Farah Pandith

Farah Pandith (born January 13, 1968) is an American academic. She was born in Srinagar, Kashmir, India, and was raised in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In June 2009 she was appointed the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Education

Pandith received a Master's degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she specialized in International Security Studies, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Islamic Civilizations and Southwest Asia. She concentrated on the insurgency in Kashmir. she received an A.B. in Government and Psychology from Smith College.

Career

• Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project - Dec 2014 – Present.

Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project - Sep 2014 – Dec 2014.

• Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations - Dec 2014 – Present.

• Strategic Advisor, Institute for Strategic Dialogue - Mar 2014 – Present.

• Spring Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government - Feb 2014 – Jun 2014.

• US Department of State, Special Representative to Muslim Communities - Jun 2009 – Feb 2014.

• US Department of State, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs - Feb 2007 – Jun 2009.

• Director for Middle East Regional Initiatives, National Security Council, The White House - Aug 2004 – Feb 2007.

• Chief of Staff, Asia Near East Bureau, USAID - 2003 – 2004.

• Vice President, International Business, ML Strategies, LLC - Mar 1997 – May 2003.

Affiliations

• American Abroad Media - Board of Advisors.
• British-American Project - Member.
• Council on Foreign Relations - Adjunct Senior Fellow
• European Academy of Sciences and Arts - Member.
• Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard Kennedy School - Senior Fellow.
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue - Head of Strategy and member of U.S. board.
• Risk Network and Exchange - Advisor.
• The Cipher Brief - Network Expert.
• Tribeca Film Institute - Board of Directors.
• Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - Board of Advisors.
• We Are Family Foundation - Board of Directors.
• Women and Girls Lead - Leadership Council.
• Women in Public Service Project - Board Member.

Publications

• Farah Pandith, We Need to Save the World’s Lungs and its Heart, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 12 November 2019.
• Farah Pandith, National Security Readiness Requires Cultural Listening, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 10 January 2019.