What do Sean Spicer and Chelsea Manning have in common? The two have just been announced as visiting fellows at Harvard’s Institute of Politics.
The former press secretary to President Donald Trump and the former U.S. Army analyst who leaked secret military documents will join two other visiting fellows for the 2017-18 academic year: Sylvester James Jr., mayor of Kansas City, Mo., and CNN political commentator Robby Mook.
The Institute of Politics (IOP) announced the new fellows on Wednesday.
“Broadening the range and depth of opportunity for students to hear from and engage with experts, leaders and policy-shapers is a cornerstone of the Institute of Politics,” said Bill Delahunt, IOP acting director, in a statement. “We welcome the breadth of thought-provoking viewpoints on race, gender, politics and the media.”
Spicer, who resigned from his role as press secretary in July as a protest of Anthony Scaramucci’s (short-lived) appointment, holds a master’s degree from the Naval War College and serves as a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Manning, who was released from prison in May after serving seven years in prison, marks IOP’s first transgender fellow. She is a Washington-based network security expert and speaks on “the social, technological and economic ramifications of Artificial Intelligence” in op-ed columns.
These four add to the previously announced Visiting Fellows for a full lineup including Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Corey Lewandowski, Guy Benson, Mary Katherine Ham, Gov. Steven Beshear and Cornell William Brooks.
“This expanded group of Visiting Fellows will be able to fulfill the Institute’s mission of engaging students in discourse on topical issues of today, including local politics with Mayor Sly James, election cybersecurity with Robby Mook, White House communications with Sean Spicer, and issues of LGBTQ identity in the military with Chelsea Manning,” said Emily Hall and Jason Ge, co-chairs of IOP Fellows, in a statement. “This unique opportunity to closely engage with our Visiting Fellows will surely shape the semester, and we hope many students will participate in the upcoming events and discussions.”
