Sean Carr named Executive Director and CEO of Global Innovation Exchange

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Administrative affairs | Press releases

September 14, 2021

Sean Carr has been appointed Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX). Carr will assume the role in January 2022 and will be based at the Steve Ballmer Building, GIX’s home in Bellevue, Washington.

GIX is a wonderful example of how UW maximizes impact through partnership and academic innovation, said Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington. Seans unique mix of academic, strategic and administrative leadership experience, coupled with his commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, make him the perfect leader to take GIX to the next level.

GIX exemplifies a next-generation educational model that fosters academic innovation and international collaboration, Tsinghua University President Qiu Yong said. Tsinghuais is delighted to have received the appointment of Seans and looks forward to our continued collaboration to build a deeper global influence than GIX.

Founded in 2017 by UW, Tsinghua University and Microsoft, GIX offers two degree programs and professional learning programs that help industry leaders respond to rapid technological changes, solve complex problems and innovate from within.

Sean Carr

Carrs’ appointment as a full-time dedicated executive leader for GIX marks a milestone for this unique educational partnership. Following his arrival early next year, he will work closely with the GIX team, industry leaders and global partners to embark on the next impact phase for GIX. This will include the growth of its innovative master’s programs, the development of cutting-edge executive training programs, and the promotion of an environment to support the incubation of innovative ideas and companies.

GIX’s vision is and always has been to build a future model for higher education where universities, students and businesses work together to push the boundaries of innovation, said Microsoft President Brad Smith. Sean is the right person to lead GIX into the future. He believes, like me, in the power of project-based learning to help students cope with the real-world problems we face today.

I am honored to work with such an exceptional team of staff and faculty, as well as industrial and academic partners, building together the already strong foundation of GIX, said Carr. At the same time, I am deeply motivated by the scale, scope and global impact we can achieve when we allow GIX to reach its full potential.

Carr currently serves as the Executive Director of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he has been an administrator and faculty member since 2013. Prior to his academic career, he has spent nearly a decade in the media industry with ABC News and CNN. Sean holds a PhD. in management and an MBA from UVA Darden, a master’s degree from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

Shwetak Patel, the Washington Research Foundation’s Entrepreneurial Professor of Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW, will continue his position as interim executive director until Carr’s arrival, before returning to head the faculty of GIX and Chief Technology Officer.

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CONTACT: Justin Horne, Global Innovation Exchange // [email protected]

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