Welcome our 6 new Next Generation Council members

Millennials, who grew up amid rapid change, are often disruptors in their industries. They think differently, are motivated by different things, and they want to have a global impact. When it comes to philanthropy, they bring a different perspective than the traditional donor. To make sure that perspective is heard, the ASU Foundation established the Next Generation Council—alumni who received degrees since 2002. Its purpose is to develop future board members and philanthropists by incorporating their perspectives into ASU’s fundraising efforts.

Please welcome the six newest members of the Next Generation Council.

Samantha Melbourneweaver joined the Los Angeles Times in 2018 and currently serves as the assistant managing editor for audience, where she oversees the Times digital strategies including social media, off-platform content sharing, newsletters and search engine optimization. She also oversees the Times social content team 404 by L.A. Times. Before joining The Times, she was a social media director at Southern California News Group and has worked as a mobile producer and reporter at The Arizona Republic. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from ASU in 2012.

Michael Fior is a member of Duke Energy’s Threat Intelligence and Investigations team, which protects Duke Energy’s assets, workforce and ability to power communities from external security threats. In his role as lead planning and regulatory support specialist, Fior is responsible for coordinating with legal, regulatory, legislative and accounting teams to support customer delivery strategic regulatory filings. Before joining Duke Energy in 2018, Fior served in the U.S. Marines for 20 years as a counterintelligence agent and human intelligence specialist. Fior holds a master’s degree in global security from ASU and a bachelor’s degree in history from American Military University.

Teresa Clement, PhD is the director of university and small business outreach at Raytheon, a business in RTX. She joined Raytheon in 2007 and has held multiple roles. She oversees STEM and community outreach at Women In Defense’s Arizona chapter. Clement is the tournament director for FIRST LEGO League in Tucson and chair of the Tucson Section of American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics. She serves as director of finance for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering alumni board and is a member of the Old Pueblo ASU Alumni chapter. Clement received a bachelor’s degree and doctoral degree in materials science engineering from ASU in 2002 and 2007.

Vivek Kopparthi founded NeoLight, a medical device company focused on advancing empathy-driven best-in-class solutions for the neonatal and fetal markets. He also founded PriZm Therapeutics to focus on solving MCT8 deficiency. Kopparthi is a contributing author on entrepreneur.com and tech.co. He has won numerous awards including the Forbes 30 Under 30 for health care and Times Now NRI of the Year. Kopparthi was awarded the 2023 ASU Young Alumni Achievement Award. He was inducted into the W. P. Carey Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018. He received a master’s degree in management from ASU in 2014 and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Anna University.

Tallinn Speek is a business development specialist at Lightworks Innovation Accelerator, a core component of ASU's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and innovation ecosystem. An Outstanding Graduate from ASU's Fulton Schools of Engineering, he specializes in transforming university-based technologies into viable businesses engaging with public, private and planetary stakeholders. He is a former board member of ATHENA International, a women's leadership and empowerment organization. As an ASU President's Club Young Leaders member, he's poised to reshape alumni engagement, linking philanthropy with innovation. Speek graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering systems. He is sharpening his international business acumen in Thunderbird’s Master in Global Management program.

John Asigbekye is a senior engineer at Analog Devices, a multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion, signal processing and power management technology. Previously, he was a design engineer and held an applications engineering internship with Analog Device. During his undergraduate studies, Asigbekye was a bench test intern at ON Semiconductor. Asigbekye received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from ASU in 2018 and a master’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Stanford University in 2020.