Abrams and French join other Kettering Foundation appointees chosen for their thought leadership and defense of democracy, including broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff, the Katherine W. Fanning Fellow in Journalism and Democracy; former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, the inaugural David Mathews Democracy Fellow; former Poet Laureate of the United States Joy Harjo, the Ruth Yellowhawk Fellow; and ten other senior fellows: William J. Barber II, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, James Comey, Neal Katyal, María Teresa Kumar, Steven Levitsky, Sarah Longwell, J. Michael Luttig, Maureen O’Connor and Alexander Vindman.
Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader. She served as minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first Black woman to become gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history. Abrams has devoted her career to democracy protection, voting rights and effective public policy.
French is a columnist for The New York Times. A graduate of Harvard Law School, French was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic.
“Our newest fellows are not only distinguished leaders in their fields, but also trustworthy and courageous voices in defense of democracy,” said Kettering Foundation President and CEO Sharon L. Davies. “We at the Kettering Foundation look forward to their contributions as we work to advance inclusive democracy and combat the forces that seek to divide us.”
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