The Master of Arts (MA) degree has produced numerous graduates who have gone on to hold the highest ranks in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, including ambassadors, CEOs, world-renowned attorneys, heads of state and thought leaders throughout the world.
Five ambassadors from the People’s Republic of China to foreign nations are Fletcher MA graduates, including recent recipient of the Fletcher Dean’s Medal Liu Xiaoming, F83, (North Korea); Jianhua Zhong, F85, (South Africa); Yuanyuan Zhang, F95, (New Zealand); Junsai Zhang, F89, (Australia); while Mingming Chen, F81, is the former Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand.
Other Notable MA Alumni
The Honorable Nathaniel Davis, F47
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Ambassador to Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Sweden
Jean François-Poncet, F48
Former French Foreign Minister
Stephen Shank, F66
Founder, Capella University and former CEO, Tonka Corporation
The Honorable Pieter C. Feith, F70
General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
Dr. Joseph W. Polisi, F70
President, The Juilliard School
Ambassador Bernd Mützelburg, F74
German Ambassador to India
Ambassador Klaus Scharioth, F78
German Ambassador to the United States
Ambassador Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, F80
Former U.S. Ambassador to Senegal
Rear Admiral Lui Tuck Yew, F94
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts of Singapore
MA Alumni Profiles
Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger
F73Global Head of Governmental Affairs, Allianz SE
Chairman, Munich Security Conference
"Without my year at Fletcher, my professional career as a diplomat and Ambassador would not have been possible. Fletcher was an invaluable and unforgettable personal and professional experience."
For more than 30 years, Ambassador Ischinger served in various roles for the German Foreign Office, including most recent posts as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom and The United States, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister. He also served as the European Union’s representative for the Troika during the talks for Kosovo as it sought independence.
Karen Hastie Williams, F67
Retired Partner, Crowell & Moring, LLP
Hastie Williams was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Judge Spottswood W. Robinson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She also served as Chief Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Budget, and as Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget.
Shashi Tharoor, F76, F77
Chairman, Afras Ventures
"My job is to promote the understanding of and support for the U.N.'s role in development, the environment, public health — a whole range of issues and initiatives. And whatever the organization's shortcomings, when it comes to dealing with these kinds of transnational issues, no other body can match the experience, expertise, and legitimacy the U.N. is able to muster. The breadth and rigor of my class work at Fletcher has served me well."
Tharoor is the former Under-Secretary General for Communications & Public Information at the United Nations. He was the official candidate of India for the succession to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, and finished second out of seven candidates. Earlier in his career, Tharoor joined the staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, and some of his responsibilities included peace-keeping after the Cold War and as a senior adviser to the Secretary-General, as well as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, F83
Chinese Ambassador to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Recent recipient of The Fletcher School’s Dean’s Medal, Xiaoming Liu has spent more than 20 years in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As his country’s ambassador to North Korea, Xiaoming has played a key role in crafting a solution to one of the most pressing international issues of our time and thereby promoting peace and stability in Asia, as well as in the world at large. In addition to his current role, Liu Xiaoming has served as Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Arab Republic of Egypt, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in the United States.