Avril Haines Named Next Carnegie Endowment President

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has named Avril Haines as its next president, effective September 28, 2026. She will replace Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar, taking the helm of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank at a critical juncture marked by rapid technological change and intensifying global conflicts. Haines, a lawyer and physicist by training, served as the U.S. Director of National Intelligence from 2021 to 2025, where she led the U.S. intelligence community and advised the president on national security. Prior roles included principal deputy national security advisor in the Obama administration, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and deputy chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She also founded and operated a bookstore café in Baltimore and recently held fellowships at Oxford University and Columbia University. The Carnegie Endowment, founded in 1910, focuses on generating independent analysis, supporting diplomacy, and addressing global challenges through strategic ideas. Jane Hartley, chair of the board, praised Haines’ leadership and intellectual depth, stating she is the right person to guide the organization during a time when institutions must adapt to complex global issues. Haines emphasized the need for rigorous, outside perspectives to drive meaningful change, highlighting Carnegie’s role in fostering ideas that can advance peace. Her appointment reflects bipartisan support and underscores the think tank’s commitment to tackling contemporary geopolitical and technological challenges. The Carnegie Endowment will continue its mission of training scholar-practitioners and producing research to help governments and institutions navigate difficult global problems.