Michael Froman, a veteran diplomat and trade expert who served as the U.S. trade representative in the Obama Administration, has been appointed as the next James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

Ambassador Froman, currently a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the United States trade representative (USTR) from June 2013 to January 2017. As USTR, he was President Obama’s principal advisor, negotiator, and spokesman on international trade and investment issues. 

He also served in the Obama White House as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs, where he was responsible for coordinating policy on international trade and finance, energy security, climate change, and development and democracy issues. 

“It’s an honor and distinct pleasure for me to welcome Ambassador Froman to the Miller Center," said William Antholis, Director and CEO. “He is widely respected in both parties as one of the leading career diplomats of his generation, and I had the great fortune to work with Mike and learn from him. I’m delighted that my colleagues and UVA students will also have that opportunity. Secretary Schlesinger would have been proud." 

Ambassador Froman led the Office of the United States Trade Representative in its work to open global markets for U.S. goods and services, enforce America’s rights in the global trading system, and foster development through trade. Key initiatives under his leadership included the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in the Asia Pacific and the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union; the negotiation of agreements on trade facilitation, agriculture, information technology products, services, and environmental goods at the World Trade Organization (WTO); the monitoring and enforcement of U.S. trade rights, including through the WTO; and congressional passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program and the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Ambassador Froman served in a number of roles at Citigroup, including as CEO of its international insurance business, COO of its alternative investments business, and head of its global infrastructure investment business. He also has served as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

In the 1990’s, Ambassador Froman spent seven years in the U.S. government. He served as chief of staff and as deputy assistant secretary for Eurasia and the Middle East at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He also worked at the White House, where he served as a director for international economic affairs at the National Security Council and National Economic Council.

Ambassador Froman received a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University (summa cum laude), a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, and a law degree from Harvard Law School (magna cum laude), where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

He has received numerous fellowships and scholarships, including a White House fellowship, a Fulbright scholarship, a MacArthur Foundation/Social Science Research Council fellowship, and a Ford Foundation fellowship. In 2016, he was selected by Fortune magazine as one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” and by POLITICO as one of the “50 thinkers, doers, and visionaries shaping American politics in 2016.” 

As the Schlesinger Professor during the 2017-18 academic year, Ambassador Froman will participate in Miller Center conferences; engage with faculty and students across the University of Virginia at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the Law School, and the History and Politics Departments; contribute to the millercenter.org website and other Miller Center publications; and appear on the Center’s signature public affairs television interview program, American Forum.

The University of Virginia established the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professorship at the Miller Center in 2007 to bring public servants of great distinction to the University. Schlesinger served as secretary of defense and secretary of energy, in addition to holding leadership roles with the Central Intelligence Agency, Atomic Energy Agency, and numerous other government bodies during a distinguished career in public service.

Building on Schlesinger’s interest in strategic matters, the Schlesinger Professorship provides a unique opportunity for public servants who have experience with foreign policy and national security to participate as visiting faculty in programs at the Miller Center and engage with students at the University.