Upcoming Events
Surfing Waves of Change in Silicon Valley - Guest Lecture by Seth Fearey
Surfing Waves of Change in Silicon Valley - Guest Lecture by Seth Fearey
DATE: November 3, 2014
TIME: 6PM
PLACE: AUCA, room 315
Abstract
Silicon Valley is known as one of the most successful centers of innovation in the world. But it hasn’t been easy. Technologies and whole industries come and go, global politics change global markets, and technologies invented in Silicon Valley help competitors take over Silicon Valley’s markets. How has Silicon Valley managed to survive and thrive for over 70 years?
With the end of the Cold War, Silicon Valley’s economy crashed. Over 40,000 jobs were lost. In response, Silicon Valley’s leaders created an NGO, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, to develop a set of initiatives to restore the Valley’s economy to health. The speaker will talk about the projects he led -- Smart Valley, Wireless Communications, and Climate Prosperity -- and other projects designed to help Silicon Valley’s economy become more resilient.
Guest Lecturer's Bio
Seth Fearey lived and worked in Silicon Valley for 34 years. He got his MBA from Stanford University in 1976 and spent 20 years working for Hewlett-Packard (HP) in a variety of management positions and business lines, including semiconductors, manufacturing systems, artificial intelligence and the Internet. As a volunteer, Seth helped launch Smart Valley in 1992, serving on the board of directors as the lead for e-government projects. He left HP in 1997 to consult in economic development with a focus on the importance of local access to the Internet for economic competitiveness. In 2004, he became the Chief Operating Officer for Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, where he also led the wireless and climate change initiatives.
Seth arrived in Kyrgyzstan in 2009 to serve as the Administrative Officer for the Peace Corps. A year later he became the Country Director. Seth left the Peace Corps in 2013; this year he became a professor in the MBA program at AUCA, and is doing research in economic development in the Tian Shan Policy Center.
