received his Doctoral degree (2007) from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. Dr. Panas also holds a Master of Arts degree in Ancient Literature (2004) and a Master degree (2002) from Oral Roberts University. Additionally, Dr. Panas studied in Norway and Poland.

Dr. Jim X Chen, Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs and Inter-Institute Relationship

Dr. Chen is named as Senior Vice President for Academic and Inter-University Relationship in May 2016. He is also named as Oversea Vice President of Southwest Jiaotong University, Emei Campus.   Dr. Chen is serving as the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of AIP/IEEE Computing in Science & Engineering (CiSE). He is a senior Member of IEEE and ACM.

Dr. Chen is full professor of Computer Science at George Mason University (GMU).  He was also named Concurrent Professor at Fudan Institute, Shanghai, China; Guest Professor at Central South University, Changsha, China; Guest Professor at University of Electronic Science & Technology of China; Advisory Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China; Guest Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China; Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hoseo University, Asan, South Korea; etc.

Dr. Chen currently serves as the director of the Computer Graphics Lab at GMU. He served as general co-chair of IEEE VR2006, program co-chair for IEEE VR (2002, 2003, and 2004),  Dr. Chen’s research interests include computer graphics, virtual reality, visualization, networking security, and simulation. He authored 2 books and 2 book chapters, edited 2 conference proceedings, published over 150 research papers, and acquired 3 patents. Dr. Chen guided 18 Ph.D. dissertations. Ten of his former Ph.D. students are currently professors.

Dr. Chen was invited to give keynote speeches, talks, and presentations in the universities and international conferences. He received many awards and honorable citations from IEEE, Jiaotong University Alumni Association, BFGOODRICH Collegiate Inventors Program, Link Foundation, and George Mason Institute.

Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Central Florida in 1995, M.S. and B.S. in Computer Science from Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), Sichuan, China in 1986 and 1983.

Prof. Perry Tkachuk, Vice President for Strategy and International Development.

Prof. Tkachuk was named as Vice President for Strategy and International Development of the Virginia Institute of Science & Technology in February 2015. In the last 35 years, Prof. Tkachuk has been an Assistant Professor, Senior Administrator of 5 universities in the area of enrollment and international programs, Assistant to the President for International Relations of La Sierra Institute, and a board member of two Asian educational companies and contracted or consulted with over 100 Universities, Colleges, and Higher Educational Organizations in the United States and a number of countries throughout Asia. Prof. Tkachuk specialized in setting up distance education degree programs, 2+2 transfer agreements and articulated degree completion programs in 15 countries. He most recently set up a dual US and Chinese High School diploma program in China.

Mr. Tkachuk received his M.Div. in 1979 and his Bachelor degree in 1977, from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI.

Dr. Doris P. Sartor, Vice President, Synchronous Learning Program.

Dr. Sartor was named as Vice President for Synchronous Learning program at VIST in June 2020. She was Vice President for research from 2015-2019;  Dr. Sartor is the well-known expert in synchronous/asynchronous/distance learning  programs in last 30 years.

Dr. Sartor has been the senior director and senior manager for the US Air Force Senior Personal training at Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama since 1995. She has served as Professor/Instructor, Director of Distance Learning, Curriculum Manager, Course Program Director in the Ira C. Eaker Center 2008-2015; GS-15 Leadership Executive Course Program Director, Executive Director, and CADRE commander, etc., at Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development and College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education, Maxwell Air Force Base 1995 – 2007.

Dr. Sartor also serves as National President of  the Blacks in Government (BIG), a group she has been affiliated with for more than 20 years. BIG is the largest organization of Blacks who are working in the Federal/State/local government with more than one million members.

Dr. Sartor received numerous honors and awards, such as Federal Employee of Year (2012), Exemplary Civilian Service Award, Distinguished Service Award, Leadership Academy Award (2007-2012) and etc.

Dr. Sartor received her Doctoral Degree of Administration of Higher Education at Auburn University in 1990; Master of Arts in Administration of Supervision and Curriculum at Atlanta University in 1982; Bachelor of Arts in Counseling and Psychology at Limestone College in 1980.

