Stewart named director of HKS’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

Scholar, author, and activist Rory Stewart has been named director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Stewart will assume his new position on Jan. 1.

Stewart is founder and chief executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the regeneration of the historic commercial center of Kabul, Afghanistan. He previously worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, serving as deputy governorate coordinator and senior adviser. Stewart also served as an officer in the British Army and worked for the British Diplomatic Service in Indonesia, Montenegro, and elsewhere. He is author of “The Prince of the Marshes” and “The Places In Between,” a critically acclaimed book that chronicled his 6,000-mile journey by foot across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal.

“Rory Stewart has had a remarkably diverse and impressive career,” said David T. Ellwood, dean of HKS. “His depth and breadth of experience and his exposure to some of the world’s most pressing human rights issues position him perfectly to lead the Carr Center in the years ahead.”

Stewart, who earned his B.A. and M.A. in modern history and politics, philosophy, and economics from Oxford University, previously served as a research fellow at the Carr Center during the 2004-05 academic year.

“The Carr Center has led some of the most thoughtful and challenging work in the human rights field over the last 10 years,” said Stewart, “and it is a great privilege to return to it. I look forward to working with scholars, practitioners, and students in making human rights a critical component in the formation of solid public policy in the U.S. and across the world.”

Stewart will succeed Sarah Sewall, who is completing her third year as director of the Carr Center. Sewall will continue to serve on the Kennedy School faculty and focus her research on international security.