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Dennis J. Pretti
Senior Member of Technical Staff
Micron Technology Inc.

Dennis Pretti received a BS in electrical engineering from CU Boulder in 1995. He began his career at Micron Technology Inc. in Boise, Idaho, the same year as a parametric test device engineer in the company's high-volume manufacturing facility, a role he held until 2000. From 2000 to 2022, Dennis designed parametric test devices supporting process development within technology development. During this period, he developed and led a team of test device design engineers from 2000 to 2013. From 2013 to 2019, his work focused on CMOS automation, test device quality and optical design quality. Between 2019 and 2022, he led test device and optical design roadmap pathfinding initiatives. In 2022, Dennis shifted his focus to STEM outreach, K-12 education engagement, university technical partnerships, the co-development, ongoing support and communication of Micron's Educator Hub and the development of technical engagement and career pipeline opportunities for Micron team members.

Dennis joined the Technical Leadership Program (TLP) community in 2015 as a senior member of technical staff and has since served in a variety of leadership, mentoring, innovation and technical expert roles. In 2018, he became Micron's technical ambassador for CU Boulder, a role he still holds today. An active contributor to the university community, Dennis has served on the CU Boulder Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering (ECEE) External Advisory Board since 2022 and on the Engineering Advisory Council since 2024. He holds one U.S. patent and has authored five publications. His contributions to industry and higher education engagement have been recognized through the CU Boulder ECEE Alumni Engagement Medal in 2025 and the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2026.

His involvement in technical engagement and STEM outreach has provided some of the most meaningful experiences and cherished memories of his 31-year professional career.

Dylan Taatjes
Professor of Biochemistry
CU Boulder

Dylan Taatjes, professor of biochemistry at CU Boulder, is an authority on the mechanism and regulation of the RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) enzyme, that transcribes all protein-coding and many non-coding RNA genes in the human genome. The Taatjes lab is a world leader in mechanistic studies of human RNAPII, and is one of the few labs in the world that has biochemically reconstituted human RNAPII transcription from purified factors. Taatjes has recently participated in CU Boulder's Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator, where his innovation, the RIFT (Real-time In vitro Fluorescent Transcription) platform, was selected by entrepreneur Nik Chopra to commercialize the RIFT (Real-time In vitro Fluorescent Transcription) platform through a recently launched startup Enlixa Bio. They are currently a finalist for the Lab Venture Challenge, and have recently submitted additional proposals for translational funding through the SBIR/STTR program.

Sarah Hughes
Director of the Center for Translational Research
CU Boulder

Kelly Fleming
Assistant Director for Industry Research Partnerships
CU Boulder

Kelly Fleming is assistant director for industry research partnerships at CU Boulder, where she works at the intersection of academic research and industry to build meaningful collaborations that move the needle on technology development. Her work focuses on advanced energy and sustainability. 

Kelly brings deep expertise in clean energy and the energy transition, spanning power grid modernization, low-carbon fuels and the electrification of transportation. Her career has spanned academia, industry, government and nonprofit sectors, giving her experience in each and bringing diverse stakeholders to the table. She has held roles at the Federation of American Scientists, Boundary Stone Partners and the Policy Institute at the University of California, Davis, an affiliate of the Institute of Transportation Studies. 

Kelly served as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office, an experience that deepened her understanding of how policy, research and industry must work in concert to drive the energy transition forward.

Kelly holds a PhD and MS in chemical engineering from the University of Washington and a BS in chemical and biochemical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.