Dr. S.T. Martin Ma, Vice President of Education, Academic Advisor and Registrar (Acting)

(2022 President Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient)

Dr. Ma is the founder and inaugural President of this University, where he specializes in fostering exchanges between international scholars and students as well as creating cooperative educational programs between U.S. and international universities. Before establishing VIST, Dr. Ma served as President & CEO of the International Consortium of University Exchanges (ICUE-USA) from 2009 to 2015, overseeing a network of over 150 member institutions worldwide. Earlier, he was President and Chief Scientist at Info-Tech & Telecom Engineering Institute (ITTECOM) from 2004 to 2008, where ITTECOM earned recognition as one of Maryland’s and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Top 100 MBE in 2007. Dr. Ma’s career also includes key leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and Principal Engineer at Hughes Networking System, Vice President and Chief Scientist at Raytheon Company, Assistant Vice President and Chief Scientist at Earth Satellite Corp, and as an Assistant Professor and Research Scientist at the University of Oklahoma from 1990 to 1994.

Dr. Ma received his Ph.Ds. from the University of Oklahoma in 1993 and Denver University in 1990, and a Master’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1987. Dr. Ma also holds two certifications from Harvard Institute of Higher Education (HIHE): President for Leadership (Sept 2016) and Seminar for New Presidents (July 2017). He also studied at Harvard’s VPAL 8-weeks Certification of “Cybersecurity: Risk Management in the Information Age” (2021). Dr. Ma is 2022 President Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient.

Mr. John Chen, CPA, Senior Finance Advisor

Mr. John Chen was named Senior Finance Officer in the Virginia Institute of Science & Technology (VIST) in January 2016. He has been a CPA since 1995. As chief financial officer, Mr. Chen will oversee the institute’s investments, finances and budget plan.

Mr. John Chen, CPA, who has more than thirty (30+) years of experience serving as an accountant, auditor, chief accountant and principal in large and small corporations.

Mr. Chen received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from People’s University of China in 1983, Master of International Finance from People’s University of China in 1986, and MBA in Accountancy from George Washington University in 1994.

VIST Legal Team and Legal Representatives (N.C., M.M., Y.G., R.Z.):

To ensure VIST’s operations, management, educational standards, admission procedures, and overall compliance with SCHEV/ACCSC/SEVIS/SEVP regulations, as well as government policies, the Institute has assembled a dedicated legal team. This team comprises seasoned attorneys with recognized expertise in various fields, including Human Resource Management, DOL Regulations, Anti-discrimination laws, Business/Corporate Operations, Higher Education, Immigration Laws, and Federal/State/Local governmental regulations. Their proficiency extends to handling criminal cases and other legal matters pertinent to VIST’s endeavors. The Attorney are N.C., M.M., Y.G. and R.Z.

Mr. Joseph P., Senior Advisor, Human Resource Services

Mr. Joseph P. has served in various Human Resource executive roles including leading a nationally recognized Malcolm Baldrige Award Winning institution in Higher Education, national non-profits, private and publicly traded companies, and a 186,000-employee Fortune 32 technology company. Since April of 2019, Mr. J. P. has served as the Associate Vice President of Human Resources at Howard Community College, which won the national Malcolm Baldrige Award of Excellence in the Fall of 2019. Before this, he served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Jefferson County Schools, located in Charles Town, West Virginia, where he was the first and only human resources department in the state to use predictive analytics in hiring high-impact teachers and service employees. Since 2006, he has served as an adjunct professor in higher education at various universities where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in HR, business, and labor relations. Honors have included winning Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Quarter, and numerous Provost Awards of recognition.

An alumnus of the University System of Maryland, Joseph possesses advanced degrees in business (MBA) and human resources (MS) and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR®) through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI), a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), an American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) Professional Human Capital Leader in Education (pHCLE), a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, is Scrum Fundamentals Certified (SFC™), Scrum Master Certified (SMC®) through Scrum.org., a Certified Scrum Master (CSM®) through the Scrum Alliance, and a Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®) through the Scrum Alliance. Joseph has also completed post-graduate training in strategic leadership and Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining through Cornell University’s ILR school.

Mr. James Wilson, Vice President for Public Relationship

Mr. James Wilson has been named Vice President for Administration of the Virginia Institute of Science & Technology, effective Sept. 2015. He is responsible for providing essential operations functions in support of the institute’s mission. He oversees all of the non-academic functions of the institute, including human resources, information technology, complying with governmental policies and safety regulations, and maintaining relationships with local government and organization administrators and conducting joint projects with these groups to benefit the institute community and Northern Virginia.

Mr. Wilson has been a Director of Staffs at the Blacks In Government (BIG) Annual National Training Institute and Senior Director of Staff in its national office for 18 years. With more than 200,000 active members, Blacks in Government is one of the largest government employees associations in the U.S. Prior to working for BIG, Mr. Wilson served as Senior Budget Director in the U.S. Department of Energy from 1979 to 1986.

