Josephine Wolff named inaugural holder of endowed professorship
With a generous commitment from Lisbeth Tarlow, F84, FG97, and her husband, Stephen Kay, Josephine Wolff, associate dean for research and professor of cybersecurity policy at The Fletcher School, has been named the Alma G. and Merton B. Tarlow Professor of Technology and International Affairs.
The new professorship endows a position at Fletcher, advancing scholarship on technologies and international affairs. Kay established the fund in honor of Tarlow and her parents, Alma and Merton, whose encouragement helped shape Tarlow’s interest in global issues.
“My parents instilled in me a deep curiosity about the world, an appreciation for other cultures through study and travel, and a commitment to giving back,” said Tarlow, a Russia and Eurasia expert who is a member of the Board of Trustees at Tufts University.
“From an early age I was drawn to the study of Russian and Russian literature, later shifting my focus to the domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet Union. While working at the Belfer Center at Harvard, a colleague and passionate Fletcher alum inspired me to continue my studies at Fletcher. The faculty with whom I studied there have had a critically important and enduring effect in broadening my global perspective. I am so grateful to Steve for making this professorship possible in my parents’ names.”
Tarlow has a deep connection to Fletcher. She previously served on Fletcher’s Board of Advisors for 24 years, with the last six as chair of the board, and she co-chaired a Board Initiative on women’s international leadership. Additionally, Tarlow taught Russian foreign policy for a number of years at the school and is a two-time alumna, earning her master’s and PhD. These experiences, along with her 20 years as executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, have reinforced her belief that faculty support is among the most lasting and meaningful investments donors can make.
The Tufts Faculty and Research Excellence Fund, a matching gift challenge, was created to encourage investment in faculty whose teaching and scholarship create real-world impact, drive innovation, and transform lives on campus and beyond.
“Faculty are at the heart of the university’s excellence, and Steve and I hope this gift encourages others to invest in the teachers and scholars whose work will shape Tufts and the future generation for years to come,” said Tarlow.
When deciding to endow a professorship, Tarlow and Kay were forward-thinking, looking at issues and topics that would be transformative in the next century, such as AI and cybersecurity. Their gift allows Fletcher to strengthen its newest field of study in technology policy, which is already proving to be among the most popular. While technology is important itself, it also intersects with other fields, from environmental sustainability and security to business and human rights, making the school’s international affairs and global business degrees more attractive.
“Technology shapes diplomacy, security, development, and nearly every dimension of international life,” said Kelly Sims Gallagher, dean of The Fletcher School. “This professorship strengthens Fletcher’s ability to prepare students for that reality and to bring rigorous, ethical policy thinking to the choices ahead. We’re deeply grateful to Lisbeth Tarlow and Stephen Kay, and proud to have Professor Wolff at Fletcher.”
Wolff studies the policy choices that determine how technology is used, regulated, and safeguarded. Her research interests include artificial intelligence policy and governance, liability for cybersecurity incidents, cyber-insurance, government responses to cyberattacks, and the economics of information security. A trusted scholar, she directs The Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs, Fletcher’s research institute that fosters the global exchange of ideas on the management of innovation and technological change. Prior to joining Fletcher, Wolff was an assistant professor of public policy and computing security at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at the New America Cybersecurity Initiative and Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an MS in technology and policy and a PhD in engineering systems.
In the classroom, Wolff prepares students to understand the underlying systems well enough to craft policy that is realistic, enforceable, and useful. “You cannot make good technology policy without understanding and appreciating the technology in a real way,” she said. “And you build on that so students are prepared to see technological development as a series of human choices about what to encourage, what to regulate, and what to protect.”
For Tarlow, a champion of women in international affairs, the professorship extends a lifelong commitment to Fletcher into a field shaping the future of our world.
“I have enormous respect and admiration for Kelly Sims Gallagher’s leadership—her strategic thinking, her openness to new and creative ideas, her vision for Fletcher’s future, and her absolute dedication to its success,” Tarlow said. “This professorship is a wonderful way to support exceptional faculty, and Josephine Wolff is a case in point. It is a thrill to see her as the inaugural Alma G. and Merton B. Tarlow Professor of Technology and International Affairs—a renowned scholar in a critically important field and a beloved teacher preparing students to make the world safer and better.”
“Lis and Steve are true philanthropists. Their support has benefited the arts and education in Boston and beyond. I admire and am thankful for their generosity and commitment to giving back to make a difference in society and at Fletcher,” said Gallagher.