A celebrated technology and academic leader in Silicon Valley, PK Agarwal serves as the Dean of UC Santa Cruz Extension in Silicon Valley. Prior to this, he was the Dean and CEO of Northeastern University-Silicon Valley, where he oversaw the startup and growth of the University by creating innovative programs, working with major employers, and contributing the economic vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Formerly, he was CEO of TiE Global, an organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship across 61 cities in 18 countries. Prior to his tenure at TiE, Agarwal served as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chief Technology Officer for the State of California. Agarwal also serves as Chair of Future 500, a Bay Area-based pioneer in global sustainability.

Agarwal helped to pioneer the use of the Internet in government and has shaped national and state policy in this field, dating back to Al Gore’s National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council in 1995. He also served as President of the National Association of State CIOs and the National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council (ec3).

He  holds a Master of Science, Operations Research from UC Berkeley and a Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering from California State University-Sacramento. He attained a Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

PK is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and an adjunct faculty member at USC and USF. He has the unique distinction of having a US national annual award named after him: The PK Agarwal Award for Leadership in Electronic Government. PK believes in giving back to the community and does so in a variety of ways, including mentoring and coaching students, professionals, and startups.