Mr. Wilson received his Masters of Public Administration from Roosevelt University in 1977 and Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Economics from St. Mary’s University in 1970.

Prof. Derek Smith, Lead Faculty of College of Cybersecurity

Prof. Derek A. Smith is a key member of the executive leadership team in Cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Derek serves as Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) Technical Program Sr. Manager. He is a distinguished government leader in the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity Service, where he has made significant contributions in the areas of Agile methodologies, program management, project management, and leadership. With a deep expertise in managing, coaching, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams, Derek is known for his ability to work closely with stakeholders to achieve strategic goals, solve complex problems, and build productive relationships.

As a Professor and SME in Cybersecurity, Derek has guided future leaders in cybersecurity and IT. He is the author of several influential books, including Cybersense: The Leader’s Guide to Protecting Critical Information and The Conversational Guide to CISSP Certification. His expertise is widely recognized through his speaking engagements and media appearances on networks like RT, Al Jazeera, and ABC.

Prof. Smith holds top-level professional certifications in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Network Risk Analysis, and Management. He has been teaching at VUST since 2016 and has received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Virginia Institute of Science & Technology in 2018, 2020, and 2024. Since 2024, he has served as the Lead Faculty for Cybersecurity at VIST.

Dr. Sheldon XF Peng, Lead Faculty of School of Business

Prof. Sheldon (Xiaofeng) Peng has over 30 years of experience as a professor in business schools at prestigious universities and as a senior executive in both large and small corporations.

As a professor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Accounting and Marketing Strategy, Dr. Peng has taught at University Commencement, Washburn University, Kent State University, the University of Toledo and honorable/Visiting professors at Nankai University and Lanzhou University in China for more than 32 years. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Accounting from Kent State University, a Master of Science in Professional Accounting from Michigan State University, and a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Renmin University of China. Dr. Peng has held CPA certification for over 30 years and has served as a CFO for several large corporations since 1998. Since 2024, he has served as the Lead Faculty for MBA Program at VIST.

Dr. Nadeem UI Haq, Lead Faculty of College of Information Technology

Dr. Nadeem Ul Haq has over 25 years of experience in higher education as an adjunct, associate, and full professor across more than six accredited universities. In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Haq is a senior software engineer and IT specialist, holding various professional positions that bridge industry and academia.

Dr. Haq has extensive experience designing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, and Information Technology, integrating foundational disciplines such as Networking, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems. His innovative approach has enabled students to acquire knowledge in their chosen areas while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering fields. His expertise in building functional teams, assessing resources, and coordinating projects has ensured timely project completion and has significantly enhanced students’ productivity and skill quality for entering the workforce.

Dr. Haq also brings 17 years of experience working with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), with a strong background in faculty development.

He earned his Doctorate in Education in Technology from Northcentral University and a master’s in information technology from Strayer University. Dr. Haq has been a professor at VIST since 2021 and became the Lead Faculty for the College of Information Technology in 2023.

Dr. Mary Ma, Senior Director of Admissions

Dr. Mary Ma was named Senior Director of Admissions in the Virginia Institute of Science & Technology (VIST) in January 2024. Dr. Mary Ma has been Director of Student Service at VIST since 2016 and serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors and Trustees since 2013.

Dr. Mary Ma, as the Director of Admissions, she oversees all activities related to student admissions, develop, implement, and evaluate recruitment strategies and admission policies. They also manage and train the admissions staff, review admission applications, and maintain student admission records. She also interacts with prospective students and parents and attend recruitment events. Dr. Mary Ma has excellent interpersonal skills to interact with students, parents, and staff. She fully understands the VIST’s mission and strategic goals, as well as knowledge of admission processes and standards.

Dr. Mary Ma received her dual Bachelor’s degree of Business Administration and Science degree in Biochemistry from University of Maryland College Park in 2007, Doctoral Degree from University of Maryland in Baltimore in 2010.

Dr. Ruby Mae Barnachea Ong, Designated School Officer (DSO) 

Dr. Barnachea (Ong) has been involved in higher education for the past 15 years. She has served as a Designated School Official (DSO), Director of Admission, Director of Student and Career Services at the University of the Potomac, American College of Commerce & Technology, and IGlobal University in Northern Virginia. Dr. Barnachea (Ong) also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of UERMMC Alumni Foundation USA In New York from January 2013 to December 2016 and a Professor at Fortis College, Prince Georges, Maryland, from January 2013 – December 2015.

Dr. Barnachea received her Doctoral Degree in Medicine from the University of the East in 1986 and her bachelor’s degree from Centro Escolar University, Manila, Philippines, in 1984.