Washington, D.C. — Earlier this month, the Wilson Center and Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy (SPP) announced a new strategic partnership to establish a Wilson Center Fellowship at Pepperdine SPP. The partnership reflects the Wilson Center’s and Pepperdine’s shared focus on providing a nonpartisan bridge between scholarship and policy. The first two years of the partnership will focus on sports diplomacy, aligned with the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games. It will explore how international athletic competition can support diplomatic engagement and strengthen international relationships.

David Mansdoerfer, Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Wilson Center, issued the following statement about the partnership:

“I am proud to see our new fellowship partnership with Pepperdine University School of Public Policy advance critical research into sports diplomacy at this pivotal moment.

“Over the next two years, major international sporting events—such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across North America and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles—will enable opportunities to foster global engagement, strengthen diplomatic ties, and showcase U.S. leadership and values on the world stage.

“These landmark events provide unparalleled opportunities to build bridges between nations through the unifying power of athletics, and our Wilson Center Fellows will play a key role in exploring how policymakers can use sports diplomacy to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives in innovative and impactful ways.”