Harvard’s Institute of Politics Announces Fall 2023 Resident and Visiting Fellows

CAMBRIDGE, MA – The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the appointment of seven Resident Fellows and two Visiting Fellows who will join the IOP for the Fall 2023 semester. The fellows bring diverse experience in politics, elected office, global diplomacy, judiciary affairs, and journalism to address the challenges facing our country and world today.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome this remarkable cohort of Fellows to Harvard to engage and collaborate with our students.  They embody the IOP’s mission of public service, and I am confident their diverse expertise and guidance will inspire this year’s students to pursue careers in public service and prepare the next generation for political leadership,” said IOP Director Setti Warren.

“We are grateful to have such an extraordinary group of Fellows at the IOP this fall.  This cohort will bring unique and diverse perspectives on how to best approach some of our country’s most pressing challenges and will engage with our students in important conversations about an array of critical issues.  We’re excited to welcome them to Cambridge,” said Michael Nutter, Chair of the Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Committee, and former Mayor of Philadelphia.

"We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to the esteemed members of the 2023 Fall Fellows Cohort as we embark on a new semester filled with engaging and thought-provoking endeavors," stated Liz Benecchi ‘25 and Sebastian Ramirez Feune ‘25, Co-Chairs of the Fellows and Study Groups program at the Institute of Politics. "Our focus remains dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment within FSG, one that embraces a mosaic of ideas and identities—critical elements for shaping our nation's political dialogue. As we transition into the Fall of 2023, we are witnessing the entanglement of politics and elections with the American legal system, reshaping the contours of accountability and governance. During this period, we are also tasked with looking ahead as the presidential election nears and global conflict persists. With no shortage of subjects for discussion, our incoming Fellows Cohort is poised to infuse vital and substantive discourse that will not only captivate the minds of those in the IOP but reverberate across the broader Harvard community."

IOP Resident Fellows are fully engaged with the Harvard community. They reside on campus, mentor a cohort of undergraduate students, hold weekly office hours, and lead an eight-week, not-for-credit study group based on their experience and expertise. Fellows will hold study groups on topics including diplomacy and statecraft, governing in a divided America, national political parties, judiciary affairs, and policy development.

Visiting Fellows come to the IOP for a shorter stay and participate in a variety of comprehensive discussions, events, and programming.

Fall 2023 Resident Fellows:

•    Cheri Beasley: Chief Justice Supreme Court of North Carolina (2019-2020), U.S. Senate candidate (2022)

•    Rodney Davis: U.S. Representative (R, IL-13) (2013-2023)

•    Andrea R. Flores:  Vice President of Immigration Policy & Campaigns at FWD.us, former Director of Border Management on the National Security Council, former deputy director of immigration policy for the ACLU.

•    Betsy Fischer Martin: Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, former Executive Producer of NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

•    Jonathan Martin: politics bureau chief and senior political columnist at POLITICO, former national political correspondent for The New York Times.

•    Daniel Mulhall: Irish Ambassador to Malaysia (2001-2005), Germany (2009-2013), United Kingdom (2013-2017) and the United States (2017-2022)

•    Jeff Rosen: Acting Attorney General of the United States and the Deputy Attorney General of the United States (2019-2021), Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2017-2019)

Fall 2023 Visiting Fellows:

•    Roy Blunt: U.S. Senator (R-MO) (2011-2023), U.S. Representative (R, MO-7) (1997-2011), Missouri Secretary of State (1985-1993) 

•    Susan Rice: Director of U.S. Domestic Policy Council (2021-2023), U.S. National Security Adviser (2013-2017), U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2009-2013)

Brief bios and quotes can be found below. 

Cheri Beasley

Cheri Beasley, a former assistant public defender, served as a judge for twenty-two years.  She was the first African American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. As Chief Justice, she led the statewide court system through the pandemic, creating a safety protocol adopted by other state courts. She modernized the courts’ forty-year-old, outdated technology.  During a month of protests around the country, she was the first Chief Justice in the nation to speak out about racial injustice and disparate outcomes in courts. She has worked to make schools safer by expanding School Justice Partnerships and implemented the first paid parental leave policy for judicial employees statewide.

