Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy is said to be “transactional.” But actions and decisions by the world’s most powerful country have consequences that ripple beyond our borders and into the next generation. From deal-making in Ukraine and Gaza, to tariffs and budget cuts at home, the Trump administration is re-setting the international system. Our allies will adapt, and our adversaries will fill the void in ways the American people may not be ready for.
Please join us for DCFR's 2025 Global Engagement Award ceremony which will be presented to Janine Davidson. The event will feature a fireside chat with the Dean of the Korbel School at DU and DCFR's board chair Fritz Mayer.
Janine Davidson, Ph.D., has served as president of Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2017. She is a national thought leader in higher education and on topics such as public service, U.S. foreign policy and national security.
Davidson began her career as an Air Force officer and cargo pilot. She was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Squadron Officer School and was the first woman to fly the Air Force’s tactical C-130. Prior to her time at MSU Denver, Davidson served as the 32nd undersecretary of the U.S. Navy, appointed by then-President Barack Obama .
She has taught at George Mason University, Georgetown University, Davidson College and various professional military schools, and was an aviation and aerobatics flight instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. She returned to the classroom in 2020 at MSU Denver, co-teaching a course on the philosophical and legal origins of freedom of speech in the United States.