National, Global Leaders Join Martin Institute for Public Good in First Wave of Leaders-in-Residence
October 7, 2026
- Author
- Emily Drew
A former United Nations Ambassador and a Senator will launch a powerhouse lineup of Leaders-in-Residence this year at Davidson College’s D.G. and Harriet Wall Martin Institute for Public Good.
The Martin Institute will welcome several influential national figures as leaders-in-residence in the spring semester and beyond: former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, longtime North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, and President of the Arab American Institute James Zogby. The leaders will meet with students and faculty, visit classes, and participate in public talks and events.
“We created the Martin Institute to advance the civic purpose that Davidson College, our students and our alums always have pursued — lives of leadership and service,” Davidson College President Doug Hicks ’90 said.
Rice served as both U.N. ambassador and national security adviser to President Barack Obama and as director of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy council.
Tillis, who is not seeking re-election, is finishing his second term representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate, following eight years in the N.C. House of Representatives, the last four as speaker.
Zogby is President of the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based policy organization focused on organizing and supporting the Arab-American community to advance the causes of democracy, civil rights and international peace.
The timeframe for the Martin Institute’s leaders-in-residence will vary based on their professional and service obligations. Rice will be in full-time residence for the second week of classes in January 2027. Tillis, who lives in the Lake Norman area, and Zogby will make a series of campus visits over the coming year. They will have significant engagement with students outside of the classroom during their residencies.
“These leaders-in-residence bring a diversity of thought and experience in some of the greatest venues and most consequential moments in history to Davidson. Our students will learn from their wisdom and will work collaboratively with them on projects that will make a difference in the world,” said Chris Marsicano, Humphries Director of the Institute and associate professor and chair of Educational Studies.
These three figures will join current leader-in-residence Bob McKillop, former Davidson College men’s basketball coach and member of the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, who mentors students and speaks on ethics and leadership.
The leaders-in-residence are deeply familiar with Davidson. Zogby, a parent of two Davidson alums, served as the James K. Batten Professor at Davidson College in Spring 2003. In February 2020, Rice visited classrooms and participated in a moderated discussion. Last October, Tillis and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar talked to Hicks about overcoming political polarization.
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