Senior Fellow: Jennifer Morgan, Former German State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action

The Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) and the Climate Policy Lab (CPL) at The Fletcher School announces Jennifer Morgan, former German state secretary and special envoy for international climate action, as a Senior Fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year.

“We are delighted to appoint Jennifer Morgan as a Senior Fellow at Fletcher. She has built a distinguished career at the intersection of activism, analysis, and diplomacy to propose solutions to complex challenges in international climate cooperation for a just, prosperous, and climate-stable future,” says Kelly Sims Gallagher, dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and director of CPL and co-director of CIERP.

Jennifer Morgan, former German state secretary and special envoy for international climate action

Morgan just finished up as state secretary and special envoy in the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. There she spearheaded the development and implementation of a cabinet-approved Climate Foreign Policy Strategy with clearly defined targets across the federal government. She headed Germany’s delegation to the Paris Agreement negotiations at COP27, COP28 and COP29, working to achieve strong outcomes, including the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund and critical commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and build up renewables and efficiency.

After earning a master’s in international affairs from American University, Morgan worked for a number of non-governmental organizations, leading their global climate programs. Her most recent post in civil society, from 2016-2022 as executive director of Greenpeace International, recognizes the vital role that engaging people and public campaigning plays to achieve ambitious climate action.

In the lead up to the Paris Agreement, she led the World Resources Institute’s Global Climate Program, building upon similar roles at E3G and WWF. She focused her work on international and national climate policy and politics and was a key actor in the Paris Agreement negotiations. She has written about the role of civil society in those negotiations. 

Morgan was a review editor for the 5th Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the chapter regarding international climate cooperation and served on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

“It is a great honor to join the Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab, a preeminent institution and initiative at this critical time in the climate debate,” says Morgan.

Morgan will work closely with the students and faculty, both conducting research and teaching, focusing on international climate cooperation on the bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral levels. 

“Working with the students and faculty at Fletcher on how countries can build new models of collaboration internationally and nationally to accelerate the just transition to a profitable, stable and climate neutral economy is vital for people and the planet.  Whether it be collaboration between Europe and developing countries, or South-South collaboration, working with business and civil society, the world needs well-researched ideas and proposals,” adds Morgan. “I am looking forward to this cooperation and hope to launch new and creative activities that will bridge the academic world and practitioners.”

In addition to her Senior Fellowship at Fletcher, Morgan will be a Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Morgan will be based in Berlin, Germany, while also spending time on campus at Fletcher, thus serving as a bridge for students to Germany and European climate policy.

About CPL and CIERP

The Climate Policy Lab (CPL), housed within the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) at The Fletcher School, conducts rigorous, evidence-based research to evaluate the effectiveness of climate policies and support governments in designing and implementing new ones. CPL, founded in 2016 by Kelly Sims Gallagher, specializes in international comparative policy analysis, advancing deep decarbonization and climate resilience, and training the next generation of climate policy leaders. CIERP, established in 1992, is a hub for interdisciplinary research on environmental policy, with expertise on energy transitions, water diplomacy, and sustainable development. Its faculty and fellows publish in leading journals, advise governments, and train future leaders to address urgent environmental challenges with evidence-based solutions.