Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be joining Harvard University later this year, Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf informed.
Jacinda Ardern has been appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School and will serve as the 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader in the school’s Center for Public Leadership.
“Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership,” Douglas Elmendorf said, adding that the former PM will “bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels.”
“I’m incredibly humbled to be invited to join Harvard University later this year as 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and as a Hauser Leader in the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership,” Jacinda Ardern wrote on Instagram.
In January, Jacinda Ardern shocked New Zealanders when she announced her decision to step down from the post of the prime minister after more than 5 years.
“As leaders, there’s often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders,” she had then said.
Jacinda Ardern’s time will also include a stint as the first tech governance leadership fellow at the school’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.
“The Center has been an incredibly important partner as we’ve developed the Christchurch Call to action on addressing violent extremism online,” Jacinda Ardern said. The former PM said that she planned to return to New Zealand after the fellowships.