Greg Nelson
Fmr Sr. VP of Microsoft; Board of Directors, Opportunity Intl.
Commissioner for Micro-Lending
Helping the world’s poorest people to achieve their own success through sustainable entrepreneurship–giving people a hand up, not just a handout–helps secure a better future for all of us. The partnership between The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and Opportunity International is bringing thought leadership, innovation, and momentum to this challenge.
Greg Nelson is a retired Microsoft executive who most recently was Vice President of Partner Ecosystem, helping Microsoft’s Business Applications Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) grow their business. Over his 26-year career at Microsoft, Greg held a variety of roles spanning disciplines including engineering, partner and business development, marketing, and sales and was based in Seattle, London, and Paris. His previous work in developing economies includes teaching English in China and serving as a Rotary Scholar at the University of Cape Town, where he did a one-year post-graduate degree in African Studies with a focus on political transition. There, he helped an NGO called the Triple Trust Organization create training tools for entrepreneurs, and he co-wrote a book about the organization’s model to help other NGOs replicate TTO’s success. Greg has an MBA from Harvard University. While he lives near Seattle with his wife Laurie, he has spent his career living and working internationally.