PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Former Rhode Island Gov. and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and former President of Colombia Iván Duque are among four distinguished policy experts joining Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs as senior fellows for 2026-27.

The new fellows also include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde, a senior national security reporter at MS NOW, and Jaykumar Menon, an international human rights lawyer and social entrepreneur who played a key role in securing a historic $4 billion judgment on behalf of the victims of the Bosnian genocide.

In their roles as Watson School senior fellows, the policy experts will mentor and lead small, topic-based study groups for Brown students, and leverage their professional networks to organize public lectures and symposia. 

“This program enables students to connect with some of the world’s most influential figures in the policy arena, allowing them to engage with a diverse array of ideas, perspectives and experiences,” Watson School Dean John N. Friedman said.

As part of the program, the Watson School will host a series of events featuring Raimondo, including an open-to-the-public fireside chat with Friedman on Monday, Oct. 26. 

“I am so excited about our stellar group of senior fellows for 2026-27, coming to Watson from countries around the world and from right here in Rhode Island,” Friedman said. “Iván Duque is one of Latin America’s most prominent voices on public policy, economic development and democratic governance, and Gina Raimondo is one of America’s most dynamic political leaders, shaping the national conversation around economic policy and international competitiveness.”

Former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, now president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, will return to the Watson School as a senior fellow this year, as will Deborah Gordon, a senior principal in the climate intelligence program at Rocky Mountain Institute who formerly served as director of the energy and climate program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

This article was adapted from a story by Pete Bilderback at Brown’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs. Read the full article on the Watson School website.