Kelly Sims Gallagher Named New Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University

Kelly Sims Gallagher has been named the new dean of The Fletcher School, the graduate school of global affairs at Tufts University. Renowned for her work in energy and climate policy, she possesses expertise that spans critical areas including U.S.-China relations, energy technology innovation, green industrialization, and global environmental governance.   

As a professor of energy and environmental policy, the founding director of the Climate Policy Lab, and the co-director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, Gallagher has been a driving force at Fletcher for more than 15 years. She has played a pivotal role in shaping the school’s academic landscape, first as a full-time faculty member, then as academic dean from 2020 to 2023, and most recently as interim dean since July 2023. Her appointment as dean is effective September 1. 

Prior to her tenure at Fletcher, Gallagher directed the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where she also taught classes on science, technology, and public policy and energy policy. The author of two books on industrialization and technological development, and co-author of a third comparing policymaking processes in the United States and China, she served in the Obama administration from June 2014 to September 2015 as a senior policy advisor. In that role, she helped negotiate two climate agreements between the United States and China that paved the way for the global 2015 Paris climate accord. 

In a conversation with Tufts Now, Gallagher shared her aspirations for Fletcher and her vision for its role in addressing global challenges. 

Tufts Now: What attracted you to The Fletcher School, first as a student, then as a faculty member, and now in the dean’s role? 

Kelly Sims Gallagher: Fletcher’s global perspective on the complex challenges of our time is what initially drew me to the school and continues to inspire me. The opportunity to contribute to a place that not only studies global affairs but actively seeks to shape them has been irresistible. 

As a student, I was initially drawn to Fletcher’s interdisciplinary approach. Fletcher was the first school of its kind to offer fields of study in my areas of interest so the curriculum and vibrant intellectual community in the greater Boston area attracted me to the school. 

Fletcher’s ethos—its commitment to making a tangible difference in the world—resonates deeply with me.  

Our faculty do that through our scholarship, shaping ideas about the world and theorizing about international relations. But they also do that through concrete engagement in the world, whether they are advising government or corporate leaders, engaging in global dialogues, serving on commissions, or speaking publicly around the world. 

Our graduates go on to work in every sector—business, government, intergovernmental organizations like the World Bank, and nonprofits. They approach global challenges using a multi-sectoral, interdisciplinary lens. I find that very appealing because it’s pragmatic and concrete. We focus on real-world problems. 

And, of course, the Fletcher community is extraordinary: collegial faculty, loyal and committed alumni, passionate students, and a dedicated staff. You put all of that together, and there’s magic at Fletcher that keeps bringing me back. 

What opportunities do you see ahead for the school? 

There is so much potential ahead of us. Priority number one is delivering all our programs to the highest level of excellence. That’s been a long-standing tradition at the school, which I’m committed to upholding and enhancing even further. 

In addition, we want to grow and diversify our revenue streams to ensure Fletcher remains on a strong fiscal foundation. Deepening our research enterprise, attracting philanthropy, and expanding our professional education offerings will be key components of this effort. 

On the latter, we are already discovering that shorter, customized programs allow us to engage with advanced-career professionals who might not be able to commit to a full degree program. By bringing Fletcher’s expertise to organizations around the world, we can have a broader and immediate impact on global affairs while bringing in new revenue to the school.

I’m particularly excited to move forward as the permanent dean because it gives us the opportunity to chart our future together. As we move beyond last year’s 90th anniversary celebrations and look ahead to our centennial, it’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at the school. This past year gave me a great opportunity to diagnose Fletcher’s challenges and identify our areas of comparative advantage. 

Are there ways you might change or strengthen the Fletcher experience for students? 

That’s a great question. We have a world-class faculty and our curriculum is in great shape thanks to a thorough curricular review and refresh during the past five years. But there’s always more we can do to enhance the student experience and we will continuously innovate. 

We have an opportunity to expand experiential education at Fletcher. We want to provide our students with more opportunities to engage in practicums and internships, and to complete their capstone projects working with client organizations, so that they gain practical experience that will serve them well in the job market. 

In addition, one challenge many schools faced during the pandemic was a decline in co-curricular activities. We’re working to rebuild our muscle memory around student clubs, delivering annual conferences organized by students, and bringing in amazing speakers to foster purposeful, intentional, and exciting conversations and learning experiences.

A high priority for me is ensuring that every member of our community—whether students, faculty, staff, or alumni—feels proud to be part of Fletcher. One idea I’d like to explore is harnessing the full community each year to tackle a particular global problem. In the past, we’ve seen how Fletcher can mobilize in response to global crises, and we’ll continue to do that, but I’d also like to see what we could achieve by proactively addressing bite-sized global challenges with an all-of-Fletcher approach. 

Will you continue to teach and to lead the Climate Policy Lab? 

Leading the school will be my top priority but I will continue to engage in research and teaching to some extent. I think it’s important for a dean to be in the classroom, to be directly engaged with students, and to contribute to the educational mission of the school. Likewise, research and mentorship of doctoral and post-doctoral students allows me to pursue my intellectual passions, to work collaboratively with other faculty to contribute to the school’s collective scholarly output, and to contribute in my own way to global problem-solving. 

You have a long relationship with The Fletcher School. What does it mean to you personally to now be the dean? 

It’s a great honor and I am delighted to have been selected. What I’m feeling most right now is renewed sense of energy. I’m looking forward to opening the next chapter of the school. 

Over time, I have developed a deep appreciation for the school’s mission and the fact that through our research and scholarship—and through our alumni doing extraordinary work around the world—we can have a profound influence on the conduct and outcomes in global affairs. 

Now, more than ever, the world needs the kind of leaders that Fletcher produces.