Senior Leadership Team

The Hon. Michelle S. Giuda

I am honored to serve as the CEO 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. 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.

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The Hon. Michelle S. Giuda

CEO, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs

Marc Carlson

The United States has been blessed with creating or leveraging most technological innovation over the years. Technology drives productivity which drives improved living standards and a better quality of life for all. Technology also drives national security. For these reasons it is important to lead the effort in awareness and action around the globe to ensure that technology is created and implemented in a way that supports the force of good. I believe the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy plays the critical role of working to help the adoption and execution of Trust Standards that create transparency, accountability, intellectual property protection, rule of law, support for sovereign nations and open markets. The work of the Institute is important and urgent.

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Marc Carlson

Chief Revenue Officer

Board of Directors

Janice deGarmo

As someone who has dedicated my career to the mission of advancing U.S. foreign policy goals through an innovative, entrepreneurial mindset, I am thrilled to be joining the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. In less than two years, the Institute has established itself as the world’s preeminent global authority on Tech Diplomacy. This battle-tested model which combines high tech strategies with foreign policy tools based on the ‘Trust Doctrine’ not only represents a bridge between Silicon Valley and Washington, DC, but also one between Republican and Democratic Administrations.

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Janice deGarmo

Chief Operating Officer

Hiro Rodriguez

Hiro Rodriguez

Chief Business Officer

Lee Rubenstein

I am honored to join the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, an unparalleled institution at the forefront of a novel domain that necessitates expertise in critical technologies, high-tech strategies and foreign policy, The Institute’s capacity to unite these dimensions in educating and empowering leaders across public and private sectors is unmatched. I am excited to cultivate innovative training and educational programs, propelling the Institute’s mission to create a Global Trusted Tech Network committed to advancing freedom through technology.

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Lee Rubenstein

Chief Training and Education Officer

Brad McKinney

I have been impressed with the Institute’s reach, impact and leadership in the Tech Statecraft category as an Advisory Council member. I am now humbled to have the opportunity to help this unique institution turn its vision into reality for the benefit of America’s and the free world’s security.

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Brad McKinney

VP of Strategic Initiatives

Board of Directors

The Krach Institute’s board of directors are seasoned leaders in education, business, government and statecraft who provide high-level strategic planning and oversight for the Institute.

The Hon. Keith Krach

There is no greater threat to freedom than advanced technologies in the hands of authoritarian regimes. Securing freedom hinges on securing technology, particularly in high-tech sectors such as 5G, AI, semiconductors, quantum, biotech, and others. While the U.S. can make a significant impact on our own, our strength is multiplied when we stand alongside our friends. The dictator’s greatest fear is a united front of free nations.

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The Hon. Keith Krach

Chairman, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

Former U.S. Under Secretary of State; Former Chairman and CEO of DocuSign and Ariba; Former Chairman of Purdue Board of Trustees

Mung Chiang

During my tenure as the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, I witnessed the bipartisan and growing appreciation of the intersection between critical technologies and American foreign policy. Soon after returning to Purdue University in December 2020, we launched the Center for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue to contribute to a crisp and essential vision: technology must advance freedom.

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Mung Chiang

Co-Founder Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

President Purdue University

Michael Berghoff

Board of Directors; Advisory Council member; Chairman of Board of Trustees, Purdue University

JoAnn Brouillette

Board of Directors; Advisory Council member; Board of Trustees, Purdue University

Marc Carlson

The United States has been blessed with creating or leveraging most technological innovation over the years. Technology drives productivity which drives improved living standards and a better quality of life for all. Technology also drives national security. For these reasons it is important to lead the effort in awareness and action around the globe to ensure that technology is created and implemented in a way that supports the force of good. I believe the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy plays the critical role of working to help the adoption and execution of Trust Standards that create transparency, accountability, intellectual property protection, rule of law, support for sovereign nations and open markets. The work of the Institute is important and urgent.

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Marc Carlson

Chief Revenue Officer

Board of Directors

The Hon. Todd Chapman

I am honored to join the Board of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy and to contribute to the promotion of technology’s role in advancing freedom and prosperity in the face of authoritarian challenges by untrustworthy actors. As U.S. Ambassador I witnessed first-hand the impact which The Clean Network and the Trust Principles have to embolden international governments and companies to resist totalitarian regimes and their use of technologies to repress rather than promote human freedoms. The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy can develop the programs, thought leadership, and relationships necessary to bring together the best in technology with the best in governance.

