Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Appointed Distinguished Senior Fellow at SAFN
NEWS
SAFN
11/5/2026
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 5th, 2026— The South Asia Foresight Network (SAFN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend as a Distinguished Senior Fellow.
“We are honoured to welcome Kathleen Kennedy Townsend as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at SAFN. Her experience in public service and commitment to human dignity will enrich our work on governance, ethical AI and South Asia’s future,” said Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Executive Director of SAFN.
Townsend has served with distinction in both the private and public sectors, across fields including artificial intelligence (AI), crime, faith, finance, workforce development, women’s rights and public service.
Maryland’s first woman Lieutenant Governor and the eldest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, she has led delegations to Japan and Thailand. Most recently, she served as Special Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, with a focus on shipbuilding. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor at the State Department and Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States.
She led pioneering initiatives in service-learning, crime prevention and retirement security, and co-founded Civic Works and Georgetown University’s Center for Retirement Initiatives.
Her current roles include Chair of Sister Cities Washington, D.C., Vice-Chair of MarylandSaves, and membership on the Steering Committee of AEGIS, which promotes ethical AI governance. She also serves on the Board of Pakistan Company and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Townsend’s appointment strengthens SAFN’s ongoing research on ethical AI, governance, economic security and international cooperation, including the Economic Crime and Geopolitics Index (ECGI), which examines the relationship between economic crime, governance vulnerabilities and geopolitical risk.
About SAFN
The South Asia Foresight Network, operating under The Millennium Project, advances futures research and dialogue on geopolitics, governance, emerging technologies and regional cooperation.
