Harvard's Institute of Politics Announces Fall 2025 Fellows

August 25, 2025
Press Contact:
Brigid O'Rourke
brigid_orourke@hks.harvard.edu

Introduction

CAMBRIDGE, MA - The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the appointment of eight Resident Fellows and one Visiting Fellow who will join the IOP for the Fall 2025 semester. The fellows bring diverse experiences in international and national journalism, education, diplomacy, campaigns, and elected office to address the challenges facing our country and world today.

“This semester’s fellows bring a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to the IOP, and we’re confident that their insights and expertise will help prepare our students to provide meaningful and thoughtful political leadership in the United States and around the world. We’re incredibly excited to welcome them to Cambridge,” said IOP Director Setti Warren.

“We are thrilled to welcome this group of fellows to Institute of Politics this fall. Each one of them brings a unique perspective on how to approach some of our world’s most urgent challenges, and our students will undoubtedly learn volumes from their insights, experience, and wisdom,” said Michael Nutter, Chair of the Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Committee, and former Mayor of Philadelphia.

“As a new semester begins, we are thrilled to welcome the Fall 2025 Fellows Cohort to the Institute of Politics—a group that brings together recent Cabinet members, journalists, ambassadors, and a former governor to share their stories and hard-earned wisdom with the Harvard community,” said Will Smialek and Zoe Yu, Co-Chairs of the Fellows and Study Groups Program at the Institute of Politics. “Our Fellows bring decades of experience in diplomacy, governance, and the press. They have seen how decisions are made, how priorities are set, and how the work of public service really gets done. And at a time when civil discourse is more vital than ever, they will help us model what it means to talk to one another. We are proud to build on the progress we made last semester, expanding opportunities for undergraduates, making our programming more expansive, and ensuring that our program belongs to the entire Harvard community. Our mission remains the same: to give students the chance to learn from and build relationships with extraordinary leaders. Time and time again, we hear from our students that Fellows and Study Groups is the program that has made their Harvard experience special. We cannot wait to carry that mission forward, for this class and for the many that will follow.”

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 2025 Resident Fellows

Fall 2025 Visiting Fellow

Brief bios and quotes can be found below. Headshots are available upon request.

Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte
Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte is a distinguished diplomat, attorney, and public servant who embodies a life-long commitment to public leadership. Twice confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she served as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador (2010–2016) and to the Republic of Panama (2022–2024). She served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs (2016–2017), overseeing U.S. diplomatic engagement across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Aponte is widely recognized for building regional partnerships, strengthening bilateral cooperation, and advancing democratic values. As Ambassador to El Salvador, she helped negotiate the renewal of the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, a $277 million investment in infrastructure and education. Her diplomatic approach combines policy acumen with cultural fluency, based in her experience as an attorney and her decades working in the Hispanic community.

Aponte’s extraordinary career bridges the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to her diplomatic service, she practiced law for over 25 years, representing national nonprofits and media clients. She served as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), overseeing the coordination of federal funding for Puerto Rico and operating 13 offices serving underserved communities across the U.S. A former White House Fellow who maintains strong ties with the program, Aponte is highly regarded as a role model and much sought after as a mentor.

Aponte was the first woman to lead the Hispanic National Bar Association and has served on the boards of UnidosUS, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. She has served on the boards of educational institutions, including the University of the District of Columbia, Rosemont College (PA) and the College of William and Mary (VA). She also served on the board of the publicly traded Oriental Financial Group.

"I am thrilled to join the Institute of Politics and help students see the world as a place where their ideas and actions can truly make a difference. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that engagement—across borders, sectors, and communities—is how real change begins. I look forward to encouraging the next generation to lead with purpose and be bold agents of change."

Peter Baker
Peter Baker is the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times reporting about President Trump and his administration and a political analyst for MSNBC. He is covering his sixth presidency for The Times and The Washington Post.

In between stints at the White House, Baker spent four years as Moscow Co-Bureau Chief for The Post along with his wife, Susan B. Glasser, chronicling the rise of Vladimir Putin and the rollback of Russian democracy. During 20 years at The Post, Baker also reported from Afghanistan and Iraq during the opening stages of the U.S. wars there. He served briefly as Jerusalem Bureau Chief for The Times, where he has worked for the past 17 years.

Baker is the author or co-author of seven books, most recently The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, and The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, both with Glasser and both New York Times bestsellers. His book, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, was named one of the five Best Nonfiction Books of the year by The New York Times Book Review. He has won all three major awards focused on White House coverage.

Baker attended Oberlin College and got his start in journalism at The Washington Times. He and Glasser live in Washington. 

"Everyone knows the Institute of Politics at Harvard sets the gold standard for studying our nation's political ecosystem. With everything going on, this will be a terrific chance to escape the daily maelstrom and explore important trends and issues more deeply."

