Institute of Politics

  • Pritzker Fellows
  • Former Fellows

Former Fellows

Since 2013, the Institute has hosted hundreds of Pritzker Fellows, including U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm; former U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke (D-TX); former RNC chairman Michael Steele; Secretary of State Anthony Blinken; award-winning journalist and IOP alumna Dake Kang; Vladimir Kara-Murza, Chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; and Kelly Ayotte, former U.S. Senator (R-NH).

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Winter-Spring 2025

Aziz Abu Sarah

Palestinian Peace Activist, National Geographic Explorer & Co-Founder of MEJDI Tours & Interact International

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Justin Ángel Knighten

Former Associate Administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Pete Buttigieg

Former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official
  • Former Elected Official

Ken Cuccinelli

Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Magen Inon

Israeli Peace Activist & Educator

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Liz Johnson

Former Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Mitt Romney

Bio & Seminars

Chris LaCivita

Senior Advisor & Co-Campaign Manager to Donald Trump's 2024 Presidential Campaign

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Tonika Lewis Johnson

Chicago-Based Social Justice Artist

Bio & Seminars

  • Arts/Culture

Natalia Pelevina

Russian Political Opposition Activist

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Jon Tester

Former U.S. Senator (D-MT)

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Xochitl Torres Small

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official
  • Former Elected Official

Shalanda Young

Former Office of Management and Budget Director

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Charlamagne Tha God

Radio, Podcast & Television Personality

Bio & Seminars

  • Arts/Culture

Fall 2024

David Axelrod

CNN Senior Political Commentator & UChicago Institute of Politics Founding Director

Bio & Seminars

  • Commentator
  • Political Strategy

Ken Buck

Former Republican Congressman from Colorado

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Kam Buckner

Illinois State Representative

Bio & Seminars

  • Elected Official

Génesis Dávila

Human Rights Lawyer & Founder and President of Defiende Venezuela

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Jordan Sun

VP of Product at SoftBank Robotics America & former Chief Innovation Officer for the City of San José

Bio & Seminars

  • Technology

Katie Tobin

Former Advisor in the White House National Security Council

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Chuck Todd

NBC Chief Political Analyst

Bio & Seminars

  • Commentator
  • Journalism

Winter-Spring 2024

Samar Ali

Founding President & CEO of Millions of Conversations & Co-Chair, Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy

Bio & Seminars

Gerardo Bonilla Chavez

Former Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Bio & Seminars

Simone Campbell

Religious Leader, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient (2022) & former Leader of Nuns on the Bus

Bio & Seminars

  • Religion

Doug Ducey

Former Governor of Arizona

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Matt Gorman

Former Senior Communications Advisor, Tim Scott for America & Communications Director for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)

Bio & Seminars

  • Commentator
  • Political Strategy

Vanita Gupta

Former Associate Attorney General of the United States

Bio & Seminars

  • Law

Lori Lightfoot

Former Mayor of Chicago

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Mick Mulvaney

Former U.S. Representative from South Carolina and Acting White House Chief of Staff under President Trump

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official
  • Former Elected Official

Crystal Orderson

Journalist from South Africa

Bio & Seminars

  • International
  • Journalism

Jackie Speier

Former U.S. Representative from California

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Lynn Sweet

Columnist & Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Noga Tarnopolsky

Middle East Reporter

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Fall 2023

Stephanie Murphy

Former U.S. Representative (D-FL)

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Kate Brown

Former Democratic Governor of Oregon

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Chase Strangio

Lawyer & Activist; Deputy Director for Trans Justice, LGBTQ & HIV Project at the ACLU

Bio & Seminars

  • Law

Rhymefest

Rapper & Advocate

Bio & Seminars

  • Arts/Culture

Jeff Larson

Republican Political Consultant

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Larry Hogan

Former Republican Governor of Maryland

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Winter-Spring 2023

Heather Cherone

Political Reporter for Chicago's WTTW

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Joan Donovan

Internationally Recognized Expert on Technology Studies, Online Extremism, Media Manipulation & Disinformation

Bio & Seminars

  • Technology

Astead Herndon

New York Times Political Reporter & "The Run Up" Podcast Host

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Asa Hutchinson

Former Republican Governor of Arkansas

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Dake Kang

Multiformat Journalist for the AP in Beijing & IOP Alumni

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Peter Meijer

Former Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Beto O'Rourke

Former Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas’ 16th Congressional District

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Adrian Perkins

Former Democratic Mayor of Shreveport, LA

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Tim Ryan

Former Democratic U.S. Representative from Ohio’s 13th Congressional District

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Robin Rue Simmons

Former Democratic 5th Ward Alderwoman, Evanston, IL

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Steve Sisolak

Former Democratic Governor of Nevada

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Matthew Yglesias

Author, Columnist & Political Analyst

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Fall 2022

Rana Ayyub

Investigative Journalist from India

Bio & Seminars

  • International
  • Journalism

Laura Dove

Former Senate Secretary for the Majority

Bio & Seminars

Luis Gutiérrez

Former U.S. Representative from Illinois

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Steve Hayes

CEO & Editor of The Dispatch & NBC News Political Analyst

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Doug Jones

Former U.S. Senator from Alabama

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Spring 2022

Perry Bacon Jr.

