David MacNair – FAST Board Chairman –
Dr. MacNair serves as Director of Laboratory Development in the Woodruff School and manages Junior and Senior level laboratories in Mechanical Engineering. He develops innovative laboratory experiences based on lessons learned from the maker movement and real-world industrial challenges and is building an “ecosystem” of academic laboratory equipment and curriculum resources which allows universities to collaborate on the development and execution of effective undergraduate laboratory experiences.
Dr. MacNair joined the Woodruff School in 2015 after working for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, and as an Educational Consultant for Enable Training and Consulting and National Instruments before that. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 and his Ph.D. in Robotics in 2013, both from Georgia Tech.
Term expires June 30, 2024 – david.macnair@fastk8.org
Desiree Andrews – Vice Chair FAST Board
Desiree Andrews is an established healthcare leader with multimillion-dollar strategic, operational, and cultural transformation experience in the public and private sectors. With over two decades of experience in management consulting, productivity, healthcare operations and care delivery administration, market intelligence, and strategic planning, she has a proven track record of success. Her leadership at Kaiser Permanente reflects her dedication to enhancing consumer experience. Desiree is committed to making a positive impact on education by leveraging her professional skill set and board experience with Solidarity Sandy Springs and various community partnerships throughout Metro and Greater Atlanta. Her scientific foundation and analytical mindset provide a strong basis for her continuous improvement efforts and problem-solving approach.
In addition to holding a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Texas at San Antonio, she is certified as a Lean Six Sigma practitioner. Her extensive experience in managing complex operations, coupled with her strategic thinking and analytical skills, contribute to effective decision-making and the implementation of initiatives that benefit FAST students, families, and staff.
Desiree lives in Sandy Springs with her husband and their two sons who attend FAST.
Term expires June 30, 2026 – desiree.andrews@fastk8.org
Steve Jones – FAST Board Secretary – is an experienced business leader. He is currently the CEO and President of SJJ Advisory Services which provides Strategic and Operational expertise to Private Equity Firms as well as portfolio company leadership teams across industries in North America and Europe. Prior to this role, Steve was the CEO of Brill which is a leader in the manufacturing of Icings and Bakery products with over $650MM in revenues and over 3,000 employees across the United States. Steve spent a dozen years with The Coca- Cola Company and also held positions with General Electric and Lockheed Martin where he worked as an Engineer in the Aerospace Industry. Steve also worked for Bain & Company. Steve has degrees in Electrical Engineering and History from Duke University, a Masters in Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in Milton, GA with his wife and six children – four of whom have graduated from local public schools, and two who are currently attending public schools. One of his children is an elementary school teacher at a local public school.
Term expires June 30, 2026 – steve.jones@fastk8.org
Al Stanley – FAST Board Member, Finance Committee -is currently Chief Technology Officer for JPMorgan Chase, Correspondent Lending Division. He has over 20 years of global experience serving in a variety of Business Operations, Information Technology, and Information Security positions including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technical Executive, and Chief Information Officer for Fortune 500 and mid-market companies.
Al has served on boards of several business and technology associations and non-profit organizations, including Innosale Consulting, Holistic Information Security Practitioner Institute, the Society for Information Management, NPower CIO Council, The International Center, American Pianist Association, and Opera Carolina. He holds a degree in Management Information Systems from California State University, Sacramento.
Al lives in Alpharetta with his wife and their daughter who attends FAST.
Term expires June 30, 2026 – al.stanley@fastk8.org
Tara Colon – FAST Board Member, Communications Committee – With over 17 years in the telecom business, Tara has hands-on experience in national marketing/promotions, product strategy and portfolio management. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Vice President overseeing all mobile products for AT&T and Cricket and is accountable for all device manufacturers’ relationships. Prior to her current role, Tara led the product launch execution and marketing strategy for video, broadband, and wireless, as well as support for National Retailers and Care. Tara oversaw promotions, AT&T’s messaging strategy, and field marketing efforts.
A native of Kentucky, Tara is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and received her MBA from Lindenwood University. She currently resides in Alpharetta, Georgia, with her husband Alex, and their two sons with attend FAST.
Term expires June 30, 2026 tara.colon@fastk8.org
Paras Shah – FAST Board Member, Academic Committee -Paras Shah is an experienced business leader with over 15 years of marketing & sales experience across a wide range of consumer-facing industries. He is currently the Director of Digital Marketing for Georgia Pacific’s Consumer Brands business. Paras began his career at Procter & Gamble, where he worked in marketing for various well-known household brands in the Beauty Care & Home Care business units across North America & globally. He has also held positions in brand management, eCommerce & digital marketing at Yum! Brands, Benchmark Brands, and INVISTA. Paras holds a BBA in Management Information Systems and Business Honors as well as an MBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Alpharetta, GA, with his wife and two kids, who attend FAST.
Term expires June 30, 2026 paras.shah@fastk8.org
Ania Lackey – FAST Board Member As the Director of Partnerships and Programming at Atlanta Tech Village, the nation’s 4th largest startup hub, Ania spearheads comprehensive partnership and programming strategy initiatives. Overseeing collaborative efforts with corporate and community partners, she has successfully raised funds to support the ATV community. Additionally, she directs the marketing and events team to ensure the seamless execution of strategic initiatives aligned with organizational goals.
Ania grew up in Poland. As a young adult, she moved to the U.S. and earned her degrees in Political Science and in Public Administration from Georgia State University. It was at the university where she learned her first lesson on the importance of strong networks and meaningful relationships. Ania is bullish on creating access opportunities for entrepreneurs. During her career, she provided companies with research, data, and financial resources to help them find the right business opportunities in the U.S. and abroad. While at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Ania led Atlanta’s participation in Brookings Institution’s Global Cities Initiative. At Ernst & Young, she engaged fast-growth companies in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program. Most recently, she was Director of Operations at Outlander VC, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm.
Ania resides in Roswell, GA, with her husband, Andrew, and their three children.
Term expires June 30, 2027 ania.lackey@fastk8.org
Scott Brient – FAST Board Member – is an experienced patent attorney, inventor, and business leader with a passion for innovation and design. He is currently a partner at Thomas Horstemeyer, a leading intellectual property law firm. Prior to this role, Scott was the founding and managing partner of Brient IP Law where he served as lead outside patent counsel for clients such as VSP and Marchon as well as several large startup technology companies including Dropbox, Kiala, and OneTrust.
While working with OneTrust, Scott led the effort to grow OneTrust’s patent portfolio from no issued patents to over 300 in less than seven years. During that time, OneTrust grew from one employee to over 2,500 and reached a valuation of over $5 billion.
Scott was previously a partner at Alston & Bird, where he led the firm’s Atlanta patent prosecution team and served as lead outside patent counsel for numerous clients including UPS, Assurant, and Altium. Before law school, he worked as a Business and Systems Analyst for Electronic Data Systems and as a software developer and mechanical engineer for the University of Florida’s Department of Anesthesiology.
Scott has degrees in Law, Mechanical Engineering, and German from the University of Florida. He has lived in Roswell for the past 25 years with his wife and three children, who have attended public, private, and charter schools in the area.
Term expires June 30, 2027 – scott.brient@fastk8.org