Dr. Miguel Cardona
Miguel A. Cardona most recently served as the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education under President Joe Biden. With over 27 years in education, he has championed equity and access, from teaching fourth grade to leading America’s education system. Dr. Cardona’s key initiatives include academic recovery post-pandemic, mental health support, global competitiveness, and college affordability and access.

Under his leadership, U.S. schools reopened successfully, $185 billion in student debt was forgiven, and student loan systems were reformed. His tenure saw record growth in student reading achievement for underperforming students, expanded apprenticeships for aspiring teachers, increased school mental health resources, and a national roadmap for reimagined college and career pathways.

Prior to becoming U.S. Secretary of Education, Cardona served as the Commissioner of Education in Connecticut, District Leader in CT, University Instructor, National Award-winning School Principal, and classroom teacher. Secretary Cardona's approach to leadership, at the local, state, federal, and international level, has been grounded in intentional collaboration and lifted by a bold vision for improvement from Pre-Kindergarten, through college, to adult learning. His work has sought collaboration from local leaders, Governors, Philanthropists, Entertainers and artists, Industry executives, and International Leaders.

A first-generation college graduate, Cardona’s journey from English learner to national leader exemplifies the power of public education. He holds multiple degrees from the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University. Secretary Cardona and his wife Marissa, also an educator, are proud parents of two college-aged students.

"I'm excited about this opportunity to engage with the Harvard community to explore policy implementation from the local to the federal level. Given the current state of affairs, this is a great time to explore what it means to lead today and in the coming years."

Susan Glasser
Susan Glasser is a staff writer for The New Yorker, where she is author of the weekly “Letter from Trump’s Washington” and co-host of the popular Political Scene Podcast. Glasser previously led four publications and served as a foreign correspondent and top editor at The Washington Post.

Glasser was editor of POLITICO, guiding a news operation of 200 journalists in the momentous 2016 election cycle, and founded POLITICO Magazine, the award-winning journal. Before that, she was editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, relaunching its web site as a daily publication and winning multiple National Magazine Awards while its online readership grew tenfold.

She spent 10 years at The Post where she served as Assistant Managing Editor for National News, editor of the Outlook section and Moscow Co-Bureau Chief. She directed coverage of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, chronicled the rise of Vladimir Putin and reported from the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Glasser worked for eight years at Roll Call, the preeminent newspaper covering Congress, where she rose from intern to its top editor.

Glasser is co-author of three books with her husband Peter Baker, most recently The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, and The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, both New York Times bestsellers.

A native of New Jersey, Glasser graduated from Harvard University in 1990 and lives in Washington with Baker.

"As a Harvard alum and longtime member of the Harvard Crimson graduate board, I know how special the university is, and this will be a great opportunity to return to campus for more than just a brief visit. I'm really looking forward to the chance to engage with both fellow scholars and the incredible young students there."

Governor Eric Holcomb
Eric J. Holcomb, 57, the 51st Governor of the State of Indiana, is a lifelong Hoosier, born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from Pike High School and Hanover College in southeastern Indiana. He went on to serve six years active duty in the U.S. Navy, first at Naval Station Great Lakes and later at Naval Air Station Cecil Field Florida and then overseas at CINCIBERLANT NATO Command in Portugal. Holcomb recently finished serving his second term as governor having been elected in 2016 and 2020 when he received the most votes for governor in Indiana history.

Prior to his election as governor, Holcomb served as Indiana’s 51st Lieutenant Governor. Holcomb has earned a reputation as a problem-solving consensus builder focused on creating new opportunities for all. He frequently traveled throughout the state, visiting with Hoosiers about how to make Indiana the best place in the world to live, work, study, play and stayed focused on economic, workforce and community development. Under Holcomb’s leadership, Indiana soared to new heights including record investments and outcome in infrastructure, education and healthcare and becoming the economic envy of the nation. Holcomb and his wife, Janet, live with their miniature schnauzer Oliver in central Indiana.

"The only prerequisite for leadership is to want to go somewhere in the company of others. The destination and the way of getting there are what makes leadership so contentious. I could not be more excited to interact with some of the world’s best and brightest at Harvard University as we discuss living up to the strengths of e pluribus unum to better the odds of more people realizing the American Dream."

Brock Lowrance
Brock Lowrance is the former Senior Advisor and Independent Expenditure Director and at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). In 2024, Brock helped lead the effort to flip the Senate back to Republican control and was the strategist to the NRSC’s $100M paid media and advertising efforts.

Brock is an experienced media strategist, award-winning ad writer and producer and political consultant. Brock has produced advertising for candidates, Super PACs, ballot initiatives and public affairs efforts across the country. Brock has worked at the highest levels of national and state political party committees, served as Western Regional Political Director in George W. Bush’s White House and has managed campaigns for Governor, U.S. House and Senate.

Brock is a trusted political advisor and strategist to numerous elected officials and a founding partner at S2R Public Affairs, a full-service public affairs and political consulting firm. A proud Montanan and graduate of the University of Montana, Brock resides in Alexandria, VA.

