Tech Diplomacy: A Conversation With H.E. Deemah Al Yahya

RSVP to Attend In Person

On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. PT at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (ASC 207), join us for a special conversation on tech diplomacy featuring Her Excellency Deemah Al Yahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), in conversation with Yannis Yortsos, Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

This timely event with USC Annenberg and USC Viterbi will explore how diplomacy must evolve in an era defined by algorithms, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and the rising geopolitical influence of technology firms. The discussion is presented as part of the Montgomery Summit, hosted by March Capital, with CPD serving as co-host. Lunch will be provided.

The event will introduce tech diplomacy as the practice of engaging with technology actors, systems, and issues to advance national interests, protect digital sovereignty, shape global governance, and strengthen international legitimacy in the digital era. Rather than treating tech diplomacy as a niche specialty, the event frames it as a strategic imperative for today’s diplomats and public policy leaders. As technology companies rival states in economic and geopolitical power, and as digital platforms reshape diplomacy itself, governments must move beyond simply using digital tools toward actively governing technology and shaping global norms.

The conversation will explore why tech diplomacy is now unavoidable; how it differs from digital diplomacy; and how new power actors—including Big Tech firms, startups, international organizations, and online communities—are reshaping global affairs alongside governments. The event will offer practical guidance on building digital literacy, engaging technology companies as stakeholders, promoting inclusive and human-centered digital policies, and participating directly in the development of global digital standards. 

About H.E. Deemah Al Yahya

H.E. Deemah Al Yahya is a Saudi tech diplomat and digital economy expert serving as the founding Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization. Elected in April 2021 as the first Saudi woman to lead an international organization, she was unanimously reappointed in 2025 for a second four-year term, reflecting strong member-state confidence in her leadership. Under her stewardship, the DCO has expanded from five founding member states to sixteen nations representing more than $3.5 trillion in GDP and over 800 million people, while securing United Nations General Assembly Observer status and positioning itself as a key voice in global digital governance.

A recognized architect of digital transformation, Al Yahya previously led Saudi Arabia’s National Digital Transformation Unit, coordinating strategy across eight ministries and spearheading nationwide digital skills initiatives that trained more than 1.2 million youth. As a regional executive at Microsoft, she launched innovation hubs across three continents and helped upskill more than four million developers, entrepreneurs, and young people. She serves as a Broadband Commissioner for Sustainable Development, a World Economic Forum Edison Alliance Champion for Digital Inclusion, and a member of the International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience. Across government, industry, and multilateral platforms, she is known for pairing policy vision with execution—convening heads of state, ministers, regulators, and technology CEOs to design practical frameworks that advance digital inclusion, economic resilience, and social prosperity.

About Yannis C. Yortsos

Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dolley Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He received a Diploma of Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the California Institute of Technology, all in chemical engineering. Since 2005, he has served as the Zohrab Kaprielian Dean of Engineering.  As dean of engineering, he has launched a number of educational and research initiatives and advocated the concept of Engineering+, emphasizing the empowering nature of engineering. In 2009, he co-founded, along with two colleagues at Duke University and Olin College, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP), which aims to solve the world’s grand challenges. The program has spread to more than 100 engineering schools worldwide. As a result of his GCSP leadership, he was recognized in 2022 with the Gordon Prize of the NAE, one of the NAE's three annual national awards.

Yortsos led the creation of many new academic programs, including the Department of Astronautical Engineering (in 2009), a new program in Technology Innovation in Engineering (in 2014), the Engineering in Society program (in 2022), and the School of Advanced Computing (in 2024), a school-within-a-school within the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He was elected to the NAE in 2008, served on the NAE council from 2017 to 2023, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Academies Corporation (TNAC). Since 2022, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of PNAS Nexus, the first journal of the National Academies established in more than 100 years. As a member of the executive committee of the US engineering deans, he led a nationwide American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Diversity Initiative in 2015, which was recognized by the White House that year and is now a signature program within ASEE. In recognition of this leadership, he received the ASEE President’s Award (2017) and the ASEE Award for Excellence in Veterans in Engineering (2017). Yortsos was elected as an Associate Member of the Academy of Athens (2013), received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2014), a Los Angeles-area Emmy Award (2022) for the documentary Lives, not Grades, which documents the experience of USC Viterbi students as they address societal challenges.

RSVP to Attend In Person

This program is open to all eligible individuals. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.