Iona University Professor Dr. Jeanne Sheehan Zaino Named a Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
Iona University is proud to announce that Dr. Jeanne Sheehan Zaino will serve as a Democracy Visiting Fellow at the prestigious, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. She joins a group of multidisciplinary researchers and practitioners from around the world tasked with “examining the pressing challenges of 21st century governance and developing innovative solutions.”
A professor of political science and international studies at Iona, Zaino is renowned for infusing real-world learning into her classroom. She is also a regular contributor to Bloomberg News, where she provides expert insight into democratic institutions, constitutional governance and elections both in the United States and abroad.
As part of the Fellowship, Zaino will use the time and resources provided to work on a new book project that explores the root causes of democratic decline and steps that can be taken to mitigate the deconsolidation.
“The Ash Center has been around for decades, but this type of work takes on new significance given the challenges we are confronting both at home and abroad,” Zaino said. “I am grateful to the Ash Center and Harvard Kennedy School for this opportunity, and everyone at Iona who has been supportive of this effort. I look forward to sharing this work with the larger Iona community in the months and years to come.”
A prominent figure on campus, Zaino has served as Iona’s dean of the School of Arts & Science, director of the Honors Program, and chair of the Political Science Department. She is also a Senior Democracy Fellow at the Center for the Study of Presidency and Congress and is a co-recipient of the National Science Foundation grant entitled “Data Science for Future Leaders.”
Zaino is the author most recently of “American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government, Post-January 6” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), “Sikander Hyat-Khan: Collect Papers of the Premier of United Punjab” (Primus, 2024), and co-author of “Adventures in Social Research,” a leading text in data analysis and political inquiry. Her work has appeared in South Asia Research, Journal of Politics, Campaigns & Elections, and other scholarly and public-facing outlets.
Zaino holds her Ph.D. and MA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MPA in Survey Research and Data Analysis from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut, Storrs (now moved to Cornell University), as well as a BA in Political Science and Mass Communications, which was earned as a University Scholar at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Jeanne Zaino on the Study of Political Science
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of 55,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2025, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 6 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review once again named Iona to its “Best Business Schools for 2025,” recognizing both its on-campus and online MBA programs. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with one of the nation’s top hospitals. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.