Ambassador (ret.) John Hennessey-Niland to succeed Andrew Natsios later this year as director of the Texas A&M University research center
BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION, TX – The Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs will have a new director starting Sept. 1, The Bush School of Government and Public Service has announced.
Ambassador John Hennessey-Niland, a professor of practice at the Bush School and retired U.S. diplomat, will succeed Scowcroft Institute director Andrew Natsios. Natsios, who has led the institute for more than half of its existence, expanding its reach and influence over his dozen years as director, will continue his teaching and research with the Bush School (where the institute is housed).
“Ambassador Hennessey-Niland has a distinguished record. He is a proven foreign policy and national security leader with 35 years of diplomatic experience as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service,” Bush School Dean John Sherman said. “We look forward to his leadership as he guides the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs towards continued success, innovation and thought leadership.”
Hennessey-Niland brings unique expertise and experience to the Scowcroft Institute. He was one of the most experienced “Pacific hands” and Indo-Pacific experts at the U.S. Department of State. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Palau, at the White House on the National Security Council and with the United Nations as a war crimes investigator. He was the foreign policy advisor to the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific. The White House entrusted him to be the first U.S. ambassador to visit Taiwan since 1979.
Hennessey-Niland came to the Bush School three years ago to lead the diplomacy concentration in the Department of International Affairs. He soon began talking with the school’s leadership about becoming part of the Scowcroft Institute and strengthening its work. He has served as a senior fellow at the institute and will continue teaching “future colleagues,” as he likes to describe Bush School students. The Bush School has also announced that Hennessey-Niland has been awarded the Jake L. and Nancy B. Hamon Distinguished Professor of Practice in Residence Fellowship – a prestigious appointment awarded to individuals with exceptional merit and distinguished careers in international affairs. A Hamon Professor of Practice provides students with a practitioner’s perspective, insights and firsthand experiences in public service and policy.
“I’m inheriting a fantastic team,” Hennessey-Niland said. He cited Scowcroft’s research into COVID-19 as an example of how the institute has led on important, difficult issues in a nonpartisan way under the leadership of Natsios. The institute was positioned to lead on COVID-19 in part because its leaders had anticipated the possibility of a worldwide pandemic and were prepared. Hennessey-Niland said the Scowcroft Institute “can be a catalyst for research and analysis that helps resolve critical issues.” He added: “The Scowcroft Institute can lead and be at the center of positive responses to global challenges.”
Among the institute’s first major initiatives under Hennessey-Niland’s direction is an international, interfaith conference titled “Syria at a Crossroads,” set for September.
“Syria has always been an important crossroads, particularly for religious communities, in one of the most complex and challenging regions in the world,” Hennessey-Niland said. He expects the Syria conference to be the first in a series of such dialogues.
The conference “will be a foundational event which represents Texas A&M University’s core values and that establishes the university as a center of excellence for respectful and impactful learning regarding the world’s religions,” according to organizers. The Scowcroft Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences are cospsonsoring the conference.
As to his approach to leading the Scowcroft Institute, Hennessey-Niland, a soccer coach and avid fan, said he sees his role as similar to that of a coach.
“Hopefully, I can excite, encourage and help the great team at Scowcroft achieve continued success and also play a key role in preparing the next generation of leaders enrolled at the Bush School,” he said. “I see my role as helping the people here do the best job we can and honoring the unique legacy of President George H.W. Bush.”
Hennessey-Niland said he also wants the institute to continue expanding its reach by partnering with other parts of Texas A&M, the Aggie community generally and other higher-education institutions, in Texas and around the world. His background – a diplomat’s chief skill is working productively with others – hopefully will help, he said.
“The State Department is not such a large organization. We knew how to work collegially, how to assemble teams, and tackle whatever challenge was in front of us,” he said. He added that, as the incoming Scowcroft Institute leader, he wants to hear from people interested in the work of the institute: “For us to serve people best, we need to know what matters most to people and how the Scowcroft Institute can help address the most important global issues.”
Natsios has led the Scowcroft Institute for the majority of its existence. As director, he: oversaw the establishment of the Biosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center; supported cutting-edge research; published more than 30 Scowcroft white papers, policy papers and institute research reports; published three books; and coordinated more than 200 lectures from luminaries such as former British Prime Minister John Major, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and historian Stephen Kotkin.
Natsios’s “vision, dedication, and unwavering commitment to foster and disseminate policy-oriented research on international affairs have profoundly shaped the institute and left a lasting impact on our community,” said Sherman, the Bush School dean. “Further, his prescience regarding pandemics greatly aided America and the world in handling the COVID-19 catastrophe. We are so grateful to have such a dedicated public servant as one of our Bush School leaders.”
