Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School Announces Spring 2026 Fellows

CAMBRIDGE, MA - The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School today announced the appointment of six Resident Fellows and two Visiting Fellows who will join the IOP for the Spring 2026 semester. The fellows bring diverse experiences in elected office, municipal government, consumer protection, national politics, media and international relations to address the challenges facing our country and world today.

"This remarkable group of fellows will bring invaluable perspectives on a range of pressing issues," said IOP Interim Co-Directors Beth Myers and Ned Price. "Their experience and insight will foster timely and consequential conversations, inspire our students to pursue careers in public service, and help prepare and propel the next generation to leadership roles in the United States and around the world. We’re deeply grateful for their commitment to our students and delighted to welcome them to Cambridge."

"I am delighted to welcome this incredible cohort of fellows to Harvard’s Institute of Politics this spring. Each one of them brings a unique perspective on how to best address some of our country’s – and our world’s – most demanding challenges, and I’m confident that our students, and the entire campus community, will be able to leverage their knowledge and benefit from their range of experiences," said Michael Nutter, Chair of the Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Committee, and former Mayor of Philadelphia.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Spring 2026 Fellows and Study Groups (FSG) cohort to the Institute of Politics and to Harvard’s campus. The cross-partisan conversations and relationships fostered through this program exemplify the kind of rigorous, constructive civic engagement we hope will take deeper root nationwide. As we enter 2026 and celebrate the program’s 60th year with a distinguished slate of Fellows, we challenge our community to uphold and advance its high standard for engagement grounded in curiosity, humility, and growing alongside others," said Anoushka Lal and Samantha Ruazol, Co-Chairs of the Fellows and Study Groups Program at the Institute of Politics.

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 the economy, democracy, national political parties, education policy and more. Visiting Fellows come to the IOP for a shorter stay and participate in a variety of comprehensive discussions, events, and programming.

Spring 2026 Resident Fellows

• Rohit Chopra: Former Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Chrystia Freeland: Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada and Economic Advisor to President Zelensky
• Aimee Rogstad Guidera: Former Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia
• Tishaura Jones: Former Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri
• Christopher Liddell: Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff
• Byron York: Chief Political Correspondent, Washington Examiner & Fox News Contributor

Spring 2026 Visiting Fellows

• Pete Buttigieg: Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
• Kevin McCarthy: 55th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

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

Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg served from 2021 to 2025 as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. During his tenure, he worked to launch over seventy thousand infrastructure projects across the country, improve transportation safety and technology, expand airline passenger protections, and resolve pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.

Previously, Buttigieg served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, where he was elected at the age of 29 and led the city to its strongest period of economic and population growth in decades. He also served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, taking a leave of absence from his role as mayor in 2014 to deploy to Afghanistan. A candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2020, his historic campaign won the Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary. Today, he is a leading voice, regularly featured on TV, podcasts, and digital media across the political spectrum — working to shape a more hopeful future.

He holds degrees in history and literature from Harvard and in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He lives in northern Michigan with his husband Chasten, their two children, Gus and Penelope, and their dog, Buddy. Buttigieg is also a Spring 2026 Hauser Leader at the Center for Public Leadership at HKS.

"The IOP has played a vital role inspiring countless students — including me — to believe in the value of public service. Empowering young people to participate in politics has never mattered more, and I'm thrilled to be returning to a place where I learned so much. I will do my best to contribute to the IOP’s great tradition of inspiring and preparing new generations of leaders."

Rohit Chopra
Rohit Chopra has been at the forefront of efforts to promote competition and protect the public in finance, technology, health care, and other major sectors of the economy.

Chopra was nominated by President Biden to serve as the 3rd Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2021 to 2025. The CFPB is a unit of the Federal Reserve System charged with overseeing mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and other consumer financial products. During this tenure, the CFPB recovered nearly $10 billion in refunds and penalties from companies that broke the law. He spearheaded nationwide efforts to eliminate tens of billions of dollars in junk fees imposed on consumers and businesses for fake or worthless services. Chopra also pursued a series of regulatory modernization efforts to transition the U.S. into a more open and competitive banking and payments system. As a member of the board of directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, he played a major role in the government’s response to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023.

In 2017, Chopra was nominated by President Trump and unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, where he served until 2021. He is widely recognized for his work to revitalize and refocus the agency on its core mission. He successfully reversed the agency’s lax approach to repeat offenders, strengthened sanctions against companies that falsely claim a Made-in-USA label, and helped to revive the agency’s antitrust enforcement.

Prior to his time in public service, Chopra worked at McKinsey & Company. He holds a BA from Harvard and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to the Republic of Korea.

