Former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to Join Harvard’s Institute of Politics as Fall 2022 Resident Fellow

Former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who led his country for seven years before resigning in 2021, will headline a cohort of seven resident fellows joining the Harvard Institute of Politics for the Fall 2022 term.

Löfven, whose selection as a resident fellow was announced by the IOP Thursday, said in a press release that he was “honored to be a part of this program.”

The six other resident fellows are Raul Alvillar, New Mexico state director for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign; Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, professor of constitutional law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Stephanie Carlton, partner at McKinsey & Company and former senior Republican staffer on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for Medicaid; Judith LeBlanc, executive director of the Native Organizing Alliance; Matthew Mead, former Governor of Wyoming; and Natalie Tennant, former Secretary of State of West Virginia.

IOP spokesperson Lauren L. Miller said in a statement that the seven resident fellows make up “one of our largest cohorts of resident fellows in the IOP’s recent history.”

Löfven, who was elected leader of Sweden’s center-left Social Democratic Party in 2012, took office as prime minister two years later following the 2014 general election. After stepping down from government, Löfven was appointed co-chair of the United Nations’ high-level advisory board on effective multilateralism by Secretary-General António Guterres.

“I very much look forward to get to know and work together with the next generation of leaders on topics that they find important,” Löfven said. “I will do my best to contribute to their development, and I am sure they will enlighten me as well.”

Outgoing IOP Director Mark D. Gearan ’78 said in a statement that he is “proud” to be welcoming the new cohort of resident fellows.

“At a time when our democracy is being tested, the work of the Institute of Politics could not be more important,” Gearan said. “Their extraordinary experiences as prime minister, governor, secretary of state, civil rights attorney, Capitol Hill policymaker, organizer, and campaign leader represent the very best of public service and will advance our brilliant mission to inspire Harvard students to lead lives of consequence.”

The IOP resident fellows will lead study groups on topics such as Native and indigenous organizing, the functioning of international institutions, and Republican policy in the U.S. Senate.

The study groups are slated to begin meeting the week of Sept. 19.

Alexa C. Jordan ’22-’23 and Jessica A. Alexander ’24 said the fellows and study groups program, which they co-chair, is “dedicated” to offering a space for discussion where students can also learn how they can continue to get involved.

“The Fall 2022 Fellows cohort joins us as we navigate unprecedented rulings in the Supreme Court, continued debate over government intervention in public health and safety issues, and the upcoming midterm elections,” they said. “Our seven Resident Fellows each have their own definitions of what it means to be in public service and we look forward to inviting students to work with these fellows, as they continue to determine what political and civic engagement mean to them.”

Raul Alvillar, who will lead a study group on Southwest, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ politics, said the experiences that IOP fellowships foster “are vital for the future of The American democratic experiment.”

“As a third generation Hispanic American and the son of a single mom, the opportunity to serve as a fellow after working four presidential campaigns is the pinnacle of my professional life,” he added.

—Staff writer Miles J. Herszenhorn can be reached at miles.herszenhorn@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @MHerszenhorn.