Linda S. Jamison

Linda Jamison is dean of the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy at CSIS and a senior fellow in multilateral studies. The academy was launched in April 2002 and is named for David M. Abshire, cofounder of CSIS, and Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera Corporation and the Inamori Foundation in Japan. The academy’s primary purpose is to promote a better understanding of leadership among individuals, within institutions, across borders, and between generations—within the context of shifting global trends and the dynamics that shape international relations. During her previous tenure at CSIS, from 1989 to 1996, Jamison conducted the Center’s first leadership program, the International Women’s Leadership Fellows Program, which took place on the heels of the first-ever summit of current and former female heads of state in Stockholm. Prior to rejoining CSIS in 2002, Jamison served in two capacities at the United Nations, as senior adviser to the UN Information Center and as head of office for the UN Office for Project Services, both in Washington. She is the author of a briefing book entitled, “The U.S. Role in United Nations Peace Operations,” and several articles and online publications on U.S.-UN relations, the role of the United Nations in peace and stability operations, and U.S. political leadership. Prior to joining the United Nations, Jamison was executive director of the Emergency Coalition for U.S. Financial Support of the United Nations. Her previous positions at CSIS include director of government relations, where she managed the Center’s relationship with policymakers and conducted research on U.S. foreign policy, public diplomacy, and the prospects for executive-legislative relations after the Cold War. She is a frequent source of media commentary, a public speaker, and regular contributor to national and international news stories. Jamison’s affiliations include the board of advisers of the U.S. Public Service Academy, a national effort to create a four-year university dedicated to public service; the Leadership Development Reference Group of the UN Senior Staff College in Turin, Italy; councilor to the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, with a membership of over 1,200 aspiring young professionals worldwide; the UNA-NCA committee on UN reform; and the editorial board of Dialectics, an academic journal of Penn State University. Jamison has served in various staff positions on Capitol Hill and in the Colorado Legislature. She holds a master’s degree in international communication from American University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Denver.