"I’m really looking forward to engaging with students and the IOP community this fall. I’m excited for the study group conversations to come as I share my experience, and what I’ve learned, in the political arena — campaign politics isn’t actually ‘The West Wing’ or ‘Veep,’ but it’s somewhere in between."

Ned Price
During the Biden Administration Ned Price was the Deputy to the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, overseeing the U.S. Mission to the United Nations’ Washington office and, as a Deputy Cabinet-level official, serving as a standing member of the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee. Price began his most recent stint in government at the Department of State in January 2021, when he assumed the role of Department Spokesperson, a title he held until March 2023. He then served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken until he took on his leadership role with the U.S. Mission to the UN.

Prior to the Biden Administration, Price was Co-Founder and Director of Policy and Communications at National Security Action, a non-profit advocacy organization. During the Obama Administration, he served as Special Assistant to President Obama on the National Security Council staff, where he also was the Spokesperson and Senior Director for Strategic Communications. He previously was at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was a senior analyst and Spokesperson. He has been an NBC News analyst and contributor and taught at Georgetown University and The George Washington University. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and received a master’s from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is originally from Dallas, Texas, and is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

"Outside of government service, I’ve found nothing more professionally rewarding than working with students, especially those driven to serve their country. I’m thrilled to return to a campus that played such a formative role in my own professional journey — and at such a pivotal moment. I look forward not only to sharing my experiences but also to learning from what I know will be an extraordinary cohort and broader university community."

Ambassador Katherine Tai
Ambassador Katherine Tai is an expert on international economic policy and diplomacy and has spent her career advancing just, people-centered policies on the world stage.

Ambassador Tai served as the 19th United States Trade Representative. As a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, Ambassador Tai was the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy from March 2021 to January 2025. Her vision and leadership shaped the first worker-centered trade policy in U.S. history, harnessing the power of international relations and trade to enhance workers’ rights in the United States and across the globe. In addition to leading U.S. participation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and forums like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the trade tracks at the G20 and G7, Ambassador Tai traveled to all 50 states as United States Trade Representative, reaching out directly to small business owners, workers, family farmers and ranchers, engaging communities in recognition of the need for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to speak for the interests of the entire U.S. economy, not only its largest players.

Prior to her unanimous Senate confirmation, Ambassador Tai spent nearly 2 decades in public service focusing on crafting, monitoring, and enforcing U.S. and international trade laws. She previously served the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives as Chief Trade Counsel and Trade Subcommittee Staff Director. In that role, she played a pivotal role during the first Trump administration in the re-negotiation and ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. She is also an experienced WTO litigator. From 2007 to 2014, Ambassador Tai developed and tried cases for USTR, eventually becoming the agency’s Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement.

Ambassador Tai graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. She began her career practicing law in the private sector, clerking for federal judges in the Districts of Columbia and Maryland, and teaching English in Guangzhou, China. She is fluent in Mandarin.

“Fostering leadership in public service that is engaged, curious, and bold is especially important at this time of profound and accelerated change in America and the world. Having visited 36 countries and all 50 states in the last four years as U.S. Trade Representative, I look forward to joining the IOP and sharing what I’ve learned about these forces of change.”

Senator Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey serves on the Board of Directors for Apollo Global Management and several private companies. He is an advisor to firms across a range of industries including private equity; crypto platforms; and traditional financial services.

Mr. Toomey represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2023. As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Toomey helped to develop and pass the 2017 tax reform leading The Wall Street Journal editorial page to name him “the Senate’s most valuable player.” Capping his twelve-year service on the Senate Committee on Banking, Senator Toomey served as the committee’s senior-most Republican from 2021 through 2023. In that post, he helped recruit and confirm nominees to the nation’s most powerful financial regulatory bodies. He also focused on restoring disciplined monetary policy post-Covid; overseeing all Federal financial regulators; and he developed a blueprint for the regulation of stablecoins.

Senator Toomey previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six years. Honoring his pledge to limit himself to three terms, he did not seek re-election to the House in 2004. Prior to, and between his House and Senate service, the senator worked in the financial services industry. He served as president of the Club for Growth, owned and operated a small restaurant chain in the Lehigh Valley, PA with his brothers, and helped launch a community bank in eastern PA and western NJ.

Senator Toomey has been a frequent guest on CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg, FOX and FOX Business. His editorials have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among many other publications. He serves on the Board of Trustees of National Review Institute and La Salle Academy, Providence, RI. Senator Toomey is a 1984 graduate of Harvard College.

"I am honored to return to my Alma Mater this Fall as part of the IOP Fellowship Class. This is an exciting opportunity to engage with students — our future leaders — about topics most important to them. Whether the discussion is about politics, the economy, government, leadership or world affairs, I hope to offer constructive insights from my experience in government, especially the Senate."

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 academic 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.

For more information on the fellowship program, including a full list of former fellows, visit: iop.harvard.edu 

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