Announcing Romain Chuffart as President & Managing Director of The Arctic Institute
Contacts:
Lillian Hussong | External Communications for North America
lillian.hussong@thearcticinstitute.org
Washington, D.C., 21 September 2022. Mr. Romain Chuffart has been named President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies (TAI). Mr. Chuffart’s expertise includes international law and governance, with a particular focus on the rights of Indigenous peoples and environmental governance in the Arctic. Romain’s work has appeared in publications including the Yearbook of Polar Law, the Arctic Yearbook, and other Arctic and non-Arctic academic and non-academic journals. He previously served as internal communication manager on The Arctic Institute’s Leadership board and managed The Arctic This Week (TATW) App team. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Institute’s Bookshelf Podcast.
“Working with Romain on the podcast has been really great,” said Ms. Liubov Timonina, a Research Associate at TAI. ”He is a very inspiring, open and committed person. He takes initiatives and supports me both professionally and personally. Working on a podcast means being a truly dedicated, creative team and having a high level of trust, understanding and care for each other. It also means having a good sense of humor and positive attitude to people and things. Over these years, we have been through many rewarding and challenging situations and have become really good friends.”
After a year as a White House Fellow with the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Dr. Victoria Herrmann, TAI’s first President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute (2016 – 2021), returns as a Senior Fellow. She will focus on strategic partnership development to support The Arctic Institute’s capacity building initiatives. Dr. Lillian Hussong, TAI’s Interim Managing Director (2021 – 2022), will transition back to the Leadership Group as a Senior Fellow and External Communication Coordinator.
Reflecting on her time at the helm, Dr. Hussong commented on the future of The Arctic Institute with Mr. Chuffart as Managing Director: “One of the best parts of my directorship was working with the Leadership Group on a daily basis, and I really valued Romain’s friendship and commitment to making TAI a great place to work. Romain has been instrumental in coordinating internal initiatives at TAI, and now I am excited to see how he’ll take his big-picture vision and create new programs for the public.”
“Thanks to Victoria and Lillian’s hard work and leadership over the past few years, The Arctic Institute has established itself as one of the foremost Arctic think tanks in the United States.” said Mr. Chuffart “As the Institute’s new managing director, I will build on the work of my two predecessors’ work and develop our research to deliver high-level analysis and engage the broader community of Arctic experts around the world.” The Arctic Institute was founded by Malte Humpert in 2011. Over the last eleven years, TAI’s work has been dedicated to research of and engagement in the many dimensions of Arctic security to reach a full understanding of the complicated and interconnected challenges facing the region today, its work covers military, economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental issues.
The Arctic Institute’s mission is to help inform Arctic policy in the context of the climate crisis. We believe that Arctic decision-making must be based upon interdisciplinary, inclusive research that addresses the most pertinent issues facing the circumpolar region. That’s why our team leads research projects, supports scholarly publications, and organizes events that elevate diverse perspectives, including young scholars and those from communities that have been historically marginalized. The Arctic Institute is building the future of Arctic research through partnerships across the globe.”