Maria Klawe (Co-chair) is president of Harvey Mudd College (HMC); she serves as the fifth president and the first woman to lead this College. Prior to joining HMC, she served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University. She also held the roles of head of the Department of Computer Science, vice president of student and academic services, and dean of science at the University of British Columbia, following time at IBM Research in California and the University of Toronto. She earned her PhD and BSc in mathematics from the University of Alberta.
Klawe has made significant research contributions in several areas of mathematics and computer science, including functional analysis, discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, human-computer interaction, gender issues in information technology and interactive-multimedia for mathematics education. Her current research focuses on discrete mathematics.
Klawe is a renowned lecturer and has given talks at international conferences, national symposia, and colleges across the US and Canada about diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and industries; gender and gaming; and lessons from her own career in STEM industry and education. She has devoted particular attention in recent years to improving K-12 science and mathematics education.
Klawe is a member of the boards of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, and Math for America; chair of the board of EdReports.org; a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and a trustee for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley.
Klawe is the recipient of the Women of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership, was ranked 17 on Fortune’s 2014 list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, and was inducted into the US News STEM Solutions Leadership Hall of Fame. She was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Computer Science, the Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women, the Computing Research Association’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Bio adapted from HMC website.