US Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew Returns to SIPA and IGP

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Jacob J. Lew, outgoing US ambassador to Israel, is rejoining the Columbia SIPA faculty as a professor of international and public affairs in January. He will teach graduate students at the School and serve as faculty policy director at SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) on the subjects of diplomacy, geopolitical stability, international economics, fiscal and trade policy, and a range of other public policy issues. Lew joined the SIPA faculty initially in 2017, after serving as Secretary of the Treasury under President Barack Obama.

“We are thrilled to have Jack back in the classroom,” said SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo. “His most recent experience as an ambassador, confronting some of the toughest issues in the Middle East, makes him invaluable to our students. And his long body of work in diplomacy and public service offers students unparalleled access to one of this generation's most powerful thought leaders and experienced practitioners.” 

During the seven years that Secretary Lew was at SIPA, he taught courses on leadership and economic policy-making and democratic institutions under stress. He plans to add a course on the Middle East conflict. Lew participated in a wide variety of SIPA programs in economic and monetary policy and international affairs, including SIPA’s programs in China.

“I’ve always felt intellectually at home at SIPA because the school is dedicated to bridging the worlds of academia and of policy – which is crucial to bringing creative and sound ideas to decision-makers,” said Lew. “I look forward to reengaging with our talented students and faculty as well as sharing my views and experiences on everything from tariff policy and sanctions to the current tensions and conflict in the Middle East.” 

Lew was nominated by President Joe Biden as US Ambassador to Israel and was sworn in on November 2, 2023. During this period of war and crises, he worked closely with senior decision-makers in the governments of the United States and Israel to advance US national interests in Israel and in the region. He worked extensively on advancing hostage and ceasefire negotiations, meeting critical needs for humanitarian assistance while also advancing military objectives, and playing a central role in opening corridors for the delivery of aid to civilians.

Before his tenure as the 76th Secretary of the Treasury, Lew served as President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff and twice as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), under both President Bill Clinton and President Obama. He also served in the Department of State as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources under Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and was an advisor for many years to former Speaker of the House Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. In addition to Lew’s work on macroeconomic and fiscal policy, domestic policy has been a key area of interest, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Early in the Clinton administration he played a central role in launching the Americorps national service program.

After leaving the Department of the Treasury, Secretary Lew served as managing partner at private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg and has been on the SIPA faculty since 2017 as a visiting professor and professor of international and public affairs, taking a service leave from 2023–25 to serve in the Biden administration. 

Media Contact: Lionel Beehner, senior editorial director: [email protected]