SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins launches search for next director

Johns Hopkins University has assembled a search committee to identify the next leader of its Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute, succeeding Hahrie Han, who will step down from the role at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.

As inaugural director, Han has led the SNF Agora Institute since 2019, building it into a thriving academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy and civic discourse through research, teaching, and public engagement.

Han, who studies political organizing, social movements, collective action, civic engagement, and democracy, and who was named a recipient of a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship last month, will remain a part of the Hopkins faculty when her term as the institute's director concludes.

"SNF Agora's work reflects an essential part of the university's mission to advance knowledge in the service of democracy and the public good," JHU President Ron Daniels wrote in a message to university leadership today. "We are grateful that Hahrie will continue to play an active role as a scholar and public voice on these issues and will remain a valued member of the Johns Hopkins faculty. On behalf of the university and all who have learned from and continue to be inspired by her work, we offer our sincere appreciation for her distinguished leadership."

Under Han's leadership, the SNF Agora Institute has assembled a multidisciplinary faculty and staff, created new programs for students and fellows, and fostered collaborations that connect scholarship with civic life. It regularly hosts discussions and events across a range of topics, including its keystone Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival, an annual gathering of civic leaders, scholars, students, policymakers, and others that explores how democratic life can thrive amid division.

The institute has created an undergraduate major in moral and political economy, a minor in civic life, and the SNF Agora Academy for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows, while initiating and expanding partnerships across Johns Hopkins and around the world.

SNF Agora has strengthened its reach through collaborations with organizations including Chatham House, Open to Debate, the American Enterprise Institute, the Renew Democracy Initiative, and R Street. Its Visiting Fellows and Dissident in Residence programs have welcomed artists, journalists, and civic leaders from around the world, enriching the university community with diverse perspectives and expertise.

During the spring semester, the institute will move to the soon-to-be-completed SNF Agora building, designed by world-renowned architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The building's glass-encased, light-filled cubes embody the institute's mission, signifying openness and transparency, and suggesting a gathering space that invites open discourse and a free exchange of ideas.

"It's a great opportunity and a propitious moment for a new director to take SNF Agora into its next phase of strategic growth, building on a really strong foundation," Han said.

The 18-member search committee to identify Han's successor will be led by Provost Ray Jayawardhana and Chris Celenza, dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, with support from the search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Feedback and confidential nominations can be shared with both the committee and the search firm via email at AgoraDirector@heidrick.com.

The search committee membership includes:

Ray Jayawardhana (Co-Chair)
Provost
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Johns Hopkins University

Chris Celenza (Co-Chair)
James B. Knapp Dean
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Yuen Yuen Ang  
Alfred Chandler Professor, Political Science
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences 

Amy Binder
SNF Agora Institute Professor of Sociology
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Jacob Bruggeman
PhD in History Candidate
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Aron Einbinder
BA Moral & Political Economy Student
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Henry Farrell
SNF Agora Institute Professor of International Affairs
School of Advanced International Studies

Rachel Hitchcock
Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Johns Hopkins University

Louis Hyman
Dorothy Ross Professor, History
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Adam Levine
SNF Agora Institute Professor of Health Policy and Management
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Morris Offit, KSAS '57, L.H.D '96; Parent KSAS '87, SAIS '93, '94
SNF Agora Institute Board of Overseers

Carmine Petrone, KSAS '04
Johns Hopkins University Trustee

David Richelsoph
Managing Director
SNF Agora Institute

Leah Wright Rigueur
SNF Agora Institute Associate Professor of History
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Casey Russo
Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Fritz Schroeder
Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Johns Hopkins University and Medicine

Elizabeth Smyth
Former Founding Executive Director
SNF Agora Institute

Scott Warren
SNF Agora Fellow