Ambassador David Balton Named Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Arctic Initiative

CAMBRIDGE, MA - The Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of Ambassador David Balton, former Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee, as a non-resident Senior Fellow. Ambassador Balton will support the Initiative’s work on assessing changing geopolitical dynamics in the Arctic and strengthening regional governance mechanisms, with a focus on the Arctic Council and sustainable ocean management.

“David has been an important leader in the Arctic policy community for decades. We are thrilled to welcome him into the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative and to have his deep knowledge and experience inform our work,” said Arctic Initiative Director Jennifer Spence.

During the Biden administration, Ambassador Balton advised the President on Arctic issues and served as Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee, which advances and coordinates U.S. policies and activities in the Arctic region.

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Benn Craig/Belfer Center

“David Balton is a towering figure in science diplomacy, having served with extraordinary distinction as U.S. Ambassador at Large for the Oceans and then as the Director of the Arctic Executive Steering Committee in the White House,” said Arctic Initiative Co-Chair John Holdren. “He has been an indispensable participant in many Arctic Initiative events throughout our program’s existence. We are more than delighted that he has now joined the Initiative as a Senior Fellow."

Ambassador Balton comes to the Belfer Center after an illustrious career in the U.S. Department of State. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, attaining the rank of Ambassador in 2006, where he was responsible for coordinating the development of U.S. foreign policy concerning oceans and fisheries. During the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council (2015-2017), Ambassador Balton served as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials. He has led negotiations on a wide range of international agreements, including the 2011 Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic, the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic, and the 2018 Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"I am truly grateful to be joining the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative,” said Balton. “The Initiative has done tremendous work in advancing understanding of the Arctic Region and in fostering Arctic cooperation. I look forward to contributing to these efforts.”

About the Arctic Initiative

The Arctic has become a crucible in which the fast-warming climate is generating cascading impacts both within and beyond the region. It is compounding economic and social changes facing the region's economies and Indigenous and local cultures. And it is complicating governance within and among Arctic nations, as well as relations among Arctic-interested countries more widely. Launched in 2017 to contribute to the interdisciplinary, multidimensional, collaborative analysis and responsive actions that this complex of problems and opportunities requires, the Arctic Initiative has focused to date on identifying strategies to enhance community resilience in a changing Arctic, developing responses to the local and global impacts of permafrost thaw, addressing issues in Arctic Ocean management, and charting a course for future Arctic governance.

For Media Inquiries

Elizabeth Hanlon
(617) 495-5965
ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu