Heidi Knuff

Email

Primary Email: [email protected]

Phone/Fax

Primary Phone: 619-594-3947

Building/Location

Student Services East - 3356A

Bio

Heidi Knuff is the Managing Director of the Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business, where she oversees the center’s strategy, partnerships, and programming. Her work supports student preparation for careers in international business, deepens global engagement across the SDSU campus and the broader San Diego region, and strengthens connections with the city’s globally engaged business community. Heidi also leads the SDSU Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs, which fosters high-level intellectual engagement on international issues for both the university and the wider public.

Prior to joining SDSU, Heidi served as Executive Director of the San Diego Diplomacy Council, where she led professional international exchange programs, track three citizen diplomacy initiatives, and youth leadership development. During her five-year tenure—including a previous role as Director of Custom Programs and Services—she expanded the organization's global footprint and helped position San Diego as a vital player in international dialogue and cooperation. Her work supported U.S. Department of State initiatives and built enduring relationships between emerging global leaders and local stakeholders.

Heidi’s career spans more than two decades in international affairs and nonprofit leadership, with previous positions at organizations such as American Councils for International Education, the MIT Center for International Studies, Pacific Intercultural Exchange, and the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, where she managed track two diplomacy programs focused on Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and China. She holds a BA in Communication Studies and an MA in International Relations from the University of San Diego.

Across all of her roles, Heidi has been driven by a belief in the critical role that business and other subnational actors play in shaping international relationships. She is passionate about bridging the worlds of global commerce, diplomacy, and education to cultivate globally minded leaders and foster resilient, collaborative international partnerships.