"What an exciting time to join the IOP Community along with an awesome group of Resident Fellows. Harvard students are the problem solvers our nation and the world will look to to move us forward. I’m ready to tackle critical issues and policies impacting our republic in a forum which stimulates discussion with thought leaders and eager students,” said Beasley.
 
Roy Blunt

The Honorable Roy Blunt served as a United States Senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. He previously served as the 33rd Missouri Secretary of State and U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district. He served on the Intelligence Committee in both the House and Senate. Throughout his career, he has developed long-lasting, bipartisan partnerships that have led to major legislative achievements for the country in health care, infrastructure, trade, and national security. Blunt was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Majority Whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in eight decades and was elected to the Senate Republican leadership during his first year in the Senate. He continues to be involved in projects advising the United States government intelligence community.

“I am pleased to be joining the IOP as a Visiting Fellow this fall and honored to be selected to come to Cambridge to work, collaborate, share ideas and contemplate solutions to some of society’s largest challenges. I can’t wait to get started,” said Blunt.
 
Rodney Davis

The Honorable Rodney Davis is a former five-term U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 13th district. He currently holds the position of Managing Director at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, where he provides strategic counsel to the firm’s government relations clients. While in Congress, Davis worked across the aisle to seek bipartisan solutions on several key issues, including promoting America’s infrastructure, defending our nation’s farmers, strengthening national security, supporting the men and women in the armed forces, and lowering the cost of health care.  He fought to revitalize rural America by introducing legislation to incentivize investments and bolster job creation and was a strong advocate for rooting out foreign interference in U.S. elections.

“I am excited to be an IOP Fellow so I can bring what is working and not working in Congress directly to the students at Harvard.  Political polarization is now the norm that is having a negative effect in Washington and in everyday discourse, and I am hoping to change that for the students and those that come to my study groups,” said Davis.

Andrea R.  Flores

Andrea R. Flores (Harvard College ‘10) currently Vice President of Immigration Policy & Campaigns at FWD.us, has spent her career working to reform the nation’s immigration system. Most recently, she served as Chief Counsel to Senator Robert Menendez. Prior to the Senate, she served as the Director of Border Management on the National Security Council, where she advised the Biden administration on immigration and border policy. Additionally, Flores led the ACLU’s national immigration advocacy work and served as a Regional Policy Director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign. Andrea also served in the Obama Administration, both at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, where she fought for a range of policies including the creation and implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). 

“It means a lot to me to have this chance to return to Harvard, the place where I was introduced to the possibilities of public service as an undergraduate and learned how to lead as a Mexican American woman. As our nation continues a fierce debate over who should have access to American citizenship, I’m excited to engage with students and other members of the Harvard community on the future of U.S. immigration policy and how this country can realize its promise of a multiracial democracy,” said Flores.

Betsy Fischer Martin

Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive. She is currently the executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a faculty member in the Department of Government. She spent 23 years at NBC News, where she covered six presidential campaigns as a political producer and served as the longtime Executive Producer of "Meet the Press with Tim Russert." In 2013, she became the managing editor of NBC News Political Programming, where she contributed to political coverage on NBC Nightly News and the Today Show. She was also the Contributing Editor for Washington for MORE Magazine where she interviewed female political leaders about policy issues, women’s empowerment and leadership.

“Having spent my professional career immersed in journalism and teaching, I’m excited to mix both this fall at the Institute of Politics.  This is going to be an election season unlike any other in American history.  And what better place to discuss the campaign, the candidates and how politics really works than at the IOP,” said Fischer Martin.

