May 7, 2013--Alec Ross was Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the duration of her term as Secretary of State, a role created for him that blends technology with diplomacy. As Secretary Clinton's "tech guru," Ross led State Department's efforts to find practical technology solutions for some of the globe's most vexing problems on health care, poverty, human rights and ethnic conflicts, earning him numerous accolades including the Distinguished Honor Award. Ross is credited with ushering in an era of digital diplomacy at the State Department. Foreign Policy named Ross a Top Global Thinker in 2011; Politico identified Ross as one of “five people bringing transformative change to the government.”
Co-sponsored with the NYU Steinhardt Department of Media, Culture, and Communication; NYU Arthur Carter Journalism Institute; and the NYU Institute for Public Knowledge.