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The Hon. Todd Chapman

Board of Directors and Advisory Council Member

Former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil and Ecuador, GTSC Commissioner for Diplomacy

William Elmore

Technology is now at the core of our everyday lives, and is advancing rapidly. It should be used for good.

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William Elmore

Board of Directors

Co-Founder and General Partner of Foundation Capital

Fellows

Krach Institute fellows are distinguished experts in technology, government, industry, and diplomacy. Their research and commentary contribute to the development of the Institute’s Tech Diplomacy strategies.

Senior Research Fellows

Dr. Dan DeLaurentis

System of systems integration is my research area and my passion; integrating technology and diplomacy for mutual benefit is the grandest manifestation of this approach.

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Dr. Dan DeLaurentis

Senior Research Fellow

Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University and Chief Scientist, Department of Defense Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC)

Dr. Ed Delp

Manipulated media, including Deep Fakes, may causes changes in our society in how we interact with each other. What do we believe is true may get a lot more complicated. My role is to educate people on the threat and provide tools to detect and migrate manipulated media.

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Dr. Ed Delp

Senior Research Fellow

Charles William Harrison Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University

Dr. Mark Lundstrom

Seventy-five years after the invention of the transistor, semiconductor chips with billions of transistors are everywhere. They transformed the 20th century by enabling satellite communication, the Internet, weather prediction, smart phones, and much more. Still far from a mature technology, a new era of semiconductor technology is just beginning, and its impact on the 21st century will be even greater than its transformative impact on the 20th century.

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Dr. Mark Lundstrom

Senior Research Fellow

Don and Carol SciDistinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University

Dr. Jan-Anders Mansson

In a time when technology, on a global level, increasingly penetrates our professional and private life, it is obvious that the merger of technology and diplomacy should be high on any societal agenda.

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Dr. Jan-Anders Mansson

Senior Research Fellow

Distinguished Professor of Materials Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Purdue University

Dr. Sorin Matei

I am passionate about making connections between disparate fields, such as engineering, computer science, and social science broadly understood to understand human collaboration and conflict on a large scale. I am a practical theorist who believes that there is no more practical thing than a good theory or model.

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Dr. Sorin Matei

Senior Research Fellow

Professor and Associate Dean of Research of the College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University

Dr. Haley Oliver

Tech diplomacy will be central to democratically meeting future food and nutrition demands, particularly as the global population expands in the most food insecure regions of the world.

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Dr. Haley Oliver

Senior Research Fellow

150th Anniversary Professor of Food Science, USAID Feed the Future Food Safety Innovation Lab Director, Purdue University

Dr. Fabio H. Ribeiro

The energy transition will happen only if new technological innovations in electrified processes will make them better and cheaper than fossil-driven ones. The final cost will be heavily depending on policy decisions, on a global scale. A major breakthrough in diplomacy is needed to guide public funds and legislation to create the nexus point of industrial productivity for our nation, ensure global economic competitiveness, and increase U.S. energy security. Perhaps no other area of tech diplomacy will be more important.

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Dr. Fabio H. Ribeiro

Senior Research Fellow

W. Nicholas and Elizabeth H. Delgass Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering; Director of CISTAR

Dr. Ali Shakouri

Senior Research Fellow; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University

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Dr. Ali Shakouri

Senior Research Fellow

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University

Lefteri Tsoukalas

Freedom is the oxygen of innovation, and the world needs increasingly more and more innovation to survive and thrive in the future. Tech-diplomacy is the most important tool we have today for addressing globally, the grand challenges of inequality and climate change.

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Lefteri Tsoukalas

Director, Applied Intelligent Systems Lab (AISL);

Technical Chair, Consortium for the Intelligent Management of the Electric Power Grid (CIMEG)

Dr. David Umulis

As synthetic biology and biomedical engineering technologies become more ubiquitous and have impact in our daily lives, it is critical that we develop cohesive and inclusive principals with our international partners that govern access and ethical use of the technology consistent with our values.

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Dr. David Umulis

Senior Research Fellow

Dane A. Miller Head and Professor of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the EMBRIO Institute, Purdue University

Dr. Dana Weinstein

Science and technology do not exist in a vacuum. Policy makers and global leaders must share a common language with scientists and engineers to make the best decisions for both domestic and international interests. This is particularly critical in the face of growing needs for national security (physical and cyber), global economic considerations, and the necessity to address environmental and energy demands.

