Jennifer Faust joins as chief operating officer and Kristen Leanderson Abrams promoted to chief program officer
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) today announced the appointment of Jennifer Faust as chief operating officer (COO) and the promotion of Kristen Leanderson Abrams to chief program officer (CPO).
A former non-profit executive director/CEO and an international development and democracy specialist, Faust brings 30 years of hands-on grassroots and policy expertise in the U.S. and globally. As COO, Faust will partner with the McCain Institute’s executive director in leading fiscal and operational sustainability, future direction, and organizational growth.
“In addition to her decades of policy and strategic experience, Jennifer is also a dedicated public servant who has volunteered in the Peace Corps and continues to champion gender equity for women and girls around the world,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “The character-driven leadership Jennifer exhibits is exactly what Senator McCain had in mind when he spoke about serving a cause greater than oneself. I look forward to working together to advance the McCain Institute’s mission of creating a world that is more free, safe, and just for all people.”
“I am grateful for the years I spent working in public policy and in rights advocacy, and this new position will allow me to focus on scaling McCain Institute’s impact and core democratic values by making it an even stronger institution,” said Faust. “I am honored to be part of a brilliant team dedicated to Senator McCain and his family’s fight to advance democracy, human dignity, and security.”
Kristen Abrams brings more than two decades of international human rights experience to the CPO role, serving for the last seven years as the senior director of combatting human trafficking at the McCain Institute. Abrams has extensive experience managing programs and developing innovative policy solutions to address modern slavery and other major human rights offenses. She recently led the expansion of the Combatting Human Trafficking Program to the Human Rights & Freedom Program. Prior to joining the McCain Institute, she ran a consulting practice utilizing her legal background to provide guidance to nonprofits working to end exploitation and promote human rights. She also served as the acting director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST). As CPO, Abrams will help the McCain Institute increase its impact by bringing her strategic leadership and operational management expertise to all the organization’s programmatic work.
“Kristen is a proven leader with a track record of running highly effective programs. She has a deep understanding of the McCain Institute and will infuse our programmatic work with fresh energy and strategic guidance to increase impact,” said Dr. Farkas. “Kristen recently led the creation of the newly expanded Human Rights & Freedom Program after initiating a strategy review of the previous program and its long-term goals for growth and impact, an example of the leadership she will bring to our other programs. For seven years, Kristen has dedicated herself to advancing human rights, freedom, and the values that were important to Senator McCain. Her promotion is well-earned and will help catapult the McCain Institute into an even more impactful second decade.”
“I’m excited to begin this next chapter at the McCain Institute and continue our work advancing human rights, freedom, and character-driven leadership around the world,” said Abrams. “I’m inspired by the legacy of Senator McCain and the life-long commitment of Ambassador Cindy McCain to human rights, democracy, and character-driven leadership. The values they represent form the core of our mission and our work. I look forward to working across the McCain Institute’s programs and with our partners at ASU and beyond to grow our reach and impact.”
To view Jennifer Faust and Kristen Leanderson Abrams’ full biographies, click HERE or continue reading below.
Jennifer Faust Biography:
Jennifer Faust is the chief operating officer (COO) of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. As COO, Faust partners with McCain Institute’s executive director in leading fiscal and operational sustainability, future direction, and organizational growth. A former non-profit executive director/CEO and an international development and democracy specialist, Faust brings 30 years of hands-on grassroots and policy expertise in the U.S. and globally.
In her CEO and ED roles, Jennifer Faust has focused on growing organizations through business model and staff workforce transitions to align with current strategic direction. During her leadership at the University of Southern California-based think tank, the Pacific Council on International Policy, Faust led three strategic planning committees and the Steering Task Forces for strategy implementation. In 2017-2018, she led DEI governance and staff committees. Faust chaired a 2020-21 Business Continuity study to plan for post-COVID operations and sustainability.
Jennifer Faust has long been recognized for inspiring leadership and building diverse and inclusive world-class teams. Most recently as CEO of Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, Faust transformed the organization from one primarily focused on meeting the direct needs of girls and teens to a more complex advocacy-oriented agency. Faust offers significant experience in international social justice and policy efforts, working on teams with the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization for American States (OAS) to secure economic and voting rights for women in Kosovo, among other countries. During volunteer service in the U.S. Peace Corps/ Haiti, Faust organized broad-based economic empowerment programs for women’s groups. Faust continues to consult and advise gender rights community groups and is a board member of the Women Connect4Good Foundation.
Jennifer Faust earned her B.B.A. cum laude at The George Washington University and holds an M.Sc. in Politics and Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science with Distinction Honors for her dissertation on democracies in post-Soviet Europe. She became an International Coaching Federation-trained executive coach in 2018. Faust is a prolific writer on gender equity for girls and women, as well as economic and workforce issues. In her off hours, Faust enjoys rowing, running, vegetarian cooking and coaching others on finance and their professional and personal goals. Faust is tri-lingual in English, French and Haitian Creole and is increasing her professional fluency in both Russian and Spanish.
Kristen Leanderson Abrams Biography:
Kristen Leanderson Abrams serves as the McCain Institute’s chief program officer, leading the design and delivery of the Institute’s Human Rights & Freedom, Democracy, and Leadership programs. In this role, Abrams drives the execution of the McCain Institute’s strategy to create a world that is free, safe, and just for all people.
Abrams has more than two decades of international human rights program management and policy experience. In previous leadership roles at the McCain Institute, Abrams directed the Combatting Human Trafficking Program, deploying strategic initiatives to secure justice for victims, build the capacity of trafficking response networks, and leverage data and technology to inform trafficking interventions.
Before joining the McCain Institute, she provided guidance to non-profits working to end exploitation and promote human rights through a consultancy she founded and ran. She also served as the acting director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST).
Earlier in her career, Abrams led international pro bono programs at DLA Piper. In that capacity, she developed and implemented interdisciplinary rule of law, economic development, access to justice, and women’s rights projects in the United States and throughout Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. While at DLA Piper, Abrams also provided counsel on matters of public international law, political law, and corporate social responsibility.
Abrams began her career as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. She earned a juris doctor degree cum laude from The George Washington University Law School and a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, empower character-driven leaders, and prevent targeted violence. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
