Honorable Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt

Inspirer
DISC Type : di

Academic Administrator at William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia, United States

Overview

Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt is the inaugural Dean of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics at William & Mary. He is an expert in distributed computing, generative AI, and software patterns, with extensive leadership experience at Vanderbilt University, the Software Engineering Institute, and the Department of Defense. He received his MS and PhD from UC Irvine.

Originally a sociology major at William & Mary, Dr. Schmidt pivoted to computer science after becoming fascinated with programming. In his spare time, he has enjoyed ballroom dancing, playing guitar, and Chevrolet Corvettes. He believes his sociology background has been essential for the leadership roles in the second half of his career.

He developed the widely-used open-source middleware framework ACE (Adaptive Communication Environment), used in mission-critical systems worldwide.

Personality Overview

Fast Adopter

Confident & Optimistic

Generous

They usually prefer to drive the conversation.  They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships. They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.

Topics They Care About

Generative AI's Impact
His recent research and talks focus on prompt engineering and the impact of GenAI on software development, education, and the workforce.
Bridging Academia & Industry
A core part of his role as Dean is to unite academic departments and prepare students for a rapidly evolving, data-driven workforce.
Defense Technology
Served as Director of Operational Test and Evaluation for the Department of Defense and worked with DARPA, advising on mission-critical systems.

Media Appearances

Honorable has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2025
Academic Administrator at William & Mary
4-2024 - 1-2025
Director Operational Test and Evaluation at Office of the Secretary of Defense
1-2003 - 6-2024
Full Professor at Vanderbilt University
6-2024
Senior Researcher at Vanderbilt University
12-2011
Deputy Director, Research, and Chief Technology Officer at Software Engineering Institute

Education

1986 - 1994
PhD from UC Irvine
1986 - 1990
MS from UC Irvine

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 8 Location : Williamsburg, Virginia, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Academic Administrator at William & Mary
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Insights For Selling To Honorable Dr. Douglas C.

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Keep your pitch focused on the impact but insert some anecdotes into it
  • Look like someone who is on top of their game
  • Acknowledge their status and position during the conversation

DONT's

  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch
  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Honorable Dr. Douglas C. is

  • Confidence in the product’s value is critical, followed by relationship and a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Honorable Dr. Douglas C.

  • They will not hesitate to say no if they do not develop conviction.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Honorable Dr. Douglas C. move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Honorable Dr. Douglas C. take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Honorable Dr. Douglas C.

Personality Compatibility


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