Meet Our Online IT and Computer Science Faculty

Michael S. Brown

Program Chair of Software Engineering

240-684-2439
michael.brown@umuc.edu

Michael Brown joined UMGC in 2012 after spending more than 20 years working in the information technology field, where he held positions with Sun Microsystems and NASA. He has a PhD from Nova Southeastern University and a master's degree and bachelor's degree from Shippensburg University.

Elena Gortcheva

Program Chair and Professor of Data Analytics

240-684-2400
elena.gortcheva@umuc.edu

Elena Gortcheva joined UMGC in 2003 after a 15-year computer engineering career in academia as a professor, researcher, and industry consultant. Her professional interests include data mining, intelligent systems, artificial intelligence, and emerging technology.

She has employed her professional experience to the curricula development for the Master of Science in data analytics program. Gortcheva implemented a wide array of advanced technologies and innovative approaches to support and enrich the student’s learning experience through course development, industry-oriented research projects, Oracle Labs, Virtual Lab, and open source software, such as R, Hadoop, and Spark. 

She holds a Master of Science in electronic engineering and a PhD in computer engineering from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Les Pang

Associate Vice Dean of Information and Technology Systems
Program Chair of Informatics and Information Systems and Services

240-684-2400 x2429
les.pang@umuc.edu

Les Pang is a former professor at the Information Resources Management College, which is part of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He has taught military and civilian leaders in the areas of data management, enterprise applications, multimedia, simulation, the Internet, and software technologies. Prior to that role, he served as a computer systems analyst at the Federal Aviation Administration and a transportation engineer at the Federal Highway Administration.

Pang earned a PhD in engineering from the University of Utah, an MBA from UMGC, an MS in engineering from the University of Nebraska, and a BS in engineering from the University of Hawaii.

James Robertson

Program Chair, Computer Science and Software Development and Security
Collegiate Professor

240-684-2840
james.robertson@umuc.edu

James Robertson joined University of Maryland Global Campus in 2001 after serving as a principal consultant at Oracle. He earned an MS in electro-optical engineering from the University of Dayton and an EdD in instructional technology from Towson University. He teaches courses in programming, databases, computer graphics, and image and signal processing at UMGC. He also presents papers and participates in technical discussions at conferences across the United States.