L. Rafael Reif became MIT’s 17th president in July 2012. He has fostered the growth of MIT’s nonprofit online platform, edX, and findings from his Institute-wide Task Force on the Future of MIT Education are charting a path for MIT to help pioneer the future of higher education. Since creating the MIT Innovation Initiative, he has led an ambitious redevelopment of MIT’s innovation district, including the recent launch of The Engine, a specialized “tough tech” accelerator. He also created the Environmental Solutions Initiative, anchored by the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab, and issued the MIT Plan for Action on Climate Change. Born in Venezuela, Reif earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University. On the MIT faculty since 1980, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.