Expert Bio

Kellee Wicker serves as the Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Wilson Center. She brings over a decade of policy and international affairs expertise to the role in addition to a lifelong passion for technology. In her role at the Wilson Center, Kellee aims to illuminate emerging technologies and scientific advances that will impact numerous parts of life around the world while helping to shape the policies designed to bolster and manage the innovation cycle.

Kellee's deep love of engineering and technology from a young age led her to work in everything from behavior-based robotics, to data analysis and infographic design in R, to HTML5 and CSS coding for web design. She brought that interest into both how she executed her research work, always pursuing cutting-edge tools and analysis, as well as what she researched, from the role of technology in educational systems to nascent green technology to address the international impacts of climate change. Immediately before joining the Wilson Center, Kellee served as the Chief Operating Officer for the NewDEAL, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting moderate elected officials at the state and local level across the United States. Through her leadership, over 200 leaders were equipped with novel policy solutions, frequently providing insights at the crossroads of technology and government. Furthermore, Kellee's leadership and communication skills were essential in the growth to the organization, increased fundraising, widespread press coverage, and the successful execution of semiannual national conferences that engaged U.S. leadership at the highest levels.

Kellee received a Masters in Global Public Policy from the Lyndon B. Johnson School and a Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. She earned her bachelor's degrees from University of Mississippi in International Studies and Spanish. She has written on education reforms in Brazil, Uruguay's political system, technology's ability to mitigate climate related disasters, entrepreneurial ecosystems and targeted development in America's less-advantaged communities, and the growth of international trilateral aid in foreign development. Her research has supported the U.S. Department of Defense, the World Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and other partners.