Laura Dove, former U.S. Senate Republican Secretary Joins Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School as Senior Director of Administration

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the appointment of Laura Dove as senior director of administration. In this six-month term appointment, she will work closely with interim director Setti Warren to oversee all aspects of IOP programming and operations.
 
“I’m excited to welcome Laura Dove to the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School,” said IOP interim director Setti Warren. “She brings extraordinary experience from Capitol Hill, a wealth of knowledge about Republican politics and policymaking, and a deep commitment to our students to inspire them to lives in public service. Laura’s leadership will help the IOP continue to be a thought leader on the critical issues facing young Americans and our country and to be one of the country’s premier arenas for political speech, discussion, and debate across the political aisle.”

Laura Dove joined the Institute of Politics in 2023 after a stint as a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. She devoted decades of service to the United States Senate, from her appointment as a page in the 1980s to her election as the body’s secretary for the majority. An officer of the Senate, she was nominated by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, elected unanimously by the Republican Conference, and ratified by the full Senate from 2013 until her retirement in 2020.

As party secretary, she was responsible for forging consensus among Republican and Democratic Senators to move legislative and executive matters across the floor of the Senate, confirming presidential nominations and treaty documents, and coordinating activities with the minority, House of Representatives, and the executive branch. When she retired from Senate service, she joined Ford Motor Company, where she led federal government relations for two years. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

About the IOP

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, policymakers, and journalists on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to pursue pathways in politics and public service. Through its cornerstone fellowship program, the distinguished JFK. Jr. Forum speaker series, the nationally recognized Harvard Public Opinion Project Youth Poll, and 15 student programs, 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.

For more information on the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, visit iop.harvard.edu.