Staff

Setti Warren

He/Him/His
Director

Setti D. Warren is Director of the Institute of Politics and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this role, he served as executive director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. He previously served as mayor of Newton...

Morgan Brown

He/Him/His
Executive Director

Morgan Brown is the Executive Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.  Prior to joining the IOP in August of 2023, he was Deputy Director of the Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council and had previously served Harvard University as its Senior...

Zoe Anderson

Staff Assistant for Internships & Career Services and Fellows & Study Groups

Zoe joined the Institute of Politics in March 2023. Born and raised in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Westminster College and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Chatham University. Prior to working at...

Dan Balz

He/Him/His
Senior Fellow

Dan Balz is chief correspondent at The Washington Post. He joined The Post in 1978 and has been involved in political coverage as a reporter or editor throughout his career. Before coming to The Post, he worked at National Journal magazine as a reporter and an editor and at the...

Cassidy Bissell

She/Her/Hers
Fellows and Study Groups Coordinator

Cassidy oversees planning and execution of the Fellows and Study Groups Program at the Institute of Politics. Prior to Harvard Kennedy School, Cassidy worked for political campaigns, nonprofits, and in community organizing. Cassidy attended Boston University and graduated with...

Tessa Castellani

She/Her/Hers
Content & Communications manager

Tessa joined the Institute of Politics in January 2024 and currently oversees digital communications at the IOP including its website, newsletters, and social media channels. Previously she spent five years at Harvard Public Affairs and Communications, where she was the Digital...

Kerri Collins

She/Her/Hers
Finance and Administrative Coordinator

Kerri first joined the Institute of Politics as a receptionist and staff assistant in October 1999, coming to the Kennedy School with over ten years of experience in hospitality management with Interstate Hotel properties. As finance and administrative coordinator, Kerri works...

John Della Volpe

He/Him/his
Director of Polling

John Della Volpe is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America (St. Martin's Press, January 2022). The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s...

Laura Dove

Senior Fellow

Laura Dove joined the Institute of Politics in 2023 after a stint as a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

Laura devoted decades of service to the United States Senate, from her appointment as a page in the 1980s to her election as the body’s...

Aaron Goldman

Director of the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum

Aaron joined the IOP in March of 2023, following five years working in communications and student engagement at Harvard College. In this role, he also worked with undergraduate students as a first-year advisor, and faculty advisor for Harvard Yearbook Publications. Previously, he...

Dejanee Miller

She/Her/Hers
JFK Jr. Forum Coordinator

Dejanee Miller joined the Institute of Politics in June 2022. Originally from Boston, Dejanee graduated from St. John’s University in May 2022 with a degree in criminal justice. Prior to joining Harvard Kennedy School, Dejanee interned with the New York Civil Liberties Union and...

Brigid O'Rourke

She/Her/Hers
Director of Communications

Brigid joined the IOP in August of 2023. Previously she spent nine years at Harvard Public Affairs and Communications, where she was the Director of Communications and Outreach.  Prior to coming to Harvard, she was the Massachusetts Press Secretary for Senator John Kerry. Before...

Melanie Pagán

Director of Student Programs

Melanie Pagán is the Director of Student Programs at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. She joined the IOP with 15 years of experience in higher education at various institutions including Columbia University, Yale University, The George Washington...

Cathey Park

She/Her/Hers
Conferences and Special Projects Manager

Cathey Park joined the Institute of Politics in 2004 and currently manages the Conferences and Special Projects portfolio. She oversees all signature IOP seminars, including Newly Elected Mayors, Newly Elected Members of Congress, and the Presidential Campaign Managers Conference...

Kimberly Peeples

She/Her/Hers
Director of Finance and Administration

Kimberly joined the Institute of Politics as finance manager in August 2021. Kimberly comes to the Kennedy School with over thirteen years of research administration financial background. Prior to this role, she served as senior financial officer at the Computer Science...