Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Names Michelle Giuda as Director

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. & WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On October 24, 2022, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue announced former Assistant Secretary of State Michelle Giuda as its new Director beginning November 1. The Institute’s inaugural Director Bonnie Glick will join its Advisory Board after playing a leading role in establishing the bipartisan institution as the world’s preeminent authority on tech statecraft.

“I am pleased to welcome Michelle Giuda as the new Director of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels. “She has delivered results across both public and private sectors throughout her impressive career. Michelle is a transformational leader with the highest integrity and an unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom.”

“Michelle’s leadership track record speaks for itself – whether it’s spearheading the largest State Department restructuring in two decades or transforming the marketing industry, being recognized on Ad Age’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list, or winning an NCAA Championship and leading the UCLA gymnastics team as a two-time captain after starting out as a freshman walk-on,” said Keith Krach, the Institute’s Chairman. “With her unwavering commitment to democratic trust principles, Michelle is the ideal leader to build on Bonnie’s accomplishments and continue our noble and bipartisan mission of advancing freedom through trusted technology.”

“I am honored to be asked to serve as the Director of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. We stand at the precipice of a high-tech, high-stakes geopolitical era, and our mission could not be more critical: Technology must advance freedom,” said Giuda. “I look forward to building upon the tremendous work of Bonnie Glick. Together with the leading innovators, engineers, and scientists of Purdue University, and in partnership with allies in government and the private sector in the United States and around the world, I am both confident and enthusiastic that we’ll help ensure that technology unleashes a future propelled by trust, democratic principles, and freedom.”

Michelle Giuda joins the Institute from Weber Shandwick, where she served as Executive Vice President of Geopolitical Strategy & Risk, counseling clients on how to prepare for and address the impact of geopolitical issues on their businesses and reputations. Prior to this role, Giuda served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs and held the authorities of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, where she led and executed the largest restructuring at the State Department in twenty years to modernize the Department’s global public affairs and public diplomacy operations. In 2022, Giuda was named to the Ad Age 40 Under 40 list recognizing those leading change across the marketing industry. Giuda received a Master’s Degree in Political Management from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA where she was an NCAA Team Champion and Team Captain of the UCLA Women’s Gymnastics Team.

“At the intersection between technology and diplomacy, the Institute’s mission is more important than ever, and I am delighted to welcome Michelle Giuda to the Boilermaker family. The Institute’s training programs, commissioned studies, and bilateral and multilateral tech diplomacy activities will benefit greatly from her leadership on the global stage, her entrepreneurial experience, and her steadfast dedication to advancing technology for freedom,” said Mung Chiang, co-founder of the Krach Institute of Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and the incoming President of Purdue University.

Giuda succeeds Director Bonnie Glick, former Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and IBM executive. Under Director Glick’s leadership, the Institute launched groundbreaking new workshops and training programs for policymakers focused on emerging tech sectors and convened high-level international gatherings and thought-provoking discussions, including the inaugural Bilateral Tech Diplomacy Series and the Tech Freedom Awards.

Glick presided over the addition of more than twenty distinguished experts to the Institute’s diverse and fast-growing team of fellows, expanding its subject-matter expertise on tech issues shaping 21st century diplomacy, including: 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, energy and climate, hypersonics, rare earth elements, semiconductors, quantum computing, synthetic biology, agricultural technologies, digital currencies, supply chains, and advanced manufacturing.

“The technology landscape is changing before our eyes and it is vital for America and our allies to lead the tech transformation globally,” Glick said in transitioning the leadership role to Giuda. “The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue was set up to bridge the divide between policymakers and innovators. The success we have seen as well as the levels of interest we have generated demonstrate the important role the Institute and Purdue will play well into the future. I committed to getting the Institute up and running as a startup, and we went from zero to sixty million dollars in that time. I’m delighted to pass the baton to Michelle who will scale our efforts in vital ways.”

Dr. Chiang praised Glick for her contribution to the cause of tech diplomacy, “Bonnie has placed the Institute on a momentous trajectory and positioned it for continued, rapid growth. We thank her for the outstanding leadership throughout the first and critical year of the Institute.” Krach added, “Bonnie has been indispensable in growing the Institute from its infancy into a global leader at the intersection of trusted technology and democratic trust values. I am gratified that she will continue to play an important role as a member of the Institute’s Advisory Board.”

Since its founding in September 2021, the bipartisan Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy has harnessed Purdue University’s leadership in innovative research, commercialization, STEM education, corporate partnerships, and national security to advance the field of tech diplomacy and tech statecraft, a new transformational model of diplomacy that integrates high-tech strategies and foreign policy tools with the aim of rallying allies, leveraging the private sector, and amplifying democratic values based on trust.

In partnership with the Atlantic Council, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue launched the Global Tech Security Commission to safeguard freedom from technological authoritarianism. Commissioners from fifteen countries and representing twelve critical tech sectors unite in a unique public-private partnership to develop the Global Tech Security Strategy for building the Global Tech Trust Network, defining overarching Tech Trust Standards, and accelerating the adoption of trusted technology. The Commission is co-chaired by Keith Krach and Kersti Kaljulaid, former president of Estonia.

For more information about the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, go to techdiplomacy.org. Follow it on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

For media inquiries about the Global Tech Security Commission, please contact press@atlanticcouncil.org and techdiplomacy@prf.org.

Editors/Producers: Experts from the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue are available for media interviews to discuss the following topics: semiconductors, 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, energy/climate, hypersonics, quantum computing, rare earth elements, synthetic biology, composite manufacturing, agricultural technology, global supply chains, cryptocurrency, and global financial security.

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James Nash
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