Alexis Wichowski
Program Director, M.S. Technology Management; Professor of Professional Practice
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 as well as Program Director 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. 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
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)