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Dr. Dana Weinstein

Senior Research Fellow

Associate Dean of Graduate Education, CoE and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Senior Visiting Fellows

Dr. Kaush Arha

Trusted Connectivity represents the Free World framework to meet global digital and infrastructure demands. It offers continuity, consistency and complementarity across individual national and regional trust and connectivity initiatives including EU’s Global Gateway, Three Seas Initiative (3SI), Blue Dot Network, Africa Agenda 2063, ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan, etc.

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Dr. Kaush Arha

Senior Visiting Fellow

Former Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement and Clear Choice Coordinator at the U.S. Agency for International Development

The Hon. Rajendra Abhyankar

The robust use of technology in international affairs will define the future practice of diplomacy and, more importantly, the strength of democracy, human rights and prosperity in the US and the democratic world.

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The Hon. Rajendra Abhyankar

Senior Visiting Fellow

Former Indian Ambassador to the European Union

Emily de La Bruyère

Senior Visiting Fellow

Co-founder, Horizon Advisory

Sean Cairncross

There are competing international development models and worldviews, and technology is a key component in both. The American development model deploys technology to support developing nations’ self-determination and improve peoples’ lives. Competing development models use technology as a means of control, robbing nations of their sovereignty. Diplomatic engagement is vital to clarify the different development paths nations face — and to build lasting partnerships that improves lives, increases opportunity, and fosters freedom across the globe.

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Sean Cairncross

Senior Visiting Fellow

Former Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Challenge Corporation

The Hon. Frank Fannon

Tech diplomacy will steer the direction of the new economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, whether built on foundations of freedom or control.

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The Hon. Frank Fannon

Senior Visiting Fellow and Advisory Council Member

GTSC Commissioner for Clean Energy and Electrical Grids, Managing Director of Fannon Global Advisors and Former Assistant Secretary of State

Scott Friedman

Technology is the bedrock for all future diplomatic engagement. Whether it be transformational hardware, labor force participation or value generated from digital assets — how the world comes together, or moves apart, will be determined by how nations come to terms with these defining features of the next generation.

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Scott Friedman

Senior Visiting Fellow

Former Senior Policy Advisor to the House Committee on Homeland Security

Simone Ledeen

AI is making decision-makers uncomfortable. We are used to leaders going through many layers of approval; by the time of decision, the question is no longer relevant. AI tools help us make quicker decisions, especially in cyber.

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Simone Ledeen

Senior Visiting Fellow and Advisory Council Member for GTSC Defense

Managing Director at Vantage ROI and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East

The Hon. Nazak Nikakhtar

International partnerships accelerate technological advancements, and interoperability of innovations ensures the safety and security of the United States and our allies. Purdue’s groundbreaking initiative brings Technology Diplomacy to the forefront of international engagement and strengthens the foundation for peace and security worldwide.

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The Hon. Nazak Nikakhtar

Senior Visiting fellow and Advisory Council Member

GTSC Commissioner for Export Controls, Fmr Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Industry & Analysis, International Trade Administration

Nathan Picarsic

Senior Visiting Fellow

Co-founder, Horizon Advisory

The Hon. Manisha Singh

As a former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. State Department, I saw first hand the critical intersection between technology and diplomacy. In a world where technology is no longer a separate industry, but rather the foundation of every industry, we should work with global partners to ensure that tech is a positive force for global citizens, especially the most vulnerable. The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is at the center of promoting this idea.

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The Hon. Manisha Singh

Senior Visiting Fellow

Former Assistant Secretary of State

Senior Industry Fellows

Robert Imig

Since its founding, the Krach Institute has brought innovators and policymakers together to ensure emerging technologies are used to advance freedom, safety, and prosperity around the world. I am honored to be able to contribute to this mission. We have only scratched the surface of Artificial Intelligence and the importance it has for protecting our nation. Our ability to not only advance this technology, but also operationalize it, is critical to keep us ahead of our adversaries.

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Robert Imig

Senior Industry Fellow and Advisory Council Member for GTSC Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Senior Architect for R&D at Palantir Technologies, Director, AI/ML Palantir

Eliora Katz

Senior Industry Fellow

Dr. Ken Urquhart

Organizations who embrace zero trust will find embracing 5G, with all of its security challenges, a lot easier, a lot faster, and a lot safer.

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Dr. Ken Urquhart

Senior Industry Fellow

Global Vice President, 5G Strategy, Zscaler

Research Fellow

Christopher G. Brinton

Research Fellow

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Purdue University