The Shorenstein Center

Susan Crawford, a light skinned woman with blonde hair, wearing a blue button down shirt

Team

Susan Crawford

John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law, Emeritus, HLS

Susan Crawford is the John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law, emeritus at Harvard Law School. She previously was Obama’s special assistant to the president for science, technology, and innovation policy and co-led the FCC transition team between his and the Bush administrations. Earlier in her career, Crawford was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale). As an academic, she taught courses about climate adaptation and public leadership. Crawford is the author of several books, including Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age and Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution and Why America Might Miss It. Her latest is Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm. One of Politico’s 50 Thinkers, Doers and Visionaries Transforming Politics in 2015; one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology (2009); IP3 Awardee (2010); one of Prospect Magazine’s Top Ten Brains of the Digital Future (2011); and one of TIME Magazine’s Tech 40: The Most Influential Minds in Tech (2013). Ms. Crawford received her B.A. and J.D. from Yale University. She served as a clerk for Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Full bio available here.

Related Content

Related Events

See All Events

Disagreeing Better in a Polarized World: A conversation with Julia Minson and Todd Rogers

Disagreeing Better in a Polarized World: A conversation with Julia Minson and Todd Rogers

This second event on Julia Minson’s new book, How to Disagree Better, will feature a fireside chat between Minson and fellow Harvard Kennedy School faculty member Todd Rogers exploring depolarization as a growing challenge, the promise of behavioral science approaches, and the difficulties of designing interventions that truly work.

 

Event

HKS campus, Taubman Building, Nye ABC
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Two people speaking at a Harvard Kennedy School event, one before a U.S. flag and one against a blue backdrop, with Shorenstein Center and BISG logos at the bottom.
Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Join decision scientist and Shorenstein Center resident faculty member Julia Minson for a conversation about her new book, How to Disagree Better, to learn evidence-based techniques on how to transform every disagreement into an opportunity for growth.

Event

Zoom Webinar
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Book cover of How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson beside a headshot of the author smiling in an indoor setting.
Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Attend the 2026 Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with preeminent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Shorenstein Center Director, Nancy Gibbs, will hold a fireside chat with Burns in the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum, HKS
6:00 PM

Photo of Ken Burns sitting in a rustic wood paneled space with an american flag in the background.
The Future of Federal Funding at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

The Future of Federal Funding at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

For decades, U.S. colleges and universities where at least 25% of undergrads are Hispanic have received federal grants to help them expand educational opportunities and improve graduation rates for Hispanic students. In September, however, the U.S. Department of Education slashed funding for these schools, formally designated as “Hispanic-serving institutions.” Meanwhile, a federal lawsuit making its way through the courts argues that distributing public money to higher education institutions based on their percentage of Hispanic students is discriminatory and violates the U.S. constitution. This free webinar focused on the fate of hundreds of public and private colleges and universities, which, together, serve most of the nation’s Hispanic undergraduate students.

Event

Zoom webinar
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Graphic with Shorenstein Center and Journalist’s Resource logos above four professional headshots of two men and two women.
SCOTUS, tariffs, and the administrative state: What journalists need to know

SCOTUS, tariffs, and the administrative state: What journalists need to know

Next Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Learning Resources v. Trump, a case central to the fate of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariff regime imposed since he took office in January. Join The Journalist’s Resource and Econofact for an hourlong, on-the-record webinar about the potential economic consequences of the case, important legal arguments, and the history and future of administrative authority in the U.S.

 

Event

Zoom webinar
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Logos for the Shorenstein Center and The Journalist’s Resource above four headshots, including one at a Tufts University podium, on a teal background.