Keith Krach: Official Bio & Resources

Official short and medium biographies, current roles, career and education, public-service and business highlights, approved media assets, selected sources, commentary, and media contact information.

Last updated: September 2026

• Official Bios
• Current Roles
• Career & Education
• Current Work
• Public Service
• Business Leadership
• Leadership & Service
• Honors
• Media Assets
• Selected Sources
• Commentary & Profiles
• Media Contact

Official Bios

Official Short Bio

Keith J. Krach, widely known as Keith Krach, is an entrepreneur, former U.S. diplomat, and civic leader. He serves as CEO of Freedom 250, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, and Chairman of the U.S. Taiwan Business Council. He previously served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment; Chairman and CEO of DocuSign; Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ariba; and Co-Chair of the Global Tech Security Commission. Earlier in his career, he became General Motors’ youngest ever vice president. His work has centered on trusted technology, economic security, entrepreneurship, institution building, and freedom.

Read Keith Krach’s Full Biography ➜

Official Medium Bio

Keith J. Krach, widely known as Keith Krach, is an entrepreneur, former U.S. diplomat, and civic leader whose career has focused on building companies, institutions, and alliances at the intersection of technology, trust, and freedom.

He serves as CEO of Freedom 250; Chairman and Co-Founder of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue; and Chairman of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. Former Co-Chair of the Global Tech Security Commission. Through these leadership roles, he has advanced civic participation, technology diplomacy, trusted technology, economic security, and cooperation among democratic partners.

Krach served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment from 2019 to 2021. In that role, he led economic-security initiatives involving trusted technology, supply-chain resilience, strategic technology sectors, and international partnerships. He led the State Department team behind the Clean Network, advanced U.S.-Taiwan economic and technology cooperation, and supported efforts to strengthen semiconductor supply chains and trusted technology partnerships among democratic nations.

Before public service, Krach built and led category-defining technology companies. He served as Chairman and CEO of DocuSign; co-founded Ariba and served as Chairman and CEO; co-founded Rasna Corporation and served as Chief Operating Officer; and became General Motors’ youngest-ever vice president. He also served as Chairman of the Purdue University Board of Trustees and as the 64th Grand Consul of Sigma Chi International Fraternity. Krach earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and Purdue awarded him an honorary Doctor of Industrial Engineering degree in 2018.

Read Keith Krach’s Full Biography ➜

Current Roles

Career and Education at a Glance

Education and Academic Honors

• 1979 — B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Purdue University
• 1981 — MBA, Harvard Business School
• 2015 — Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, Ohio Northern University
• 2018 — Honorary Doctor of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University

Current Work

Public Service Highlights

• Unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment from 2019 to 2021.
• Led economic-security initiatives focused on trusted technology, supply-chain resilience, strategic technology sectors, and cooperation among democratic partners.
• Led the State Department team behind the Clean Network, which began with 5G and expanded to other critical technology domains.
• Advanced U.S.-Taiwan economic and technology cooperation and emphasized the strategic importance of trusted semiconductor supply chains.
• Promoted trusted technology partnerships among governments, companies, and allies.
• Helped establish the public-service foundation for the Krach Institute’s work in technology diplomacy and trusted technology.

Business Leadership and Institution Building

• DocuSign: Chairman from 2009 to 2019 and Chief Executive Officer from 2011 to 2017; helped scale digital agreements and trusted digital transactions.
• Ariba: Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1996 to 2003; helped establish business-to-business electronic commerce as a major enterprise technology category.
• Rasna Corporation: Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer from 1988 to 1995; helped build a mechanical design and engineering software company.
• General Motors: Began his career under a GM fellowship, later became the company’s youngest-ever vice president, and helped launch GMF Robotics with FANUC.
• Angie’s List: Former Chairman of the Board.
• Benchmark Capital: First Entrepreneur-in-Residence and later CEO-in-Residence.

Leadership and Service

• Global Tech Security Commission: Former Co-Chair
• Purdue University: Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
• Sigma Chi International Fraternity: 64th Grand Consul, the fraternity’s international president.
• Global Mentor Network: Founder.
• Opportunity International: Member, Board of Governors.
• DocuSign IMPACT Foundation: Founder and Former Chairman.
• Washington Post Intelligence Global Security Council: Member.
• Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset: Member.
• Concordia Leadership Council: Member.
• Vandenberg Coalition: Advisory Board member.
• Atlantic Council: Member of the Freedom and Prosperity Center Advisory Council.

