Michael Carolina

Michael Carolina is the executive director of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). His tenure at OCAST began August 1, 2005; he is the agency’s third executive director since its establishment in 1987. Over the course of his career, Mr. Carolina has been recognized for his exceptional leadership skills (visionary, ability to build relationships, results oriented, passion, integrity, role-model behavior and humility). This is evidenced by the number of industry promotions to positions of increased responsibilities and by selection to numerous community service, business and academic boards of directors and advisory committees. Mr. Carolina held management and executive positions (operating, strategic and business planning, new product development and technology transfer) with the Western Electric Company, AT&T and Lucent Technologies. He served in several of AT&T’s New Jersey-based operations, including technology transfer of Bell Laboratories-designed telecommunications products to AT&T’s and Lucent Technologies’ joint ventures in Korea, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Spain and Brazil. He was also engineering director for Lucent Technologies’ manufacturing operation in Oklahoma City. In this position, he led an engineering force of more than 200 engineers, representing diverse disciplines (electrical, mechanical, industrial, chemical and environmental). As business planning director (AT&T Network Systems) and as engineering director (Lucent Technologies), his responsibilities included product and process engineering, new product introduction and global engineering support for switching and transmission equipment used in the telecommunications industry. In this role, he worked closely with the Bell Laboratories in introducing leading-edge communications products. After his retirement from Lucent in 2001, he became an industry consultant with the OSU Center for Innovation and Economic Development Foundation. He was also an adjunct professor, Engineering and Technology Management program in OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. Mr. Carolina received his B.S. in Biological Science from Oklahoma State University in 1967 and his M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma in 1971. He was selected by AT&T to attend its Executive Development Program in Princeton, NJ and completed the program in 1986.