Institute of Politics Announces Spring Fellows

The Institute of Politics' spring Fellows Program will include two former members of the House of Representatives, a White House senior speechwriter, and a senior political adviser to U.S. generals in Iraq, among others, according to an announcement last Thursday.

In a statement announcing the IOP's newest fellows, Eric R. Andersen, the director of the IOP's Fellows and Study Groups program, said that he was excited to have these political leaders join the IOP's spring program.

“This ideologically diverse group of political professionals possess a deep knowledge of international diplomacy, foreign affairs, speechwriting, and legislating on Capitol Hill," Andersen said.

As in previous years, this semester’s fellows bring a diverse set of experiences in politics.

Caroline J. Croft was a senior adviser at the U.S. Department of State, where she has worked since 1992. During that time, she lived and worked in 34 countries.

She previously served as the executive director of the United States U.N. office in Washington, D.C. and has worked with the White House Millennium Council.

Former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis, a Republican, will join the spring Fellows program after losing his re-election bid in a primary last June. He represented the 4th district of South Carolina from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005 until 2011.

Most recently, he was a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Science and Technology.

Inglis will be joined by another former colleague on Capitol Hill: Former U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak will also join the Fellows program after having chosen not to seek re-election last fall. He had represented the first district of Michigan in the House of Representatives since 1993 and was a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Ellen Qualls joins the group as another Capitol Hill veteran. She served as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's senior adviser for strategic planning. Before moving to Washington, Qualls worked for then-Va. Gov. Mark R. Warner, who is now a U.S. senator.

A veteran of the Bush administration, John McConnell served in the White House from 2001 to 2009 as a senior speechwriter and White House deputy assistant to the president and assistant to the vice president. He began working for former President Bush on the campaign trail in 2000 and followed him to the White House.

Emma Sky has spent the last three years as a senior political adviser to U.S. Generals Raymond T. Odierno and David H. Petraeus in Iraq. A British civilian who speaks both Hebrew and Arabic, she previously served as the civilian representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Each of these figures will spend the next semester interacting with the Harvard community in a variety of settings including weekly study group, which allows them to work with Harvard students in an informal setting.

—Staff writer Monica M. Dodge can be reached at mdodge@college.harvard.edu.