Jonathan Martin

Jonathan Martin is the politics bureau chief and senior political columnist at POLITICO, where he writes a reported column on policy, politics and campaigns.  Prior to starting his column in 2022, Martin was the national political correspondent for The New York Times, serving as the publication’s top political reporter for nearly a decade. Before that, he was the senior political writer for POLITICO, where he was among the company’s first hires.  He is the co-author, with Alexander Burns ('08), of the New York Times best-seller This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future, which gave readers in-the-room access to the extraordinary events of the 2020 election and its aftermath.  Martin regularly provides on-air political analysis for ABC, NBC and CBS.

“It’s hard to imagine a more consequential political moment than the one we’re in now and I’m thrilled to spend part of it with the faculty, staff and students at the Institute of Politics.  As we get closer to the 2024 election, I’m looking forward to both teaching and learning from our future leaders, policymakers and, hopefully, a few journalists,” said Martin.
 
Daniel Mulhall

Daniel Mulhall spent 44 years in Ireland’s diplomatic service, including as Ambassador to Malaysia (2001-2005), Germany (2009-2013), United Kingdom (2013-2017) and the United States (2017-2022). His assignment in London coincided with the UK’s referendum on leaving the European Union during which he was active in highlighting the negative implications of Brexit for British-Irish relations and for Northern Ireland.  He also held senior positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, as Press Spokesman and Director-General for European Affairs. He was part of the Irish Government’s delegation at the negotiations culminating in the Good Friday Agreement (1998) that brought peace to Northern Ireland.  Since retiring as an Ambassador, he has been Global Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies at Glucksman Ireland House, New York University and Parnell Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, and is a currently a consultant with the law firm, DLA Piper.

“As a former Irish diplomat, I am delighted to be associated with the Institute of Politics which is part of the legacy of an iconic Irish American, President John F. Kennedy. I look forward to imparting the fruits of my four decades of diplomatic experience to a new generation of future leaders at Harvard,” said Mulhall.

Susan E. Rice

Susan E. Rice most recently served as Domestic Policy Advisor to President Joe Biden from January 2021 to May 2023.  Previously, Rice was President Obama’s National Security Advisor and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009-2017, and a member of the Cabinet. She is the only person to have served in the White House as both National Security Advisor and Domestic Policy Advisor. During the Clinton Administration she was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs and Director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping at the National Security Council.  Rice began her career as a management consultant and worked for several years at the Brookings Institution as a Senior Fellow. Rice received her B.A. in History from Stanford University with honors and her master’s degree and doctorate in International Relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.  A native of Washington, DC, she is married and has two grown children.

“I am honored to join the IOP this Fall as a Visiting Fellow.  The Institute’s central mission of inspiring young people to get into public service has never been more important than it is today.  I’m excited to work together with students on how best to meet the challenges of today’s fast-paced, complex political and policy environment both at home and abroad,” said Rice.
 
Jeff Rosen

Jeff Rosen (Harvard Law School ‘82) served as the Acting Attorney General of the United States and the Deputy Attorney General of the United States during 2019 to 2021. Rosen is now of counsel at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Rosen also has the unusual distinction of having served as the second ranking official and COO of two separate federal Cabinet Departments, and of having served in four federal agencies and in three Senate-confirmed positions across different Presidential Administrations. His other public service roles included his time as the Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation, General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Management and Budget, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and member of the Administrative Conference of the United States. He is also a former Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice. 

"Today’s students are integral to the future function and efficacy of our government. I'm looking forward to sharing experiences and perspectives from many years in Washington and learning in tandem about how today's students and faculty are thinking about the challenges of governance and administration," said Rosen.

About the Institute of Politics Fellows Program

The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School was established in 1966 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The Institute’s mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to pursue pathways in politics and public service. The Institute blends the academy with practical politics and offers students the opportunity to engage in current events and to acquire skills and perspectives that will assist in their postgraduate pathways.

The Fellows Program has stood as the cornerstone of the IOP, encouraging student interest in public service and increasing the interaction between the academic and political communities. Through the Fellows Program, the Institute aims to provide students with the opportunity to learn from experienced public servants, the space to engage in civil discourse, and the chance to acquire a more holistic and pragmatic view of our political world.