Henrietta Levin Joins CSIS as Senior Fellow for the Freeman Chair in China Studies

WASHINGTON, DC — June 9, 2025 — The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced that Henrietta Levin has joined CSIS as senior fellow for the Freeman Chair in China Studies.

Prior to joining CSIS, Levin spearheaded American strategy and diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific in senior roles at the U.S. Department of State and the White House. Her experience will deepen CSIS’s expertise and research on China’s foreign and domestic policy.

“Henrietta’s arrival at CSIS bolsters our roster of world-leading China experts at CSIS,” said Dr. Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department. “She brings deep government experience working on China and the Indo-Pacific across several presidential administrations. Her experience driving U.S. policy at the highest levels will ensure that CSIS continues to lead in shaping forward-looking, pragmatic, and bipartisan policy research and recommendations at a time of unprecedented challenges in the U.S.-China relationship. We are thrilled to welcome her to CSIS and the Freeman Chair.”

Most recently, Levin served as deputy China coordinator for global affairs at the State Department. She previously served in the White House National Security Council as director for China and director for Southeast Asia. Earlier in her career, she held several positions with the State Department, including at U.S. Embassy Beijing and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and with the Defense Department, where she served as a Pentagon spokesperson and Presidential Management Fellow.

“I am honored by the opportunity to build on CSIS’s exceptional record of scholarship and policy engagement on China and the Indo-Pacific,” Levin said. “As competition between the United States and China continues to intensify, it will be more important than ever for policymakers to have a deep understanding of China’s domestic policy and global ambitions, and how decisions made in Beijing can affect the United States and its allies, as well as the full international community.”

Levin is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds several State Department Superior Honor Awards. She holds a master’s degree in public diplomacy and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Southern California.

The Freeman Chair in China Studies is a leading source of insight and analysis on China’s evolving political system and the dynamics that impact its domestic policy agenda and external behavior. Established in the late 1990s, it advances study of China and promotes understanding between the United States and the countries of the Indo-Pacific region. Visit here to learn more about the Freeman Chair in China Studies.

The CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department examines the key political, economic, security, and societal trends shaping the future of global governance and institutions. With deep regional expertise and strong global relationships across Africa, Americas, Europe, Eurasia, Russia, Indo-Pacific, and Middle East, the department’s experts offer comprehensive analysis to guide policymakers in navigating the evolving challenges to U.S. global leadership. Explore the department’s latest work by visiting here.

For media inquiries, contact Andrew Schwartz (aschwartz@csis.org) and Sofia Chavez (schavez@csis.org).