Feb. 13, 2023

Dear URI Community,

I am pleased to announce that Kristin Johnson, Ph.D., professor of political science, has been named vice provost for global initiatives. This appointment recognizes the impactful work Kristin did while serving in an interim capacity.  

Since joining URI in 2007, Kristin has overseen numerous global education initiatives, including directing faculty-led study abroad programs; serving as a member of the Global Steering Committee and Global Task Force; and leading with distinction as interim vice provost for global initiatives since Dec. 19, 2021.

In her year as interim vice provost, Kristin directed numerous key projects in her role as senior international officer for the University and in her oversight of study abroad, international student and scholar services, national student exchange programs, international academic partnerships and programs, global outreach activities and community engagement.

Her many successes include completing a reorganization of international center offices on campus including study abroad; restructuring operations to support student services; and developing an initial international center plan on diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging strategies and goals. She has represented URI abroad and hosted visiting delegations from several countries, including Ghana, Hungary, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Timor-Leste and Cabo Verde. In addition, she has managed major University global events, including the celebration of URI’s partnership with Indonesia, both at URI and in Jakarta.

Kristin brings to the post extensive experience in leadership and service in her more than 15 years at the University, including serving as director of the international studies and diplomacy program; director of the graduate program in international relations; and interim co-director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. She previously was co-coordinator of the 2016 Honors Colloquium on Inequality and the American Dream, and a graduate assessment coordinator for the Graduate School and the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Her research, as a faculty member in the political science department, includes fieldwork in Mexico, examining the joint effect of subnational institutional performance and government accountability structures on water security, public health, and disease management. Her scholarship has been published in such journals as The Lancet: Planetary Health, Surveillance and Society, The Journal of Peace Research, GeoHealth, International Interactions, The Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, and Public Opinion Quarterly.

Kristin holds a Ph.D. in political science and a master’s degree in international studies from Claremont Graduate University, along with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from California State University, Sacramento.

Please join me in congratulating Kristin on this well-deserved appointment.

Barbara E. Wolfe

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs