Amy Gutmann, Ph.D., is a distinguished scholar and leader with a remarkable career in academia, diplomacy, and public service. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2022 to 2024, strengthening the U.S.-Germany relationship across various domains.
Before her diplomatic role, Gutmann was the eighth and longest-serving President of the University of Pennsylvania (2004-2022). During her tenure, she championed affordable education, leading initiatives that more than doubled the number of students from low-income and first-generation families. She also played a key role in expanding Penn's global engagement and innovation ecosystem, raising over $10 billion for the university and quintupling its endowment.
Gutmann chaired the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues under President Barack Obama, publishing significant reports on public health and bioethics. She is an award winning author and editor of 17 books on democracy, education, bioethics, and compromise. Her academic achievements and leadership have been widely recognized, earning her numerous honors, including the William Penn Award and the Pennsylvania Society’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement.
Gutmann has also served on several influential boards and commissions and has received honorary degrees from prestigious universities. Before her tenure at Penn, she was the Provost at Princeton University, where she also held the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professorship.
The title of Dr. Gutmann's talk is: "Do we hold these truths to be self-evident? Our need to defend democracy and our allies."
