We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Steven L. Solnick has been appointed executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, effective Sept. 8.
Dr. Solnick’s relationship with Harvard and the center stretches back nearly four decades: A formative visit to the then-Russian Research Center inspired his graduate studies at the university; the center’s Merle Fainsod Prize supported those studies (Ph.D., ’93); and he later taught in Harvard’s Department of Government. Returning now as our executive director, he brings a deep personal commitment to the Davis Center’s mission of rigorous, multidisciplinary inquiry into Russia and the greater Eurasia region.
Dr. Solnick arrives with more than 35 years of leadership experience spanning higher education and global philanthropy. From his time as the Ford Foundation’s Moscow representative during a period of profound political and social change to his senior roles at Warren Wilson College, the Calhoun School, and the education practice at DSG Storbeck, he has overseen complex organizations, large budgets, and diverse teams while championing strategic innovation, fundraising, and public engagement.
As an academic, Dr. Solnick is the author of Stealing the State: Control and Collapse in Soviet Institutions and numerous articles on Russian and comparative politics and political economy. He taught comparative and post-Soviet politics for nearly a decade at Columbia University’s Department of Political Science and the Harriman Institute and is fluent in Russian.
At this tumultuous time for both scholarly research and our region’s place in the world, Dr. Solnick will lead the Davis Center in strengthening scholarship, fostering open intellectual exchange, and connecting academic expertise with public discourse.
Cris Martin, who has served as the Davis Center’s interim executive director for the past year, will resume her role as the center’s associate director.
