W&M president appointed to nation’s largest technology council
In the lab: W&M President Katherine A. Rowe talks with a student in the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) lab at the Integrated Science Center. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe has been appointed to the board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
According to its website, the council is a membership and trade association for Northern Virginia’s technology community and the largest such council in the United States with service to 1,000 companies and other organizations. The council’s member companies include around 300,000 employees, and members receive access to networking and educational events, benefit services, public policy advocacy and community service opportunities.
Selected by NVTC Board Chair Rich Montoni, Rowe will be one of the board’s 75 voting members. Several other presidents will also serve on the board including those of George Mason University, James Madison University, Marymount University, the University of Mary Washington and the University of Virginia.
Since becoming William & Mary’s president in 2018, Rowe has spoken and written often about the importance of incorporating technology, entrepreneurship thinking and innovation across all areas of the liberal arts and sciences -- and how those skills help prepare graduates for the rapidly changing workforce of tomorrow.
The university this year established a Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation, which offers faculty members from across disciplines opportunities to collaborate with one another and learn about new technologies and diverse modes of teaching and learning. W&M is also launching a new entrepreneurship hub in the fall. The hub will provide students across academic disciplines with special programming, co-working space, makerspace access, networking opportunities and mentorship for their entrepreneurial projects.
“NVTC is honored to have Katherine Rowe join our Board of Directors,” said Bobbie Kilberg, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
“Virginia’s prestigious public university system consistently produces graduates who fuel the innovative thinking and skillset that powers Northern Virginia’s robust tech sector,” Kilberg added. “With President Rowe’s appointment, NVTC now has representation from every corner of the Commonwealth’s higher education network. We look forward to her contributions on critical decisions that will drive economic development and job creation throughout Virginia.”
