Remarks by Ambassador Dwight Bush at
Mohammed V University
at a Speech by Mr. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer
Tuesday, October 18, 5-6PM
As prepared for delivery
Thank you Dr. Amzazi for hosting us here today. It is a great pleasure to see here today some of Morocco’s finest technology students, activists and entrepreneurs. Your enthusiasm for embracing new ideas and innovations is crucial to the country’s future.
This is another edition of my Distinguished Guest Series, in which we bring some of America’s best thinkers, scientists, philanthropists, and businesspeople to share their insights with our Moroccan partners. I’m happy to be here today at Mohammed V University with such a distinguished audience, because this institution has shaped the minds of the many of this country’s leading experts.
Microsoft epitomizes what makes American companies so exceptional. Microsoft began in a garage and now has global reach – it has offices in dozens of countries and its software and other products are used everywhere in the world. For decades Microsoft has spread new idea after new idea to the farthest reaches of the globe. It has shown itself to be a leader at doing well by doing good.
For example, Microsoft’s DigiGirlz programs give high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology and to participate in hands-on technology workshops. I’m excited to announce that the U.S. Embassy has given a grant to a local NGO to implement DigiGirlz programs here. You might have seen stories in the media about Moroccan students meeting First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington last week as part of our “Let Girls Learn” initiative. This is another example of our commitment to invest in Moroccan girls and their future by investing in their education.
Beyond DigiGirlz, another important Microsoft initiative is “A Cloud for Global Good,” an effort to create a cloud computing environment that is trusted, responsible and inclusive. I salute Microsoft for working with the private sector, governments, and civil society organizations around the world to make sure that cloud computing – the future of communication, data storage, and the Internet itself – can benefit people from all socioeconomic classes everywhere in the world.
As President of Microsoft, Brad Smith is responsible for so many issues: DigiGirlz; A Cloud for Global Good; and all of the company’s legal work, public policy, social responsibility, privacy, security, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and digital inclusion. He was named by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States. He has devoted his time and energy to many worthy causes, and he chairs of the board of directors of Kids in Need of Defense, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and the board of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship program. He is originally from Wisconsin and received degrees from Princeton and Columbia University. Please join me in welcoming our Distinguished Guest, Mr. Brad Smith.
