Jackson Senior Fellows bring a fresh and on-the-ground perspective to their teaching and assist our students with networking opportunities.
Russ Feingold

Senior Fellow
Russ Feingold is the Martin R. Flug Visiting Professor in the Practice of Law at Yale Law School and a Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute. He served as a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011 and a Wisconsin State Senator from 1983 to 1993. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the United States Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to his congressional and diplomatic career, Senator Feingold has taught or lectured at Stanford University and Stanford Law School, Lawrence University, Marquette University Law School, American University, and Beloit College.
Sen. Feingold recently sat down for a Q&A with us:
Read Full BioAfter leaving the Senate, I was teaching at Stanford, and Secretary of State John Kerry tapped me to serve as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A U.S. Special Envoy is tasked with resolving conflicts across borders, whereas an ambassador focuses on just one country.
It’s fascinating to see how our U.S. foreign policy is implemented through the State Department versus in Congress. As a diplomat, I had to learn how to speak in different ways. It’s more formal, and words are very important. You have to choose your language carefully. You also have limited time with foreign leaders, so you have to know what to bring up and when. Trust is key to this. I built up trusting relationships with many Rwandan officials, so when I had to bring up a sensitive issue, the trust was there.
The students are a wonderful mix of graduate and undergraduate students, including several from Africa, so it’s a lively class.
Of course, you can go directly into a diplomatic career. What we have here at Jackson is the future of the State Department. This is the generation that will play a huge role in repairing diplomacy.
Anne Patterson

Kissinger Senior Fellow
Ambassador Anne Patterson joined the Jackson Institute as a Kissinger Senior Fellow in 2017. She is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (2013-2017) and Ambassador to Egypt (2011-2013), Pakistan (2007-2010), Colombia (2000-2003), and El Salvador (1997-2000). She recently retired with the rank of Career Ambassador after more than four decades in the Foreign Service. Amb. Patterson also served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, as well as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, among other important assignments.
Amb. Patterson sat down for a Q&A with us in October 2017:
Read Full BioRobert Ford

Kissinger Senior Fellow
Robert Ford joined the Jackson Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2016. After a 30-year career with the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State, Ford is now a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, where he writes and speaks about Syria, Iraq and North Africa. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Syria 2011-2014, receiving wide recognition for his work defending Syrians’ human rights in the face of the Bashar Asad regime’s repression.
Ford recently sat down for a Q&A with us.
Read Full BioRosemary DiCarlo

Senior Fellow
Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo joined the Jackson Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2015. Following a 30-year career with the U.S. Department of State, Amb. DiCarlo is now president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a nonprofit organization that conducts educational programs and Track II diplomatic initiatives regarding security challenges facing the United States.
Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Amb. DiCarlo sat down for a Q&A with us:
Read Full Bio