Columnist for The Washington Post & Former Writer for FiveThirtyEight & MSNBC Commentator

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Joel Benenson

Democratic Pollster & Strategist for President Barack Obama’s 2008 & 2012 Presidential Campaigns

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Erin Simpson

Director of Technology Policy at the Center for American Progress

Bio & Seminars

  • Policy

Keisha Lance Bottoms

Former Atlanta Mayor & City Councilwoman

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Sarah Longwell

Republican Strategist & Publisher of The Bulwark

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Neil Newhouse

Republican Strategist & Pollster for Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Winter 2022

Mark Campbell

GOP Campaign Strategist

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

C. Yulín Cruz

Former Mayor of San Juan

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Joe Ferguson

Former Inspector General for the City of Chicago

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Anna Galland

Former Executive Director of MoveOn

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Lotfullah Najafizada

Journalist from Afghanistan

Bio & Seminars

  • International
  • Journalism

Sarah Smarsh

Author & Journalist

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Fall 2021

Catherine Bertini

Former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Nominated by Presidents Bush & Clinton

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Ertharin Cousin

Former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Nominated by President Obama

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Administration Official

Tony Fabrizio

Chief Pollster for President Donald Trump’s 2016 & 2020 Presidential Campaigns

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Janice Jackson

Former Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public Schools, the Third-Largest School District in the U.S.

Bio & Seminars

  • Education

Mitch Landrieu

Former Mayor of New Orleans and Founder of E Pluribus Unum, A Nonprofit Focused On Advancing Racial Equity in the South

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Russell Moore

Public Theologian & Director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today

Bio & Seminars

  • Religion

Lotfullah Najafizada

Journalist from Afghanistan

Bio & Seminars

  • International
  • Journalism

Spring 2021

Justin Amash

U.S. Representative from Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Nathan Law

Activist, Founder & former Chairman of Demosistō & former Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Bio & Seminars

  • International
  • Organizer/Activist

Heather McTeer Toney

Former Mayor of Greenville, MS, Climate Justice Liaison at the Environmental Defense Fund & Senior Advisor to Moms Clean Air Force

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official
  • Organizer/Activist

Cecile Richards

Co-Founder of Supermajority & former President of Planned Parenthood

Bio & Seminars

  • Organizer/Activist

Sally Yates

Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General & Acting U.S. Attorney General

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Winter 2021

Tim Alberta

Staff Writer at the Atlantic & former Chief Political Correspondent for POLITICO

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Heidi Heitkamp

Former Democratic Senator from North Dakota & Co-Founder & Chair of The One Country Project

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Will Hurd

Former Republican Congressman from Texas

Bio & Seminars

  • Former Elected Official

Kara Swisher

Editor-At-Large at New York Magazine & Host of the “Sway” & “Pivot” Podcasts

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Fall 2020

James Bennet

Former Editor of The New York Times Editorial Page & Editor-In-Chief of The Atlantic

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Jelani Cobb

Staff Writer at The New Yorker

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Addisu Demissie

Democratic Strategist & Founding Principal of 50+1 Strategies

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Scott Jennings

CNN Political Contributor, Republican Strategist & Founding Partner of RunSwitch Public Relations

Bio & Seminars

  • Political Strategy

Samantha Vinograd

CNN National Security Analyst

Bio & Seminars

  • National Security

Winter 2020

Enrique Acevedo

Anchor of ‘Noticiero Univision Edicion Nocturna’ & Special Correspondent for Univision’s News Division

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

John Bouman

President of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law & Chairman of the “Vote Yes for Fair Tax” Illinois Ballot Initiative Committee

Bio & Seminars

Abdul El-Sayed

Progressive Activist, former Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department & Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate

Bio & Seminars

Fiona Hill

Senior Fellow at the Center on the United States & Europe in the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings

Bio & Seminars

Shahira Knight

Former White House Director of Legislative Affairs & Deputy Director of Economic Policy

Bio & Seminars

Fall 2019

Enrique Acevedo

Anchor of ‘Noticiero Univision Edicion Nocturna’ & Special Correspondent for Univision’s News Division

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Jane Coaston

Senior Politics Reporter at Vox

Bio & Seminars

  • Journalism

Joe Donnelly

Former U.S. Senator from Indiana

Bio & Seminars

Heather McGhee

Senior Fellow at Demos & NBC News Analyst

Bio & Seminars

Tom Rooney

Former U.S. Representative from Florida

Bio & Seminars

Spring 2019

Karine Jean-Pierre

NBC & MSNBC Political Analyst & Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveOn

Bio & Seminars

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