A Thank You Letter to the Berkman Klein Center Community
After serving as the Berkman Klein Center’s executive director for twelve wonderful years and living abroad for almost twenty years, it is time for me to embark on the next chapter, which will bring me back to Europe and closer to my family. I’m deeply grateful to the BKC faculty, staff, fellows, and community who make BKC such a unique space to learn, explore, and build towards a better and more equitable digital world.
Serving BKC over so many years in different roles — starting as a teaching assistant to my brilliant colleague and friend John Palfrey back in 2002, later as a fellow, and now as ED — has been a great honor and lifetime gift. I have had the privilege of working with a world-class team of staff members who have supported me to become a better leader. I have learned so much from our diverse community of brilliant scholars, creators, shakers, and movers. I have experienced some of the finest mentorship one can possibly wish for. And I have cherished interacting with generous supporters and collaborators across the globe. I’m so grateful for what we have been able to build together across disciplines, institutions, and geographies.
I’m especially grateful to the BKC board of directors and the senior management team for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my journey. Each member of the board and management team gives generously of their time, experience, and wisdom, truly making BKC a space for interdisciplinary collaboration and imagination. During my tenure as ED, Jonathan Zittrain and Terry Fisher have been the most effective, thoughtful, generous, and inspiring board chairs I could imagine working with. It’s been an extraordinary privilege to learn so much from Jonathan, Terry, and each board member as I’ve continued exploring what it means to be a teacher, scholar, and academic leader.
One of the most rewarding parts of my job has been to work on the ground and hands-on with an exceptionally talented team of staff from various backgrounds and across different career stages. I have been blessed to collaborate on many projects, programs, and networks — too many to count or name, really! — with such a smart, skilled, and dedicated team that together forms the core of this beautifully generative platform for research, experimentation, and learning. I’ll treasure the many memories from our time together, and I’m already looking forward to the moment when we can share some anecdotes in person.
While I’m sad to be leaving this post, I’m delighted about the possibility of working together with BKC from the other side of the Atlantic. My new appointment as professor of public policy, governance, and innovative technology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), one of Europe’s leading universities, comes at a time when TUM is launching a new school of social science and technology. I’m thrilled about the prospect of new transatlantic initiatives and programs that we can launch together in my new role. I can’t imagine a better platform to build on the lessons and experiences of the past decade of work at BKC to strengthen existing and form new partnerships in the field of science, technology, and society.
BKC is in the best possible hands with Jonathan Zittrain as faculty chair and Dr. Lis Sylvan as managing director to launch into an exciting next academic year, which will bring both fantastic new programs as well as much-missed opportunities to meet, work, and hang out together in person.
I’m so grateful to all of you for the amazing work you do, for your support, and kindness. The world needs each and all of you more than ever at this important moment in history. I look forward to our continued collaboration!
