France’s Former Ambassador to the United States Will Serve as Visiting Professor

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Philippe Etienne, who has been France’s ambassador to the United States since July 2019, will join SIPA as the visiting McGovern Professor of International and Public Affairs for spring 2023.

An expert on the European Union and continental Europe, Etienne previously served as diplomatic adviser to President Emmanuel Macron from 2017 to 2019. Over the years he has held numerous other posts within France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, including as ambassador to Germany (2014–2017); ambassador, permanent representative of France to the European Union (2009–2014); director of the cabinet of the minister of foreign and European affairs (2007–2009); and ambassador to Romania (2002–2005).

Etienne is a graduate of France’s École Normale Supérieure and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration. Among numerous honors he is a Commander of the Legion of Honor and a Commander of the National Order of Merit.

“I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Philippe Etienne to the SIPA faculty,” said Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo. “It is a privilege to host such a distinguished visitor, and I know our faculty and students will benefit from his experience and insight. We look forward to his contributions to our community.”

The McGovern Professorship of International and Public Affairs is a visiting position for scholars who show a deep commitment to international peace and cooperation. Chair holders typically give a public address on this subject as part of their appointment.

Previous holders of the chair include Jeffrey DeLaurentis MIA ’78, a SIPA alumnus and longtime American diplomat who became the first chief of mission for the U.S. embassy in Havana after the United States reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2014, and Shlomo Ben-Ami, the historian and former Israeli politician.