Spencer Boyer to Join Brennan Center as Washington Director

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen Fee, stephen.fee@nyu.edu, 202 309 8892

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law announced today that Spencer P. Boyer – a legal and policy expert who has served senior roles in nonprofit organizations and government – will assume the role of director of the Center’s Washington office. In that capacity, he will lead the Brennan Center’s advocacy in Washington and build partnerships with allies and thought leaders to advance substantive policy change on a national level.

“Spencer is already a known leader in Washington for his work in shaping innovative policy, and we can’t wait to welcome him as leader of our Washington office,” said Michael Waldman, the Brennan Center’s president. “Spencer has a deft touch when it comes to bridging the gap between advocacy and government. As a new Congress is set to take over in Washington, having Spencer guide our agenda on the federal level is exhilarating.”

Boyer is currently a senior fellow at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He previously served in senior roles in the Obama administration, most recently as national intelligence officer for Europe in the National Intelligence Council, based in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to that, he was a deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs.

“I have long admired the Brennan Center’s work from afar, and now I have a chance to help take the Center’s Washington work to the next level,” said Boyer. “The Brennan Center has consistently been ahead of the curve when it comes to repairing what’s broken in our democracy. From voting rights to criminal justice reform to finding the right balance between national security and civil liberties, I’m excited to dive in and make real, lasting change for our country.”

Boyer has served in various policy and leadership roles with the Center for American Progress, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He was also executive director of the Constitution Project at Georgetown University. His legal experience includes serving at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, among other international courts and tribunals, and working as an associate at a major law firm in Washington, D.C. 

Boyer joins the Brennan Center November 12.