The Institute of World Politics (IWP) is pleased to announce Michelle C. Watson as the Vice President of Corporate Relations, a newly created position, whereby Ms. Watson will be implementing IWP’s new Corporate Statecraft program, which she also co-founded. The Corporate Statecraft program currently offers a Certificate of Graduate Study in this groundbreaking field that examines the symbiotic relationship between the U.S. Government and industry – the public-private partnership.
“We have always known that the corporate market represents incredible opportunity for IWP,” commented Executive Vice President Noah Rudolph. “With her professional experience in one of the largest, global telecommunications IT companies, and her background in Silicon Valley, Michelle is the ideal candidate to help the Institute understand and capitalize on this vast market.”
Ms. Watson is a former telecom executive with over 15 years of experience in the global telecom industry. She was Vice President for British Telecom’s Global Network Solutions group, where she was responsible for leading North American and European based account teams and efforts partnering with AT&T Solutions on joint global business development opportunities.
During Ms. Watson’s role as co-founder and Senior Vice President of Virgil Inc., a private international telecom company located in San Francisco, CA and Warsaw, Poland, she was responsible for establishing strategic communications contracts with the Polish government.
Ms. Watson is a graduate of The Institute of World Politics, having earned an MA in Statecraft and National Security, with a concentration in Corporate Statecraft. She has guest lectured in IWP’s courses on Cyber Statecraft, Corporate Statecraft, and National Security Policy Process. She received her BA with honors in Political Science from UK in Lexington, KY, and participated in many years of training, Strategic Negotiations, Conference Presentations, and Global Business Development.