MSE Welcomes New Faculty

This fall the Master of Software Engineering program welcomes two new faculty members: Jim Berardone and Nick Frollini.

“I’m excited to welcome Jim and Nick into the MSE community,” Travis Breaux, the director of MSE programs said. “Their exceptional expertise and the energy they invest into teaching business and communications will further enrich the program’s commitment to teaching engineers how business objectives drive software design and development. We all look forward to their forthcoming contributions to the MSE.” 

Jim Berardone is passionate about helping engineers become the next generation of innovative tech leaders. This fall he will co-teach the Business and Management Strategy course and is developing a product management elective that will be offered for the first time in Spring of 2022. In addition, Jim will help coordinate the Studio and Practicum projects, which have long been the centerpiece of the MSE programs.

Prior to joining the MSE, Berardone taught product management to graduate students in CMU’s College of Engineering. He has more than 20 years of experience building technology businesses, from startups to multinational corporations; has helped to create and launch 17 new B2B tech product lines; and founded a professional education organization that trained over 1,000 professionals in the art and science of product management and innovation. 

“I’m thrilled to join the world’s pioneer and leader in software engineering education,” Berardone said. “I hope to help our talented students achieve their full potential by developing the business skills they’ll need in their careers. I can’t think of a better way for me to make an impact.”

Nick Frollini’s collective professional experiences have made him passionate about the value and power of communications, presentation, and negotiation skills. He will teach Communications for Software Leaders I & II and is developing a negotiation elective that will be offered for the first time in Summer of 2022. 

Prior to joining the MSE faculty, Frollini spent more than 14 years as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Software Research where he was responsible for managing the full range of business operations within the department. He previously served as the Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer and as Managing Director of Case Technology Ventures at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Before entering academia in 2001, Nick worked in private equity and investment banking, following a stint in the technology consulting industry.

“After nearly two decades working behind the scenes to support faculty researchers and educators, I’m beyond excited to put down my pivot tables and policy manuals to move into the classroom full time,” Frollini said. “It’s a dream come true.”