"Corporate and financial interests don’t just play a major role in shaping our daily lives, they also exert significant influence over our government. As a fellow, I’m looking forward to sharing the lessons I’ve learned with students and everyone who cares about our economy and our democracy."

Chrystia Freeland
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, currently serves as Economic Advisor to the President of Ukraine and is the incoming Chief Executive Officer of the Rhodes Trust.

Chrystia was elected in five consecutive national elections and served as a Member of Parliament from 2013 to 2026. From 2020 to 2024, Chrystia served as Minister of Finance, becoming the first woman in Canadian history to hold the position. Her stewardship during and after the COVID-19 pandemic protected jobs and businesses and delivered a historic soft landing for the Canadian economy, while preserving Canada’s AAA credit rating and securing the lowest debt and deficit ratios of any G7 country. During this period, she played a central role in the global response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the seizure of Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine.

From 2019 to 2020, Chrystia served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, helping to lead Canada’s united response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2017 to 2019, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia led the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico. As Canada’s top diplomat, she championed the global protection of human rights, a feminist foreign policy, the defence of democracy, and the importance of a rules-based international order.

From 2015 to 2017, as Minister of International Trade, Chrystia led the successful negotiation of a landmark free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Chrystia has received numerous international honours. In 2025, she received the Foreign Policy Association Medal for her defence of democracy and the rules-based international order. In 2020, she was awarded Freedom House’s Mark Palmer Prize for her leadership in advancing democracy and human rights. In 2018, she was named Foreign Policy’s Diplomat of the Year and received the Eric M. Warburg Award from Atlantik-Brücke for strengthening transatlantic ties.

An esteemed journalist, editor, and author before entering public service, Chrystia was born in Peace River, Alberta, Canada. She completed degrees at Harvard University and the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

"Having served as Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and spent two decades as a journalist, I have seen firsthand the transformative power of students and young people committed to building a better world. I am deeply honoured to return to Harvard as a Fellow — to be able to work closely with this next generation of decision-makers and engage with an exceptionally accomplished and inspiring cohort."

Aimee Rogstad Guidera
Aimee Rogstad Guidera has worked throughout her career to ensure every student is prepared for life by championing a high expectations agenda that prioritizes rigorous standards, transparency and accountability for results. In her role as Virginia Secretary of Education, she had oversight of education from Pre-K through Postsecondary in the Commonwealth. Before joining the Youngkin Administration, Aimee was a strategic consultant helping states, foundations, companies and non-profit organizations strengthen their efforts to improve student learning and outcomes. Aimee was Founder, President and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a national, nonprofit advocacy organization leading the effort to ensure that students, parents, educators, and policymakers have the right information to guide their actions so that every student can excel.

A respected thought leader in education, Aimee was named one of TIME's 12 Education Activists of 2012. Aimee is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and an alumna of the Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. She has served on the board of directors of America Succeeds, Institute for Educational Leadership, Policy Innovators in Education Network, the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, Minnesota Comeback, AEI’s Conservative Leaders for Education, and on the advisory board for the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard.

Before founding DQC, Aimee served as the director of the Washington, DC office of the National Center for Education Achievement. She previously served as vice president of programs for the National Alliance of Business, worked in the education division of the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices, and taught for the Japanese Ministry of Education.

With the firm belief that parents, students, and teachers need to be equally strong legs of the stool of academic success, Aimee has always been engaged in her local schools—as a mom, neighbor and citizen.

"I am thrilled to be back in the conversation at Harvard about policy, politics and public service! Harvard Kennedy School exposed me to new ideas, honed skills, launched lifelong friendships, and prepared me for my career in education policy. During my upcoming time at the IOP, I look forward to not only sharing my reflections and insights from my experiences over that 35 year career, but also continuing to learn from this community."

Tishaura Jones
Tishaura O. Jones is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in local and state government, known for her progressive approach to public service. She made history as the 47th Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, becoming the first African American woman to hold the position. Elected in April 2021, she was responsible for managing a $1.2 billion budget and over 5,000 employees.

Throughout her career, Jones has consistently focused on racial equity, public safety reform, and economic justice. As Mayor, she worked to address systemic inequality and build a more inclusive St. Louis. She successfully reduced violent crime to its lowest in decades, invested in underserved communities, and focused on the root causes of crime. Her administration also prioritized transparency and equity, reshaping how the city allocates resources for housing, health, and entrepreneurship.

Before her time as Mayor, Jones gained over a decade of experience in public office, serving as St. Louis City Treasurer and as a Missouri State Representative. During her tenure as Treasurer, she implemented financial literacy programs and modernized the city's parking system, which generated millions in revenue for community reinvestment.

Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hampton University and a Master of Health Administration from Saint Louis University. She also completed the Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University's JFK School of Government. She is the proud mother of Aden, the founder of Oneda Consulting, LLC, and is the Distinguished Leader in Residence at Washington University’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity.

"I'm honored to serve as a Harvard Institute of Politics Fellow at a moment when mayors are the first line of defense when our democracy is under attack. City leaders confront the real-world consequences of polarization, disinformation, and backlash every day, and I’m eager to bring those lessons from my experience in local government into conversation with students. I look forward to engaging with the next generation of leaders as we explore how inclusive, values-driven leadership can strengthen and rebuild our democracy from the ground up."

Christopher Liddell
Liddell has a career spanning the public, private and philanthropic sectors. In the public sector, he served all four years as an Assistant to the President in the first Trump administration. He held positions as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Director of the American Technology Council. He has been involved in four presidential transition cycles, including as executive director of transition planning for the Romney presidential campaign and the White House operational lead in the Trump-Biden transition. He has written the book "Year Zero," which outlines a strategic approach to planning and building a significantly more effective White House.

In the private sector, he has thirty years of corporate experience, including as Chief Financial Officer at both Microsoft and International Paper, overseeing their global finance operations. He was also Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer at General Motors, where he oversaw the company's historic $23B public offering in 2010. He is currently a Director of Commonwealth Fusion Systems and a Senior Adviser at KKR.

In the philanthropic sector, he serves as Chairman of New Zealand's largest environmental foundation and has also sat on several non-profit boards, including the New Zealand Rugby Union. He is also a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Chris is a dual citizen of the United States and New Zealand. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Auckland and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford, and is currently studying a Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford.

"I am delighted to join the Institute of Politics. I will use the time to deepen and extend my work on political transitions, with respect to the United States and all global democracies. The fellowship is a unique opportunity to not only focus on important topics but also to interact with some of the smartest young people in the world. I very much look forward to spending time with them."

Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy was the 55th Speaker of the House. Described as a man who exudes “true American grit,” McCarthy's political journey is the quintessential American story. After starting a small business at the age of 21, McCarthy went back to college to earn his bachelor and master degrees in business. He was rejected for an internship to the congressional seat he later held for seventeen years.

McCarthy won the Speakership after a historic 15 ballots, and went on to secure $2 trillion in deficit reduction, all while protecting the full faith and credit of the United States, keeping our government open, and making sure our troops were paid. He also refocused Congress on America’s long-term challenges by creating the first-ever Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Throughout his career, McCarthy fought for a more effective, efficient, and accountable federal government. He also personally recruited and actively supported commonsense candidates for office who have helped reshape the Republican Party – several of whom have become Senators, Governors, and cabinet secretaries. Overall, under his leadership, dozens of new Republican women, minorities, and veterans have been elected to Congress.

In Congress, he held nearly every elected leadership position in the House Republican conference and served under three Presidents, during two economic crises, and through consistent political upheaval while always maintaining his approach to governing as a Happy Warrior.

McCarthy currently serves as Founder and Chairman of ALFA Institute, a policy think tank to advance America’s global position in the next technological space race of artificial intelligence, advanced defense and aerospace technology, energy and critical mineral resources, and next-generation bio and health advances. McCarthy also serves as Chairman of Watchtower Strategies, a public affairs firm focused on corporate strategic and crisis communications.

"Every time I’ve visited Harvard’s Institute of Politics, I’ve been inspired by the students’ commitment to understanding and engaging with the political system as it exists today and how it can evolve in the future. I’m looking forward to spending a week on campus this spring to share my experiences with this next generation of leaders."

Byron York
Byron York is chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor. He has covered the last five presidential administrations, as well as Congress and campaigns since 2000. He is the author of two books -- The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, an account of progressive activism in the 2004 election, and Obsession, an account of efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office during his first term. His work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and others.

York took a circuitous path to political reporting. In graduate school at the University of Chicago, he was working on a dissertation in American history when he decided to drop out and go into television news. He started as an apprentice videojournalist at CNN and ended up a supervising producer at Headline News. He later moved on to serve as a daily newscast producer at stations in Miami and Washington DC — crime-heavy local news — before leaving to become a national political writer and analyst. He covered the Clinton administration for The American Spectator, the George W. Bush administration for National Review, and in 2009 joined the Washington Examiner. He has been a contributor to Fox News since 2006. 

"I spend nearly all of my time dealing with daily news. It's hard to devote much time to considering how we got here, and how what I have seen and covered led to today's politics. A fellowship at IOP, with students, faculty, fellows, and guests who were involved in the events under discussion, is a tremendous opportunity to do that."

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/fellows 

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