Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird educates visionary leaders who innovate with a global digital mindset to shape future organizations for enduring impact.

Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University educates visionary leaders who innovate with a global digital mindset to shape future organizations for enduring impact. Committed to transforming leadership and management education, we envision a world shaped by global leaders who transform complexity into clarity, elevate technology with purpose, and drive responsible innovation across borders and sectors. As the premier institution for global leadership and management education, Thunderbird is more than just a school—it is a dynamic global network of leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs spanning both the private and public sectors.

For 80 years, Thunderbird has been at the forefront of developing global leaders. Founded as the American Institute for Foreign Trade, Thunderbird was chartered on April 8, 1946, on the historic Thunderbird Field, a World War II airbase in Glendale, Arizona, where pilots from around the world once trained. General Barton Kyle Yount, recognizing the need for a school dedicated to international trade and global affairs, secured the airfield to fulfill this vision. Since its inception, Thunderbird has upheld a powerful guiding principle, best captured in the words of founding faculty member Dr. William Lytle Schurz: “Borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers.”