Ambassador Robert Hutchings currently serves as the dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, a role he has held since March 22, 2010. Prior to this position, he was the Diplomat-in-Residence at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where he joined the faculty in 1997. His academic interests span international relations, diplomacy, and European affairs.
Hutchings is particularly notable for his tenure as the chair of the National Intelligence Council from 2003 to 2005, a role he assumed during a leave from Princeton. His career includes significant contributions to U.S. foreign policy; from 1992 to 1993, he served as a special adviser to the Secretary of State, overseeing the U.S. SEED program aimed at fostering democracy in Eastern Europe. Earlier, from 1989 to 1992, he was the director for European affairs on the National Security Council.
Before his academic endeavors, Hutchings held prominent positions at various institutions, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Radio Free Europe. He has also taught at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. His accolades include the National Intelligence Medal, the U.S. State Department Superior Honor Award, and the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Hutchings earned his PhD from the University of Virginia and has served as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
