As we began a new year, the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) welcomed its 2026 Vice President, Don Tan, Ph.D. Tan earned his Ph.D. from Caltech and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering as well as an IEEE Fellow. Over the course of his distinguished career at a U.S. Fortune 500 corporation, he has held numerous leadership roles, including Distinguished Engineer, Chief Engineer for Power Conversion, Program Manager, Department Manager, and Center Director.
A visionary technical leader in ultra-efficient power conversion and electronic energy systems, Tan has pioneered breakthrough innovations, achieving numerous industry firsts and record-setting performances. His work has received commendations at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Notably, he has developed hundreds of designs and thousands of hardware units for space applications—without a single on-orbit failure. His electronics systems performed flawlessly aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), located one million miles from Earth, delivering record-breaking performance and contributing to humanity’s understanding of deep space.
Tan has also played a significant leadership role within IEEE. He served as the founding President of the IEEE Transportation Electrification Council, Chair of the IEEE Fellow Advisory and Oversight Subcommittee, and Vice Chair of the IEEE Industry Engagement Committee. His contributions further include service as Division II Director on the IEEE Board of Directors and as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, among others.
During his term as Vice President-Elect, Tan reimagined the TAB Presidents Forum by enabling the formation of grassroots working groups to address key challenges. These groups met throughout the year and delivered tangible results in a remarkably short time. Their success highlights what is possible when volunteers are empowered, collaboration is prioritized, and efforts are aligned around shared goals. Many of these outcomes are already contributing to meaningful progress across TAB and IEEE.
Building on this momentum, Tan enters 2026 with a strong commitment to leading Technical Activities with intention. For the first time, TAB convened an off-site strategic session to develop a clear, actionable plan, ensuring readiness to move forward with purpose from day one. The guiding theme: remain responsive to member needs while elevating the technical prestige of TAB and IEEE.
A central pillar of this strategy is the thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence to enhance how Technical Activities operates, engages, and delivers value. Under Dr. Tan’s leadership, TA will focus on:
- Celebrating engineering through AI-driven multimedia content.
- Improving organizational agility with data-driven performance dashboards.
- Delivering differentiated value through personalized, AI-enabled products and services.
As IEEE’s leading technical body, TAB also has a critical role in advancing the next frontier of innovation, particularly in AI-augmented hardware and systems, which are rapidly emerging as a foundational layer in the evolution of general AI.
Tan believes that sustaining technical excellence requires intentional investment in people. A key priority is engaging, retaining, and developing recent graduates to ensure a strong pipeline of future leaders. One initiative under consideration is the development of localized “Hubs and Nodes” within Societies and Councils, creating expanded opportunities for leadership, professional growth, and community engagement at the regional level.
In parallel, he will continue efforts to refine Society and Council structures and enhance IEEE’s budgeting processes to better support long-term impact.
As Vice President of Technical Activities, Dr. Tan is committed to embracing innovation, strengthening collaboration, and remaining deeply connected to the needs of IEEE members worldwide.
Learn more about his vision in the IEEE Technical Community Spotlight.
About the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB)
The IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) is the central body responsible for guiding and coordinating IEEE’s technical programs and initiatives, ensuring that its over 40 Societies and 7 Councils operate strategically and collaboratively to advance engineering and technology worldwide. TAB provides oversight, resources, and guidance to enable technical innovation, member engagement, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, while aligning all activities with IEEE’s broader mission.
The IEEE Photonics Society, as one of these technical Societies, focuses on photonics and optical technologies, managing conferences, journals, and member services specific to its field. TAB supports the Photonics Society with strategic direction, facilitating collaborations with other Societies, and ensuring that its initiatives contribute to IEEE’s overall goals.
