Two Michigan Technological University alumni whose careers helped advance the digital age continue to invest in the next generation of technology leaders.
From securing the early commercial internet and helping Netflix leap into streaming to pioneering digital business ventures and leading technology operations for global enterprises, Bill Burns and Daniel Wakeman have spent their careers advancing the technologies that connect, support, and protect the world.
Burns and Wakeman were inducted into the Michigan Tech College of Computing Honor Academy in recognition of their distinguished careers in cybersecurity, technology innovation, and executive leadership. Their accomplishments span more than three decades of technological change. Their commitment to Michigan Tech continues through philanthropy, mentorship, and service.
Bill Burns: Building Trust in a Connected World
Long before streaming became a household staple and cloud computing transformed global business, Bill Burns helped to establish the security foundations that make both possible.
Burns, who earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering in 1992 and engineering business administration in 1993, began his career at Andersen Consulting, now Accenture, supporting the firm’s research and development computing lab. At a time when the internet was beginning to transform how people communicated and conducted business, he helped organizations tap into the power of emerging technologies.
The College of Computing Honor Academy recognizes Michigan Tech graduates and other accomplished leaders who have distinguished themselves in their professions and made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the College of Computing and our programs.
Access the Academy’s full list of honorees, profiled by name, class year, and major, to learn more about these outstanding individuals.
Burns went on to join Netscape, where he helped build and secure the infrastructure behind the first commercial web browser. His work included Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an early encryption protocol whose successors remain fundamental to protecting information exchanged over the internet.
At Netflix, Burns became the company’s first executive responsible for global information security, privacy, and compliance. As Netflix transitioned from DVD distribution to streaming, he helped establish the partnership between Amazon Web Services and SafeNet that created AWS CloudHSM, a cloud-based hardware security service designed to protect sensitive data at scale.
Burns later served as the first chief information security officer and chief trust officer at Informatica. There, he developed foundational security and governance programs, supported the company’s transition toward cloud services and helped guide its successful return to the public market in 2021. He also led security diligence efforts associated with Informatica’s acquisition by Salesforce.
Beyond corporate leadership, Burns’ accomplishments include two security patents. He’s advised cybersecurity investments through Scale Venture Partners and World Innovation Lab, a global venture capital firm managing more than $2.5 billion in assets.
In retirement, Burns continues putting his expertise to work as an FAA-certified drone pilot volunteering with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team. He also mentors cybersecurity professionals, entrepreneurs, and students entering the field.
His support for Michigan Tech continues. Burns and his wife, Julie, also a ’92 Michigan Tech graduate, established the Cybersecurity Initiative Endowment to advance cybersecurity education and develop future leaders in the field. He serves on the Department of Applied Computing’s IT/Cybersecurity Industrial Board and Michigan Tech’s Institute of Computing and Cybersystems National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Industrial Advisory Board.
Daniel Wakeman: Leading Technology Through Generations of Change
As the internet transformed commerce, communication and the way organizations operated, Daniel Wakeman helped businesses navigate the challenges and opportunities of the digital world.
Wakeman graduated from Michigan Tech in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He subsequently earned an MBA from Central Michigan University and participated in the Wharton Fellows Program.
He built a career spanning technology startups, multinational corporations and organizations with operations that depended on complex information systems.
Wakeman’s early professional experience included information systems and business positions with the U.S. Air Force, D&N Bank, IBM, and Dow Chemical. He later held leadership positions at DuPont Dow Elastomers before co-founding ElastomerSolutions.com, a pioneering business-to-business digital exchange serving the elastomers industry.
The venture represented a new approach to connecting businesses through emerging internet technologies, anticipating the increasingly integrated digital marketplaces that would become central to modern commerce.
Wakeman subsequently spent more than a decade in executive leadership at Educational Testing Service (ETS), serving as vice president and chief information and technology officer. He guided long-term technology strategy, strengthened enterprise information security, led advanced technology initiatives and oversaw the core IT systems supporting ETS’s global operations.
Before retiring, Wakeman served as a senior IT leader at Fidelity Information Services (FIS), one of the world’s largest financial technology companies, helping guide enterprise-scale technology initiatives across multiple business units.
His contributions to technology leadership have earned national recognition, including the Computerworld CIO Premier 100 IT Leaders Award in 2008 and the InformationWeek Top 500 Innovation Award in 2013. Michigan Tech inducted him into its Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2009.
Today, he continues to share his experience with the next generation of computing professionals as a member of Michigan Tech’s Computer Science External Advisory Board. His involvement helps connect academic preparation with the evolving needs of an industry where technological advances continually create new opportunities and challenges.
Wakeman lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife, Stephanie, and spends summers on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Eagle Harbor, Michigan. He remains active in advisory work, education, family activities, and community service.
Investing in the Next Generation of Technology Leaders
The successive waves of technological change that Burns and Wakeman have experienced throughout their careers spans the infancy of the commercial internet to the cloud computing and streaming services that have transformed entire industries.
Through it all, both alumni have helped organizations anticipate new possibilities, address emerging risks, and engineer the systems that millions rely on today and into the future. They’ve also served as valuable supporters and advisors to the University and the College of Computing.
“Bill and Dan’s contributions to computing are both profound and far-reaching,” said Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of Computing in the College of Computing.“They are role models for our students and alumni alike, and their accomplishments bring great distinction to Michigan Tech.”
Burns and Wakeman were formally inducted into the Academy earlier this fall as part of the annual Computing[MTU] showcase.
About the College of Computing
The Michigan Tech College of Computing, established in 2019, is the first academic unit in Michigan dedicated solely to computing, and one of only a handful such academic units in the United States. The college is composed of two academic departments. The Computer Science department offers four bachelor of science programs in computer science, cybersecurity, data science, and software engineering; four master of science programs in applied computer science, computer science, cybersecurity, and data science; and a doctoral program in computer science. The Applied Computing department offers four bachelor of science programs in cybersecurity, electrical engineering technology, information technology, and mechatronics; two master of science programs in health informatics and mechatronics; and a doctoral program is in computational science and engineering.
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