Dr José-Marie Griffiths is President of Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota. President Griffiths has spent her career in research, teaching, public service, corporate leadership, workforce and economic development, and higher education administration, with special focus on work in STEM fields.

She has served in presidential appointments to the National Science Board, the U.S. President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She was a member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 2020. This work is continuing with the Special Commission on Special Projects (SCSP), and President Griffiths is an expert advisor for this group. She is a member of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and National Security. She participated in the White House Cyber Workforce and Education Summit, testified before Senate hearings in 2023 on Artificial Intelligence in Ag and in workforce, and moderated a 2023 all-Senate briefing session on AI.

President Griffiths has led projects for over 28 U.S. federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, and various intelligence and military agencies, with over 20 major corporations such as AT&T Bell Laboratories, IBM, and Apple, in over 35 countries, and has worked with seven major international organisations, including NATO and the United Nations.

She has received over 20 significant awards in science, technology, teaching, and the advancement of women in these fields. Recent honours include being named the 2024 USA Today Woman of the Year for South Dakota, one of the 50 Influential Women in AI by InspiredMinds!, was awarded the 2023 Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Chief Executive Leadership Award for District VI, and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2023.

Since coming to Dakota State University in 2015, President Griffiths has led DSU into transformational growth and advancement, a time of rising in almost every endeavour in which the university is involved. Dakota State has seen substantial increases and profound quality improvements in student enrolment; student quality; breadth and depth of academic programs, degree and non-degree-seeking, on-campus and online; scholarship support for students; applied research & development; contributions to state, regional, and national workforce and economic development; partnerships with corporate, non-profit, and government enterprises, locally, regionally, and nationally; new construction and renovation of campus facilities, especially customisation of those facilities to support the development and deployment of innovative leading-edge technologies for hands-on teaching/learning, from infrastructure to hardware/software; and private and corporate philanthropy.

President Griffiths has a B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics from University College, London; a Ph.D. in Information Science from University College, London; and completed a post-Doctoral fellowship in Computer Science and Statistics at University College, London. She was also awarded an Honorary degree (D.Sc.) from University College, London for her career and success in science & technology, higher education, and regional/national leadership.