Perry World House Announces Newest Cohort of Non-Resident Senior Advisors

Perry World House (PWH), the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global affairs, has announced the newest additions to its Non-Resident Senior Advisors program.

“We are grateful to our newest Non-Resident Senior Advisors for giving their time and support to Perry World House,” said PWH Executive Director Marie Harf. “Having policy experts with experience in public service, the private sector, academia, and multilateral organizations allows Perry World House to continue its trajectory of engaging on a global scale and doing research and engagements that touch all aspects of global policymaking.”

Advisors are drawn from PWH’s exceptional pool of former visiting fellows as well as other global policy leaders in the Philadelphia area. Advisors work with PWH leadership to build and engage a broader network of experts, support PWH’s policy engagement around the world, and advise on PWH’s programmatic and research work throughout the year. They may also be asked to engage in annual conferences, workshops, and public events in their area of expertise.

“Non-Resident Senior Advisors are key members of the Perry World House community,” said PWH Faculty Director Michael C. Horowitz. “They help us bridge the gap between academia and the policy world by enabling Perry World House and Penn to utilize their expertise and experience so faculty and students can better connect their research and ideas to real world global policy challenges.”

The incoming Perry World House Non-Resident Senior Advisors are:

Joseph Asunka, CEO, Afrobarometer; 2024-25 PWH Distinguished Visiting Fellow

Hussein “Huss” Banai, Associate Professor of International Studies, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington; 2024-25 PWH Distinguished Visiting Fellow

Kenneth J. Braithwaite, Former U.S. Secretary of the Navy 

Chris Diaz, Former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro

Khadeeja Naseem, Former Minister of State for Climate Change, the Maldives; 2024-25 PWH Distinguished Visiting Fellow 

Youssef Nassef, Director, Adaptation Division, UN Climate Change (UNFCCC); 2023-24 PWH Visiting Fellow  

Returning Perry World House Non-Resident Senior Advisors are:

Melissa Flagg, Executive Director, Andrew W. Marshall Foundation

Lolita K. Jackson, Executive Director, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Development Capital LLP

Robert M. Scher, Former Vice President and Head of International Affairs, BP plc

Mauricio Rodas, Former Mayor, Quito, Ecuador

Trudy Rubin, Worldview Columnist, Philadelphia Inquirer

Alexander Vershbow, Distinguished Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Russia, and the Republic Korea