Monday, January 13, 2014

USIP President Steps Down After Short Tenure

US Institute of Peace (USIP) President and CEO Jim Marshall quietly stepped down from the think tank on Friday (Jan. 10), according to a press release on Saturday (Jan. 11).

Kristin Lord, Executive Vice President of USIP, has been appointed as the acting president.  From 2009-2013, Lord was Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a security-focused think tank.

No reason has been given for Marshall's departure.  Marshall previously served as a Democratic Congressman from Georgia from 2003-2011.

Think Tank Watch previously reported that Marshall's 3-year renewable term at USIP began September 14, 2012.  That means he was only at the think tank for around 16 months.

Gordon Lubold, a reporter at Foreign Policy, speculates that his departure is probably a result of his "prickly approach" and wanting to move Constitution Avenue.  [Yes, the think tank asked the Washington, DC government last year to move Constitution Avenue, a major street in the city.]