Louisa Terrell to Serve as Tisch College Visiting Fellow for the Fall 2024 Semester

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life has named Louisa Terrell, J91, A25P, a Visiting Fellow for the fall 2024 semester to engage the Tufts community on issues related to the upcoming election in a robust Election2024 series of programs and workshops. A seasoned political strategist and policy expert, Terrell currently serves as a senior advisor to the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Convention and as chair of the Democratic National Convention Platform Drafting Committee.

Dayna L. Cunningham, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean of Tisch College, said of Louisa’s upcoming fellowship, “I am delighted to welcome Louisa to campus this fall as a Tisch College Visiting Fellow. With her long-standing commitment to public service, and her extensive experience working for change and shaping American politics and policy, Louisa will share important perspectives, expertise, and insights with the Tufts community during a groundbreaking election cycle. At Tisch College, we look forward to learning from and with her, and we encourage students to take advantage of the many opportunities she will offer this semester.”

Each program and workshop in the Election2024 series focuses on a different aspect of the election process and features a range of guest experts including Tufts professors and high-level campaign and government officials from both sides of the aisle, leveraging Louisa’s considerable experience and network. The series will focus on building awareness of election resources and key issues, increasing motivation, and reducing barriers to participation through dynamic discussion and dialogue.

“As a proud Jumbo, Tufts parent and former Tisch College board member, returning to campus this fall is a special homecoming for me. I’m excited to engage with the Tufts community during one of the most important elections of our lifetimes. I look forward to being a resource for students, faculty and staff, and to bringing diverse experts to campus for lively, informative and behind-the-scenes conversations.”

Tisch College will collaborate on this series with student organizations, programs, and departments across campus, as part of a university-wide effort to prepare the Tufts community to meaningfully participate in the election.

For more information about the Election2024 series, please visit Tisch College’s events page. The series begins on September 17 at noon for a workshop on “What Makes a Presidential Campaign Work & How to Get on the Campaign Bus.”

About Louisa Terrell, J91, A25P

Louisa Terrell served as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs from January 2021 to August 2023.  Currently, Louisa serves as a senior advisor to the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Convention, and she chaired the Democratic National Convention Platform Drafting Committee.  She also provides strategic counsel to non-profits and businesses.  During her time in the White House, Louisa led a team to successfully pass a suite of historical bipartisan bills to aid veterans, advance U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and build America’s infrastructure. She played a key role in debt ceiling negotiations and in passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, an unprecedented investment in clean energy and lowering health care costs. Louisa also secured the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as well as hundreds of judicial and executive nominees.

Throughout her career in government, she has served as Advisor to Federal Communications Commission Chair Tom Wheeler, Chief of Staff to Senator Cory Booker, Special Assistant to President Obama in The White House Office of Legislative Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Judiciary Committee Counsel to then-Senator Joe Biden. Louisa also held senior leadership positions in both the Biden-Harris and Obama-Biden transition teams. 

In addition to her public service, Louisa has played key roles in the private and philanthropic sectors. From 2019 to 2021, Louisa was the Deputy General Counsel and Head of Public Affairs for McKinsey & Company, and from 2017 to 2019, the Executive Director of the Biden Foundation. She has also worked at both Meta and Yahoo. 

Louisa received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and her law degree from Boston College Law School.  She is a former member of the Tisch College Board of Advisors. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, two daughters and sweet dog.