Alexis Wichowski
Professor of Professional Practice, M.S. Technology Management
Dr. Alexis Wichowski works, teaches, and writes on technology, government, and power. She currently serves as Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies for the MS and Executive MS Technology management and affiliate faculty with Columbia's School of International & Public Affairs, where she's been teaching as an adjunct for over a decade. Her public service work focuses on technology in government, agency communications, and technology policy.
Recent roles include Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York, Associate Commissioner for NYC's Department of Veterans' Services, and various roles within the US Department of State and the US Mission to the United Nations. She is frequently quoted in the media for her expertise on the rising power of global tech companies as tech nations and the need for responsible technology leadership. Past life work includes disaster relief, literary translation, media impact research, indexing, coding, theater production, and pretzel vending. Alexis Wichowski holds a Ph.D. in Information Science from SUNY Albany and a BA in Chinese from Connecticut College, completed in three years.
Recognition
- Founder & Meta Award, NYC[x] Tech & Innovation Awards | City of New York
- Member | State Department Speakers Bureau
- Top Five Course Award | Columbia University
- Meritorious Honor Award | US Mission to the United Nations
- Meritorious Honor Award | Office of eDiplomacy
- Presidential Management Fellowship | OPM
- Distinguished Dissertation Award | University at Albany
- Women in Technology Award | University at Albany
- Fulbright | Guangzhou, China
Prior Experience
- Fellow Experience Supervisor, US Digital Corps | TTS - GSA
- Deputy Chief Technology Officer - Innovation | City of New York
- Acting Deputy Chief Technology Officer - Broadband | City of New York
- Interim Communications Director | City of New York, Mayor's Office of the CTO
- Associate Commissioner | City of New York, Department of Veterans' Services
- Director of Research & Communication | Harmony Labs
- Director of Media Analysis & Strategy | US Mission to the United Nations
- Presidential Management Fellow | State Department Office of eDiplomacy
- Adjunct lecturer | SUNY Albany
Education
PhD, Information Science | University at Albany
BA, Chinese | Connecticut College
In the Media
Musk Takes Slash-and-Burn Style to Europe After Bolstering Trump
“Musk is building his empire and he is testing how far he can go. As the world’s richest person, his actions are probably not about making yet more money, but increasing his power and using his influence to change the world. Of course, this is a huge act of hubris and it takes a big ego. But Musk is convinced that he knows what’s best.”
Jan 8, 2025 | Bloomberg News
The Digital Nation State (with Dr. Alexis Wichowski)
"Government does so many things really well, especially in crises, but the story often isn't told. One challenge is helping public servants and leaders understand they're part of a bigger story of service, which helps inspire new generations to join and continue that mission."
Jan 6, 2025 | Think Digital
Big Tech Expert: "Elon Musk acts like an emperor"
"Big Tech companies, such as Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, are now as powerful as nations, but unlike governments, their leaders are not elected and remain unaccountable. They perform functions traditionally reserved for states, like defense and infrastructure, but their primary responsibility is profit—not the well-being of citizens. This shift represents a dangerous empire-building dynamic, exemplified by Elon Musk, who wields significant global influence while being accountable to no one."
Nov 3, 2024 | Stern Magazine
Merriam-Webster, idiom example sentence: "make the first move"
"One reason to be hopeful is that some net states aren’t waiting around for governments to make the first move."
Apr 19, 2021 | Merriam-Webster
Navigating Our Future with Big Tech
"......engaging with tech companies on a diplomatic level would allow us to negotiate for better terms and conditions than we currently have in existence…not in an adversarial only capacity, but in a way that we can have true dialogues with them."
Dec 28, 2020 | Story in the Public Square, Pell Center
NYC and USDR Team Up for Long-Term Digitization Amid Crisis
"The pandemic saw New York City suffer immensely under the weight of its outbreak. At the same time, the USDR was formed, in large part to help cities like New York use technology to respond to and manage the pandemic. The two teamed up almost immediately after the USDR’s formation."
Nov 6, 2020 | Government Technology
Election 2020 and the War on Misinformation
"The first thing that we have to do when we address the issue of Technology in the voting process is to make sure that people are all connected to the internet. One of the biggest challenges we're seeing in New York City is that we still have a significant digital divide. There's over 18% of New Yorkers who don't have any internet connectivity by either wired or cellular in their homes. So, we're talking about a million people who are cut out of the information landscape...."
Oct 30, 2020 | CNBC
How Big Tech Is Taking on Big Government
"Tech companies are essentially operating as net states, wielding influence and power akin to that of nations, yet without the accountability and frameworks governments must adhere to."
Feb 14, 2020 | Science Friday
Publications
CIVIC TECH & INNOVATION
Wichowski, A. & Benjamin, K. (2021). "Public service as a service." Medium
Wichowski. A. (2020). "How to forge partnerships during crises (in 4 easy steps)," Apolitical
Wichowski, A. (2018) “Misery loves bureaucracy: why technology hasn’t saved government.” GovExec
Wichowski, A. (2017) "Hack the bureaucracy: a user's guide to getting things done in government (with or without tech" (abridged version published in GovExec)
Wichowski, A. (2013). “What government can and should learn from hacker culture.” The Atlantic
TECH AS GLOBAL POWER
Wichowski, A. (2021). "Nations need ambassadors to Big Tech." WIRED
Wichowski, A. (2020). "American needs a technology ambassador for the digital world." The Hill
Wichowski, A. (2016). “So long, smoke and mirrors! Digital diplomats wear no clothes.” London School of Economics Review of Books
Wichowski, A. (2015). “‘Secrecy is for losers’: why diplomats should embrace openness to protect national security.” In M. Holmes & C. Bjola (Eds.) Digital Diplomacy: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge.
Wichowski, A. (2013). “Social diplomacy: Or how diplomats learned to stop worrying and love the tweet.” Foreign Affairs [PDF]
TECH & DEMOCRACY
Wichowski, A. (2021). "Why Big Tech shouldn't govern citizens." Tech Policy Press
Wichowski, A. (2020). "The U.S. can’t regulate Big Tech companies when they act like nations," (op-ed) The Washington Post
Wichowski, A. (2020). "Let's Polarize Together," (essay) Public Books
Wichowski, A. (2020). "How the world's biggest tech companies regulation-proofed themselves," (op-ed) The Hill
Wichowski, A. (2017) "Net states rule the world. Ignore them at your peril." Wired
Wichowski, A. (2015). “Examining the future of the open and universal Internet.” Proceedings: Conference on Internet Governance & Cyber Security, May 14-15, 2015. Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs.
Wichowski, A. (2015). “Human rights, freedom of expression, and the Internet.” Proceedings: Conference on Internet Governance & Cyber Security, May 14-15, 2015. Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs.
OTHER
Wichowski, A. (2017) "How New York City invests in veterans." Medium
Johnson, J. & Wichowski, A. (2015). “Immerse me: how to get lost in story (story not required).” TechCrunch
Wichowski, A. (2009). “Survival of the fittest tag: folksonomies, findability, and the evolution of information organization.” First Monday, 14 (5-4)
