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Warburg Chair in International Relations

Established with the help of a generous grant from Joan Melber Warburg '45, widow of James P. Warburg, the Warburg Chair in International Relations brings to Simmons a distinguished practitioner who has had significant experience at a responsible level in international relations. The Warburg professor normally remains for a two or three-year term. He or she joins the interdisciplinary program in international relations, encompassing the fields of political science, economics, history, women's studies, and foreign languages, and sits on the Steering Committee of that program. The Warburg Chair teaches the senior seminar in international relations in the fall and a special topics course in the spring. The Chair also holds occasional luncheon seminars with faculty, staff, and students and organizes other programming throughout the academic year, such as a lecture series or an academic conference.

Current Warburg Chair

Thomas Dougherty
U.S. Ambassador, Burkina Faso (2010‐2013)

Previous Warburg Chairs

  • 1983–1985: Robert E. White
    U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay (1977–1980) and El Salvador (1980–1981)
  • 1985–1988: David Anderson
    U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia (1981–1985)
  • 1988–1990: Monteagle Stearns
    U.S. Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire (1976–1979) and Greece (1981–1985)
  • 1990–1991: Elizabeth Pond
    Eminent writer and journalist
  • 1991–1993: Harry G. Barnes Jr.
    U.S. Ambassador to Romania (1973–77), India (1981–1985), and Chile (1985–1988)
  • 1993–1995: T. Frank Crigler
    U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda (1976–1979) and Somalia (1987–1990)
  • 1995–1998: Denis McLean
    New Zealand Ambassador to the United States (1991–1994)
  • 1998–2000: Erik Jensen
    Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (1994–1998)
  • 2000–2004: Charles F. Dunbar
    U.S. Ambassador to Qatar (1983–1985) and Yemen (1988–1991)
  • 2004–2007: Walter C. Carrington
    U.S. Ambassador to Senegal (1980–1981) and Nigeria (1993–1997)
  • 2007–2010: Thomas Hull
    U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone (2004–2007)
  • 2010–2012: Catharin Dalpino
    U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy (1993–1997)
  • 2012–2019: William M. Bellamy
    U.S. Ambassador to Kenya (2003-2006)