This global leadership series, offered once per month on Fridays, is designed to cultivate leadership skills for the modern digital economy. Participants will develop strategic thinking, decision-making, and team management abilities while exploring leadership models that address the unique challenges faced by leaders in diverse communities.
EVENT TIMEFRAME:
Total Course Duration: 6 months, 1 event per month
Global Leadership Webinar 1 Overview
Title: U.S. Perspectives on Global Digital Leadership
Date: January 10, 2025
Duration: 60 minutes (10am CST / 7pm MSK)
Format: Interactive conversation with 2 U.S. experts + audience participation; hosted by Daisy Thomas
Target Outcome: Participants gain practical leadership insights for digital transformation, focusing on leadership foundations and U.S.-based best practices adaptable to Eurasia.
Meet the Guests
William Smith II, PhD
Dr. William Smith is Senior Director of Global Education and Impact for the Texas International Education Consortium (tiec.org). He has developed and implemented multiple international initiatives within higher education institutions over the past 15 years. He has served in multiple capacities, as Assistant Dean within the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA), as Director of Global Engagement at Purdue University, and as Senior International Education Specialist at the University of Georgia.
Throughout his career, he has aimed to develop more globally conscious students that are ready to collaborate, exchange, and engage with the world around them.
Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in Education from Purdue University, an M.A. in History from Bowling Green State University, and a B.A. in History from Oakwood University. He has a passion for education and works to ensure that students from all walks of life have access to these opportunities.
https://www.tiec.org/team/william-smith-ii-ph-d
https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-smith-ii-phd-110901204/
Kevin Koym:
As a seven-time startup veteran and CEO and founder of Tech Ranch® Austin, a venture accelerator for early-stage technology companies, Kevin Koym is a recognized pioneer in the startup community whose influence has been felt by over 5,500 entrepreneurs from 38 countries. At the end of 2015 Tech Ranch® was selected by UBI Global in the Top Three Social Impact Incubators in the United States. Kevin’s continuous ability to replicate entrepreneurial success for emerging technology companies is a result of a proven community-based approach to provide the support and pragmatic agitation needed for entrepreneurs to not just accelerate their business, but also disrupt their targeted markets. His motivation to work with startups stems from his belief that supported entrepreneurs create more innovation, which leads to more solutions to address society’s most pressing issues. As a result, Kevin is known worldwide for his work in establishing entrepreneur networks in the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Singapore and Korea.
His distinguished career fuels his passion for advising startups, which has seen two $0-to-$1 million startups and four others that made the $500,000 mark, and a number of “firsts” including the development of the first internet banking application in 1995 and the first large-scale e-commerce application engine, which generated over $2 billion in revenue for Dell Computer in the late 1990s. Kevin was at the forefront of exploring profile-driven commerce, the use of Linux to secure networks and exploring the feasibility of Affective Computing. And, his experience working with technology luminary Steve Jobs at NeXT influences his ability to inspire the global entrepreneurs he supports. In 2010, the Association of Information Technology Professionals, Austin Chapter, honored Kevin as “Technology Community Leader of the Year”. Prior to founding his own companies, and in addition to NeXT, Kevin worked for the UT Health Science Center, Southwest Research Institute, Motorola, and IBM, earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas, and is an Eagle Scout.
https://techranchaustin.com/mentors/kevin-koym/