The Academy works closely with distinguished faculty across disciplines and key leaders in the areas of politics, business, science, engineering, and international relations.
McDonnell Academy Leadership
Kurt Dirks
Vice Chancellor for International Affairs and Director
For the last 15 years, the McDonnell Academy has sought to make a better world in two ways: advance collaborative research and education by developing strong relationships with leading universities and faculty from across the world, and help scholars from around the world develop as leaders with a global perspective.
Will you join us on this mission? — Meet Kurt Dirks
External Advisory Council
The McDonnell Academy has a council of leaders to advise the McDonnell Academy on programming initiatives and on developing partnerships with research universities in other countries.
| David L. Morse Chairman Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Corning Incorporated | David P. Conner Retired CEO of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation | Steve Degnan Chief Human Resources Officer Nestlé Purina PetCare Company |
| John B. Emerson Chairman, American Council on Germany Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany | Greg Hyslop Chief Technology Officer The Boeing Company Senior Vice President Boeing Engineering, Test & Technology | Ganesh M. Kishore Managing Partner Spruce Capital Partners LLC |
| Alexander C. Lo Executive Director Great Eagle Holdings Company | John F. McDonnell Retired Chairman of the Board McDonnell Douglas Corporation | Grace Song Park Physician |
| L. Cartan Sumner, Jr. Vice President, International Operations Centene Corporation | Raymond Ting Chairman Credit Venture Partners | Ty Vaughn Senior Vice President & Head of Regulatory Science Bayer Crop Science |
| Ian J. Watkins Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals | Mark S. Wrighton Chancellor Emeritus Washington University in St. Louis | Lewis Yang Executive Director and General Manager China Risun Group (Hong Kong) Limited |
McDonnell Ambassadors
The McDonnell Academy Ambassadors are distinguished faculty who mentor Scholars and promote the development of international cooperation among partner universities and sponsoring corporations.
Ambassadors play a key role in every aspect of the McDonnell Academy, from recruiting new Scholars to creating and facilitating international collaborations with McDonnell Academy partners.