Q&A with Dean Alyssa Ayres

Photo Alyssa Ayres

What drew you to the Elliott School and this position?
I’d taught at the Elliott School a couple years ago, and admired the school’s academic excellence and real-world impact on educating policy leaders. The school’s mission, with its emphases on education, research, and public engagement, speaks to the different parts of my life. When the deanship opened up at Elliott in 2020, I was drawn to the opportunity to be part of such an accomplished school of international affairs, a community of scholars thinking about these issues, and at a time when foreign policy and national security concerns are front and center in our lives. 

What are your top priorities for your first year as dean?
My number one priority is to get to know the school—get to know the faculty, staff, and students, and your top ambitions and concerns! I am also keen to think through with all of you how the Elliott School can build on its great strengths across the disciplines and take the lead on emerging foreign policy trends like the expansion of new actors in international affairs, or how best to organize our work on complex issues like climate, global health, and cybersecurity. I really look forward to conversations with the Elliott community on these and so many other issues. 

If you had to pinpoint a childhood experience that sparked your interest in international affairs, what would it be?
This is a very long story. I was originally on the engineering track. But I did a semester abroad program in India during college, and that shaped every single step from there. It’s one reason I continue to advocate for study abroad programs, and most especially, for programs that are a little less-traveled. Please ask me for my slide on study abroad destinations! 

What achievement are you most proud of in your career to date?
I am most proud to have been part of the team at the State Department that staffed the early years of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, a whole-of-government cabinet-level consultation created by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It continues to exist although it has gone through two format revisions; it provides an anchor on the diplomatic calendar with an important country that is not a formal U.S. ally. 

What are some of the qualities you admire in leaders you have worked with and why?
Transparency and collegiality, because that makes it so much easier to get through (inevitable) challenges together. 

Any advice for Elliott students going on their second virtual semester?
This is hard, and we are collectively living through something unprecedented in our lifetimes. While we all keep buckled down for the months ahead, it’s still important to take breaks, and step away from the screen sometimes. (This advice will be a lot nicer to follow once the season changes to spring.) 

And finally, what’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Start saving for retirement early. I promise you it is important! 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *