Guida named new director of Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. − The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue recently announced that former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michelle Giuda, will serve as its new director as of Nov. 1.

Giuda has previously served as executive vice president of Geopolitical Strategy & Risk at the Institute from Weber Shandwick. There, Giuda would counsel clients on how to address the impact geopolitical issues have on their businesses and reputations.

In addition to serving as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, Giuda as under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs led the largest restructuring at the State Department in the last 20 years; modernizing the department's global public affairs and public diplomacy operations.

Recently in 2022, Giuda was named to the "Ad Age 40 Under 40" list, which recognizes leaders changing the marketing industry.

“I am honored to be asked to serve as the director of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue," Giuda said in a release. "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. 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.”

Giuda is succeeding Glick, former deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and IBM executive.

“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 a release, in regards to 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.”

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Guida named new director of Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy