Steve Wray Named Executive Director for Carnegie Mellon University’s Block Center for Technology and Society

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) announced today that Steve Wray has been appointed executive director of the Block Center for Technology and Society. In this role, Wray will lead the operations of the Block Center while collaborating with CMU staff, faculty leadership, external advisers and a network of partners to set strategy, track goals and expand the reach of the center.

“We’re excited to leverage Steve’s leadership and expertise to take the Block Center to the next level,” said Ramayya Krishnan, dean of CMU’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. “His experience will allow the Block Center to keep pace with the ever-evolving and increasingly major role technology and policy plays in our daily lives.”

Prior to joining CMU, Wray served as senior vice president and principal at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI), a Philadelphia-based firm that provides business and policymakers with consulting services in economics, transportation, innovation, planning and development. Wray led the firm in developing new partnerships and enhancing existing practice areas. Before his time at ESI, Wray was the executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and the managing director of the Pennsylvania Economy League. Wray also served as policy director for former Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. and Acting Gov. Mark Singel.

“I am excited about what is ahead for the Block Center,” said Wray. “The intersection of technology, society and public policy is rapidly changing, and Carnegie Mellon and the Block Center are well-positioned to take a leadership role in developing the solutions that will guide this transformation and ensure that technological change and innovation is a force for social good and inclusion.”

Established in 2019, as a university-wide center and housed within CMU’s Heinz College, the Block Center focuses on how emerging technologies will alter the future of work, how artificial intelligence and analytics can be responsibly harnessed for social good, and how innovation in these spaces can be more inclusive and generate targeted, relevant solutions that reduce inequality and improve quality of life for all.

Wray is a graduate of Duke University and received a master’s degree in public management and policy from CMU. 

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About Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with acclaimed programs spanning the sciences, engineering, technology, business, public policy, humanities and the arts. Our diverse community of scholars, researchers, creators and innovators is driven to make real-world impacts that benefit people across the globe. With a bold, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach, we do the work that matters.