Miles Rapoport, a longtime resident of West Hartford, will assume the new position with Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance.

Miles Rapoport. Submitted photo

Submitted

Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation today announced the appointment of Miles Rapoport as its inaugural Senior Practice Fellow as part of the Center’s new Senior Practice Fellowship in American Democracy.

Rapoport, a longtime organizer, policy advocate, and elected official, brings to the Ash Center four decades of experience working to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions in the United States. Prior to his appointment to the Ash Center, Rapoport was most recently president of the independent grassroots organization Common Cause. For 13 years, he headed the public policy center Demos.

Rapoport previously served as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State and a state legislator for 10 years representing West Hartford. He has written, spoken, and organized widely on issues of American democracy. He was a member of the Harvard class of 1971.

Rapoport is the first fellow appointed as part of the Ash Center’s new Senior Practice Fellowship in American Democracy, which seeks to deepen the Center’s engagement on fundamental issues of democratic practice. This new fellowship is also intended to expand the connections between scholarship and the field of practice of people and organizations working to defend and improve our public institutions.

Professor Archon Fung, Academic Dean of the Kennedy School and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship, praised the appointment:

“Miles brings decades of experience as a democracy advocate to our new Senior Practice Fellowship. He has been an elected official charged with overseeing Connecticut’s elections, a policy leader, an organizer, and a consistent advocate for a vibrant and inclusive democracy.

The Kennedy School is at its best when practitioners and scholars collaborate to solve urgent public problems. Miles is uniquely qualified to connect the intellectual resources of the Kennedy School and Harvard with the on-the-ground practitioners in the field. We are delighted to appoint him to this important position.”

Rapoport can be contacted at [email protected].

About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence and innovation in governance and public policy through research, education, and public discussion. Three major programs support our mission: the Program on Democratic Governance, the Innovations in Government Program, and the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia. For more information, visit ash.harvard.edu.