Birgitta Wolff (born 14 July 1965 in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

) is a German economist and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She served as minister of education and culture and as minister of research and economy in the state government of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

from 2010 to 2013, and as president of the Goethe University Frankfurt from 2015 to 2020.

Academic career

Wolff studied at Witten/Herdecke University, LMU and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. After her Habilitation at LMU, she taught at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

(1999–2000), and became professor of

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

and international management at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. In 2002, she spent a year at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has been a visiting professor at universities in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In 2014, she was elected as president of the Goethe University Frankfurt, and she held the office from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020. Her re-election failed in two ballots, and her successor Enrico Schleiff was elected in the 3rd ballot with 18 of 34 votes.

Political career

In 2010, Wolff became state minister of education and culture in the state government of Minister-President Reiner Haseloff of

. From 2011 to 2013, she served as state minister of research and economy.

Other activities (selection)

Corporate boards

* Deutsche Bank, member of the advisory board (since 2017) * Norddeutsche Landesbank (NORD/LB), member of the advisory board

University bodies

Botanical Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * Fritz Bauer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * Frobenius Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * House of Finance, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) *

Institute for Law and Finance An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

, Goethe University Frankfurt, Member of the Board of Trustees (2015–2021) * Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS), Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * Institute for Social Research (IfS), Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * Museum Giersch, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the advisory board (2015–2021) * Paul Ehrlich Foundation, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021) * University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, ex officio member of the board of trustees (2015–2021)

Non-profit organizations

* Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIN-D), Deputy Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board (since 2020) * Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2016) * International Building Exhibition (IBA) Urban Redevelopment 2010, ex officio member of the board of trustees * Centre for Higher Education (CHE), member of the advisory board * Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI), member of the advisory board * Fazit-Stiftung, member of the board of trustees * Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (HSFK), member of the board of trustees *

Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...

, member of the scientific advisory board * Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), member of the board of trustees * Marketing Club Frankfurt, member of the board of trustees * Leopoldina, member of the Senate * Natural History Museum, Berlin, member of the scientific advisory board * Senckenberg Nature Research Society, member of the board of trustees * Volkswagen Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees * Center for Science and Research Management (ZWM), member of the board * Johanna-Quandt-Universitätsstiftung, member of the advisory board * Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, member of the Hightech Forum * ZDF, member of the board of directors (since 2017)Board of Directors
ZDF.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff, Birgitta 1965 births Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians German women economists Harvard University alumni Living people Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Ministers of the Saxony-Anhalt State Government Politicians from Münster Stanford University faculty Walsh School of Foreign Service faculty