Speaker

Nicholas Burns is the Goodman Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is the Founder and Faculty Chair of the Future of Diplomacy Project and a Faculty Affiliate at Harvard’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Burns worked in the United States government for over three decades, serving six presidents and nine secretaries of state. Most recently, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 2021-2025, leading public servants from forty-eight U.S. government agencies at the U.S. mission to China in overseeing one of America's most important bilateral relationships. Burns is Vice Chairman of the Cohen Group and Co-Chair of the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum. He has received fifteen honorary degrees, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, and other awards. He has a BA in History from Boston College and an MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.