WATCH: A Conversation with Jared Kushner

RSVP Required Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

A conversation between MEI Faculty Chair Professor Tarek Masoud and former senior advisor to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner. This event is part of the Middle East Initiative's "Middle East Dialogues," a series of frank, open, and probing encounters with vital and varied perspectives on the current conflict, its causes, and the prospects for peace and progress in the region.

This event is open to HUID holders only. Registration is required.

Date: Thu, Feb 15, 2024 Time: 04:30pm - 06:00pm

This event is part of the Middle East Initiative's "Middle East Dialogues," a series of frank, open, and probing encounters with vital and varied perspectives on the current conflict, its causes, and the prospects for peace and progress in the region:

A Conversation with Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to President Donald Trump - Thursday, February 15, 4:30-6:00pm
A Conversation with Matt Duss, former foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders - Thursday, February 29, 4:30-6:00pm
A Conversation with Dalal Saeb Iriqat, columnist and professor, Arab American University Palestine, March 7, 12:00-1:30pm
A Conversation with Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority - Tuesday, March 26, 4:30-6:00pm
A Conversation with Einat Wilf, author and former member of Knesset - Friday, April 12, 12:00-1:30pm
A Conversation with Bret Stephens, New York Times opinion columnist - Monday, April 29, 6:00-7:30pm

These events are open to HUID holders only. Registration is required.

Jared Kushner is the founder of Affinity Partners, a global investment firm focused on driving growth through shared economic interests. From 2017-2021, Jared served as Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump. In this role, Jared managed the US-Mexico relationship, led Middle East peace efforts, and negotiated the administration’s historic overhaul of America’s federal prison and criminal justice systems. In September 2020, Jared orchestrated the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and five different Muslim-majority nations, the first Middle East peace deals in 26 years. Before joining the Trump administration, Jared oversaw many aspects of the Trump presidential campaign while simultaneously leading real estate, media, and technology businesses based in New York. He became CEO of Kushner Companies in 2008. Jared also cofounded two technology companies—Cadre and Wiredscore.

In 2007, he purchased and became publisher of the New York Observer, which he transformed into a leading online publication, growing both page views and visitors nearly seven times. He also founded the Commercial Observer, the leading publication covering commercial real estate in New York City and beyond. In 2015, Jared was named to Fortune’s 40 under 40 list. In 2017, he was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People. In 2018, Jared received the Aztec Eagle Award, Mexico’s highest honor, for his work on the USMCA trade agreement. Jared also received numerous awards for his historic work on the Abraham Accords, including the National Security Medal, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite from King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and the Order of Merit of Hungary.

In January 2021, he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Jared graduated Harvard in 2003, with honors, and received his J.D and MBA from NYU in 2007. Jared is the author of Breaking History: A White House Memoir (HarperCollins, 2022), which reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.