Source: Chatham House –
Appointment of new director of Chatham House US and North America programme
News release
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Laurel Rapp will take up the role of Programme Director of Chatham House’s US and North America programme in September.
Chatham House is pleased to announce the appointment of Laurel Rapp as Programme Director of its US and North America Programme. Laurel will take up the role on 1 September.
Laurel is a foreign policy leader and practitioner with nearly two decades of experience at the US Department of State, White House National Security Council, US Senate, and in non-profit organisations. Until January 2025, she served as a member and then deputy director of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff.
Previously, Laurel covered United Nations issues at the State Department and the US Mission to the UN. She also worked on Middle East issues for the Deputy Secretary of State, the National Security Council, and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
Director and CEO of Chatham House Bronwen Maddox said: ‘I am delighted to welcome Laurel to Chatham House to lead our work on the United States and North America and to help us navigate what is an extraordinary time in US foreign policy.
‘I have no doubt that with her energy, leadership and deep policy expertise, the programme will continue to play a vital role in analysing the changing US role in the world, what it means for the future of international order, and how countries should respond.’
In addition to her most recent roles, she was also a fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee covering Europe and South Asia.
She is currently a senior fellow in international and public affairs at Brown University’s Watson School in Providence, Rhode Island.