CFR awards seventeen fellowships for its 2026–27 David Rockefeller Studies Program to scholars, officials, and journalists across international affairs, Stanton nuclear security, Murrow press, and military categories. Eight fellows are in residence at CFR, while others take placements at U.S. government agencies and research institutions abroad.
CFR names Sonja Brookins Santelises, who led Baltimore City Public Schools for a decade, as vice president, senior fellow, and director of the Richard Haass Center for Education, effective September 8, 2026, in Washington, DC. Established in June 2025, the center centralizes CFR’s educational resources and civil-discourse work for secondary and postsecondary classrooms.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) launches a task force to examine how the United States could support a stable, democratic Cuba over the next decade. Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, former ambassador Roberta S. Jacobson, and former World Bank chief economist Carmen M. Reinhart cochair the effort; Will Freeman serves as project director, and a final consensus report is planned for early 2027.
CFR adds former Joint Chiefs chairman Charles Q. Brown Jr., Marie-Josée Kravis, Daniel B. Poneman, and David E. Sanger to its 36-member Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2026. The organization also elects Sylvia Mathews Burwell vice chair, while President Michael Froman describes the board’s role in advancing CFR’s nonpartisan mission.
