Dr William Reckmeyer

Dr. William Reckmeyer is Visiting Fellow | 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, connecting SoCy with the broader global community of cyberneticians-systems experts in our transdisciplinary field, and conducting a variety of research activities.  Bill’s work primarily focuses on the development and use of integrative-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, higher education, 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, Washington, DC, and Salzburg Austria.  Key activities included responsibilities as Director of San José State University's pioneering Cybernetic Systems Program and Director of its award-winning SJSU Salzburg Program in Global Citizenship;  Strategic Advisor for several major leadership programs in the US; 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; and led 50+ multi-year strategic change projects in variety of university, corporate, philanthropic, government, and inter-agency settings.

Bill is currently President (2025-2029) and Academician (2009) of the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences; Trustee (2023-2026), Life Fellow (2009), and Past President (1984-1985) of the American Society for Cybernetics; Kellogg Global Fellow (2022-2030); and Salzburg-HFGuggenheim Fellow (2024-2027).  He has previously served as a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow (1988-1992); Salzburg Global Fellow (1995-2015); AASCU Global Scholar (2012-2013); and a Visiting Professor/Fellow (1982-2011) at Stockholm, Southern California, Harvard, 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; PKP Distinguished Faculty Award (2017) from Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society; and SJSU 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