Betsy Fischer Martin is Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
An Emmy-winning journalist and longtime television news executive, Fischer Martin spent more than two decades at NBC News, where she served as Executive Producer of Meet the Press and Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming. Working closely with moderator Tim Russert, she produced the nation’s longest-running television program and helped lead NBC’s coverage of presidential campaigns, elections, and major political events. Her work at NBC News was recognized with several honors, including multiple News and Documentary Emmy Awards and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.
Before joining Harvard, Fischer Martin spent a decade at American University’s School of Public Affairs, where she served as Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute and was a faculty member and Senior Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Government. She led the Institute’s research, academic programs, and public engagement focused on women’s political leadership, overseeing its curriculum, faculty, student initiatives, and signature leadership programs, while teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on campaigns, elections, political communication, and the media.
Fischer Martin previously served as a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics and as a Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future.
She serves on the Global Board of Directors of the International Women’s Forum and previously served as president of its Washington, D.C., chapter. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an alumna of the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders.
A native of New Orleans, Fischer Martin earned a bachelor’s degree from American University’s School of Public Affairs and a master’s degree in journalism and public affairs from its School of Communication.