CFR appoints Sonja Brookins Santelises to lead new Richard Haass Center for Education

By Experts and Staff Published

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to welcome Sonja Brookins Santelises as vice president, senior fellow, and director of the Richard Haass Center for Education. Dr. Santelises will begin her role on Tuesday, September 8, based in Washington, DC.

About the Richard Haass Center for Education

Established in June 2025, the Richard Haass Center for Education will centralize and expand the reach of CFR’s educational work. The center will enhance CFR Education’s creation of best-in-class educational resources that are widely and readily available to educators and learners in secondary and postsecondary classrooms across the country. Importantly, in this fraught political moment, the center will also equip educators to teach students about global affairs through civil discourse and respectful dialogue.

Leadership Endorsement

“I am delighted to welcome Sonja to the Council,” said CFR President Michael Froman. “Her expertise in public education and civic leadership will strengthen CFR’s mission to promote informed discussions of the world’s most consequential issues. She brings the same dedication to expanding access, building institutional capacity, and fostering civil discourse that defined her decade of transformative leadership to the Richard Haass Center for Education.”

Dr. Santelises’ Vision

A nationally recognized leader and educator, Dr. Santelises has spent her career advancing educational opportunities and championing academic excellence for all young people. At CFR, she will lead the Richard Haass Center for Education, overseeing CFR’s education initiatives and efforts to promote civil discourse and global learning in secondary and postsecondary classrooms nationwide.

“I could not be more excited to join CFR and the Haass Center team with its expanding focus on civil discourse and global affairs literacy. This work aligns with my passion and desire to equip educators and students with the tools and spaces to engage in rigorous and thoughtful learning,” said Dr. Santelises. “I look forward to sharing my experience while enhancing my own knowledge base in this important work.”

Professional Background

Most recently, Dr. Santelises served for a decade as CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, becoming the district’s longest-serving leader since 1946. During her tenure, she led one of the nation’s largest and most complex school systems, overseeing a $1.9 billion annual budget while building strategic partnerships with national philanthropic and civic organizations to expand opportunities for students. Under her leadership, the district:

• Reduced the number of low-performing schools
• Increased students’ access to high-quality learning resources
• Secured significant investments in school infrastructure

Dr. Santelises also serves as the superintendent in residence at the Yale School of Management’s Broad Center, where she leads content facilitation for the Fellowship for Public Education Leadership cohort.

Awards and Recognition

• Maryland Superintendent of the Year – Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland
• John Hope Alumni Award – Brown University
• Finalist for the School Superintendents Association’s 2026 Superintendent of the Year Award
• Named one of Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs – Maryland Daily Record

Additional Leadership

Dr. Santelises served as chair of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of eighty-two of the nation’s largest urban public school systems dedicated to improving education for children in inner cities.

Education

• BA – Brown University
• MA – Columbia University
• EdD – Harvard University