Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders

The December 2025 Conversation with Extraordinary Leaders featured our 66th Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institution Condoleezza Rice in a fireside chat with UIT's CISO Amy Steagall. They talked about strengthening research security, universities' role in pushing technology frontiers and their thoughts on the use of instant replay in professional sports.

• Watch Dr. Rice's chat with Amy Steagall

The October 2025 conversation featured Vice Provost and Dean of Research David Studdert, Professor of Health Policy at Stanford School of Medicine and of Law at Stanford School of Law. He led with an introduction to research at Stanford, the mission of the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research, and challenges in the research community at Stanford. Afterwards, he sat down with Ben Rogers, executive director of Stanford Research Computing for a Q&A.

• Watch David Studdert's talk and Q&A 

The October 2024 conversation featured Professor Russ Altman, Kenneth Fong Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics, Medicine, Biomedical Data Science and (by courtesy) of Computer Science, and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for HAI. He shared how AI is making an impact across Stanford, and how UIT is playing a critical role in its success. Afterwards, Ganesh Karkala joined Professor Altman asking some of UIT’s burning questions.

• Watch Professor Altman's talk and Q&A 

The October 2023 conversation featured Dr. Mike Pfeffer, CIO and Associate Dean for Stanford Health Care and Stanford University School of Medicine. Steve Gallagher and Dr. Pfeffer discussed the role of AI in healthcare, the IT challenges doctors encounter on a daily basis, and what keeps a CIO up at night.

• View event recording 

Our March 2023 Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders featured Stanford Provost Persis Drell. Steve Gallagher and Provost Drell had an engaging fireside chat during the UIT Town Hall, during which the provost spoke about lessons learned during the last several years, where she hopes to see UIT and Stanford in the future, and her journey as a woman in higher education.

• View event recording 

• WIT+ Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders: A Discussion Around Women Working in Technology in Higher Education 
• Extraordinary Leaders Discuss Women's Careers in Technology in Higher Education  
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• Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders: Patrick Dunkley and Gerald Chertavian
• Year Up and IDEAL: An Uplifting Partnership
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• Conversations with Extraordinary Leaders, Sponsored by Neurodiversity in IT
• Extraordinary Leaders in Neurodiversity Inspire Change in the Workplace
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• A Conversation with Van Williams, Sponsored by People of Color in Technology, Affinity Group
• POC-IT Hosts Van Williams, Vice President and CIO, University of California
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• A Conversation with Anne Margulies and Tracy Futhey, Sponsored by Stanford Women in Technology, Affinity Group
• Extraordinary Leaders Share Their Insights on Women in Technology
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