Dr William Reckmeyer

Dr. William Reckmeyer is Professor of Cybernetics & Systems in ANU’s School of Cybernetics, where he is providing strategic support for reimagining cybernetics in the 21^st Century, establishing SoCy as an innovative center for helping people learn how to navigate and shape major societal transformations, and connecting SoCy with the broader global community of cyberneticians and systems experts in our transdisciplinary field.  Bill’s work primarily focuses on the development and application of integrative and collaborative approaches to enhance strategic change, leadership, public policymaking, and technology management in a variety of institutional, community, national, and international settings.  Principal areas of expertise and experience include cybernetics-systems, leadership, global affairs, and national security.

Prior to joining SoCy in 2022, Bill spent his 50-year career as a professor and practitioner based in Silicon Valley and Washington, DC.  Key activities included responsibilities as Director of the Cybernetic Systems Program at San José State University (the world’s first degree-granting program in this field); Director of the award-winning SJSU Salzburg Program in Global Citizenship at San José State; Director of 50+ multi-year strategic change projects in university, corporate, philanthropic, government, and inter-agency organizations; Strategic Advisor for several major leadership programs; and Chief Systems Scientist for three US Department of Defense research centers, where he created and led the initial development of a “Systems-of-Systems” methodology for coordinating independent cybernetic systems (national, human, organizational, technological) to strengthen operational jointness and improve technological integration of human-machine systems.

Professor Reckmeyer is currently a Life Fellow (2009) and Trustee (2023) of the American Society for Cybernetics; Life Fellow of the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetics Sciences (2021); Kellogg Global Fellow (2022); and Distinguished Residential Fellow (2024) at the Salzburg Global Seminar.  He has previously served as a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow (1988-1992); an AASCU Global Scholar (2012-2013); a Salzburg Global Fellow (1995-2015); and a Visiting Professor/Fellow (1982-2011) at Stockholm, Southern California, Harvard, Maryland, Stanford, Sydney, and a dozen other leading universities around the world.  Selected honors include the Norbert Wiener Gold Medal for lifetime achievement (2016) from the American Society for Cybernetics; Distinguished Faculty Award (2017) from  Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society; and Outstanding Professor Award (2010) from San José State University.

• Cybernetics & Systems (Science & Praxis)
• Human Agency-Autonomy-Identity
• Freedom-Justice-Authoritarianism
• Human Cyberneticity (History & Expansion)
• Creating-Understanding-Managing the Anthropocene
• Leadership & Strategic Change
• Global Affairs & National Security