Selected Honors and Recognition

• 2025 M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal, Purdue University; one of manufacturing’s highest honors.
• 2023 Riskmaster of the Year, BizWorld.
• 2021 Lifestyle Westernization Award, StrategEast, for the Clean Network initiative.
• 2019 Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award, Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
• 2019 Business Leader of the Year, Harvard Business School Association of Northern California.
• 2018 Transformational Leader of the Year, Life & News.
• 2018 Honorary Doctor of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University.
• 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, Ernst & Young.
• 2015 Most Admired CEO, San Francisco Business Times.
• 2000 National Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young.
• 2000 Technology Pioneer, World Economic Forum.

View All Honors and Awards ➜

Media Assets and Downloadable Bios

Official Short Bio – DOCX keith-krach-official-short-bio.docx	Official Short Bio – PDF keith-krach-official-short-bio.pdf
Official Medium Bio – DOCX keith-krach-official-medium-bio.docx	Official Medium Bio – PDF keith-krach-official-medium-bio.pdf
Keith J. Krach official photo Download official photo

Selected Sources

Government, university, institutional, and official-company sources are listed first, followed by selected independent and publishing profiles.

Selected Commentary and Interviews

Keith Krach writes and speaks on freedom, enterprise, entrepreneurship, innovation, trust, technology, risk-taking, and American leadership.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keith Krach

1. What is Keith Krach known for?

Keith Krach is an entrepreneur, former U.S. diplomat and civic leader known for serving as Chairman and CEO of DocuSign, co founding and leading Ariba, serving as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, and co founding the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. His work has focused on trusted technology, economic security, entrepreneurship, institution building and freedom. See his Concordia leadership profile for an independent overview of his career and current work.

2. What is Keith Krach doing now?

Keith Krach serves as Chairman and Co Founder of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and Chairman of the U.S. Taiwan Business Council. He also serves as CEO of Freedom 250, the national initiative supporting America’s 250th anniversary. His current work focuses on technology diplomacy, economic security, trusted technology, U.S. Taiwan relations and civic leadership.

3. Is Keith Krach a Republican?

Yes. Keith Krach is a Republican who served in the Trump administration as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment from 2019 to 2021. He was nominated by President Donald Trump and subsequently served as Under Secretary of State. His public service focused on economic security, trusted technology, strengthening democratic alliances, U.S. Taiwan relations and advancing freedom.

4. What books has Keith Krach written?

Keith Krach has written extensively on leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, economic security, diplomacy, trust and freedom. His published work consists primarily of articles, essays, speeches and thought leadership rather than authored books. His recent writing includes his Fortune Freedom & Enterprise commentary series, and his published commentary can also be found on his Forbes author page.

5. What was Keith Krach’s role at DocuSign?

Keith Krach served as Chairman of DocuSign from 2009 to 2019 and as Chief Executive Officer from 2011 to 2017. During his leadership, DocuSign grew from an emerging digital transaction company into a global leader in electronic signatures and digital transaction management. Read more about how Krach helped make DocuSign a category defining company in the original Forbes profile, “DocuSign This: How Keith Krach Made His Company a Verb”.

6. What is Keith Krach’s connection to Purdue University?

Keith Krach earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, later served as Chairman of the Purdue University Board of Trustees and received an honorary Doctor of Industrial Engineering. His work with the university continues through the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. Learn more about his work in higher education at Purdue.

7. What did Keith Krach do in the U.S. government?

Keith Krach served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment from 2019 to 2021. He led economic security initiatives involving trusted technology, supply chain security, strategic technologies and international partnerships, including the Clean Network. Read Keith Krach’s broader public service work.

8. What companies did Keith Krach lead?

Keith Krach served as Chairman and CEO of DocuSign and Ariba and served as Chairman and CEO, co founded Rasna Corporation and served as Chief Operating Officer, and earlier became General Motors’ youngest ever vice president.

Media Contact