Roberta Katz

Roberta Reiff Katz, a lawyer and cultural anthropologist, is a senior research scholar at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University, where she is conducting research on the worldviews and behaviors of people under the age of 25 (“Gen Z”). Previously at Stanford, she served as the chief of staff and associate vice president for strategic planning in the office of the president. During 2009–10, Ms. Katz took a leave from her work at Stanford to become special advisor to the assistant attorney general for antitrust in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prior to her work at Stanford, Ms. Katz served as CEO of Flywheel Communications, as president and CEO of the Technology Network (TechNet), and as senior vice president and general counsel at Netscape and at McCaw Cellular Communications (subsequently AT&T Wireless). She was also a partner in a national law firm, specializing in corporate law.

Ms. Katz received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, her law degree from University of Washington Law School, and her PhD in cultural anthropology from Columbia University. She is married and has two children and two grandchildren. In addition to the Exploratorium, she serves on the board of the National Parks Conservation Association.