Krisztina Holly
Vice Provost for Innovation
USC
Krisztina "Z" Holly is an innovation expert who lives, works and plays at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, design, and academia. As vice provost for innovation at the University of Southern California and executive director for the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, she leads a university-wide team of 30 to help faculty and students make impact with their ideas. Holly brings to USC her experience as an engineer and serial entrepreneur, and is a frequent contributor to BusinessWeek and the Huffington Post. Before USC, she was founding executive director of MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, where she oversaw the distribution of $5 million in grants, engaged more than 250 faculty and students, and spawned nine startup companies that have successfully raised over $100 million in capital. An avid traveler, mountain biker, and backcountry skier, Holly earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.
Recent Events and Presentations
The Role of Information Technology in Creating New Kinds of American High Schools
American universities play an important role in spurring technological innovation, job creation and U.S. economic competitiveness. But they can do more, especially if the federal government makes a more concerted effort to help universities commercialize and transfer new technologies.
