Deborah Wince-Smith

Deborah Wince-Smith

President & CEO, US Council on Competitiveness (GFCC), USA

Deborah L. Wince-Smith is the president & CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, a coalition of CEOs, university presidents, labor leaders and national laboratory directors, committed to driving U.S. competitiveness. She has more than 20 years of experience as a senior U.S. government official, as the first Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce and Assistant Director for International Affairs in the Reagan White House. The Honorable Deborah L. Wince-Smith is the President & CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, a non-partisan leadership coalition of CEO's, University Presidents, Labor Union Leaders, and National Laboratory Directors, all committed to developing policy solutions and national initiatives to drive future productivity growth, prosperity for all Americans, and the global success of American business. She has more than 20 years of experience as a senior U.S. government official, as the first Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, and as the Assistant Director for International Affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Reagan Administration. She served as a Senate confirmed member of the Oversight Board of the Internal Revenue Service in the Administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack H. Obama. Ms. Wince-Smith is also the President and Founder of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), engaging leaders from competitiveness organizations from around the globe. Ms. Wince-Smith is a member of Corporate and Non-Profit Boards of Directors, Advisory Committees, and Philanthropic Organizations. She previously served on the Smithsonian National Board, the Secretary of State's Committee on International Economic Policy, the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation and, the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory. She served as Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Competitiveness and as a Public Director of NASDAQ-OMX. Ms. Wince-Smith currently serves as a Commissioner on the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, as a member of Purdue University's Strategic Research Advisory Council (SRAC), and as a member of the Council of Japan's Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum. She serves as a member of Marquette University's External Advisory Board for Corporate Engagement, as a member of the Queen's University International Advisory Committee for the Management School, as a member of UNICEF's Advisory Group, as a member of the Advisory Board of the Delphi Economic Forum, and as an Independent Advisor to Delos Living, LLC. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mycenaean Foundation, and as a Trustee of the American College of Greece (ACG). As an expert in technology commercialization, Ms. Wince-Smith serves on the Board of Directors of Aerolase, Inc., NanoMech, Inc., and Q-Net Security, Inc. Ms. Wince-Smith graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College and earned a Master's Degree in Classical Archaeology from King's College, Cambridge University. She received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Michigan State University, an Honorary Doctorate of Public Administration from the University of Toledo, an Honorary Doctorate of Law honoris causa from the Queens University Belfast, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters honoris causa from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and, most recently, an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of South Carolina. Ms. Wince-Smith is married to former Deputy United States Trade Representative Ambassador Michael B. Smith and resides in McLean, Virginia. Her two sons are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy and are currently serving as officers in the U.S. Navy and Marines Corps.