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Mark P. Lagon

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Mark P. Lagon
Lagon at the Compassion in Action Roundtable on Human Trafficking in 2007.
NationalityAmerican
EducationHarvard University (BA), Georgetown University (PhD)
EmployerFriends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

Mark P. Lagon (born 1965) is an American political scientist and practitioner. His areas of expertise include human rights, global health, human trafficking, and global institutions and governance. Lagon is the Chief Policy Officer at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and a Distinguished Senior Scholar at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.[1] He has been lauded as having “spearheaded U.S. anti-slavery diplomacy across the globe”[2] and received the United Nations Association's Louis B. Sohn Award for Career Contributions in Human Rights in 2015.[3]

Education

Lagon earned his B.A. in government from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in 1986. He earned his Ph.D. with distinction from Georgetown University in 1991.[4] Lagon later published his dissertation as a book called The Reagan Doctrine: Sources of American Conduct in the Cold War’s Last Chapter (Praeger, 1994).

Career

Lagon's career has concerned human rights, democratization, and voiceless or marginalized people. Lagon has repeatedly written on and cultivated unique alliances in the service of disadvantaged populations.[5][6][7][8][9] His current work at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria focuses on maintaining and expanding public private civic faith-based partnerships against infectious diseases.[10]

International affairs

Between 1991 and 1993, Lagon served as a Research Associate and principal aide to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.[11] He began his career with the U.S. government in 1995 when he became Senior Foreign and Defense Policy Analyst of the House Republican Policy Committee.[12] He was promoted to Deputy Staff Director in 1997 and served with the Committee until 1998. Lagon continued to study China's rise in the next year as the focus of the International Affairs Fellowship he won with the think tank Council on Foreign Relations.[13] In 1999, he returned to Congress as part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Senior Professional Staff. Much of Lagon’s work with the Committee concerned international organizations and human rights legislation.[14] He worked in similar areas as part of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Policy Planning Staff between 2002 and 2004,[15] at which point he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in International Organizational Affairs.[16]

Human trafficking

Lagon (third from left) with President George W. Bush as he signs the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 into law.

In 2007, Lagon was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large to and Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.[17] According to the Department of State, “Dr. Lagon has focused on reducing migrant workers’ vulnerability to human trafficking, on promoting tangible corporate social responsibility initiatives, and on coordinating U.S. foreign assistance funding to support NGOs’ global work to restore victims’ dignity.”[18]

Following his ambassadorship at the State Department, Lagon assumed the role of Executive Director and CEO of the Polaris Project, an award-winning nonprofit that “provides social services and transitional housing to victims, operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, and advocat[es for] stronger anti-trafficking legislation.”[19][20][21][22][23] In his two years at Polaris, Lagon built partnerships with LexisNexis and Manpower, Inc.[24]

Human rights

Between 2010 and 2014, Lagon finished his second book, Human Dignity and the Future of Global Institutions (co-edited by Anthony Clark Arend); taught courses on international ethics and on global institutions at Georgetown University; and served as the Chair of the Global Politics and Security concentration at Georgetown's Master of Science in Foreign Service degree program.[25] Lagon also reaffiliated with the Council on Foreign Relations as an Adjunct Senior Fellow in Human Rights. Finally, in 2012, he co-founded the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, a partnership of businesses addressing human trafficking in corporate activity around the world, now housed at Business for Social Responsibility.[26]

Lagon meeting Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in 2016.

In 2015, Lagon was appointed President and CEO of Freedom House, a non-governmental organization that researches, advocates for, and programmatically assists the promotion of democracy and human rights globally.[27][28]

Lagon returned to the Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2016. He was its inaugural Centennial Fellow – a title awarded to “prominent thought leaders” – and continues to be a Distinguished Senior Scholar.[29]

In addition to his work at Georgetown, Lagon has begun to address another global threat to human rights and dignity: pandemic diseases. In 2017, he assumed the role of Chief Policy Officer at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the US non-profit advocating for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.[30] The Global Fund is an international partnership between governments, businesses, and civil society to combat epidemics, and has saved an estimated 27 million lives since its founding in 2002.[31][32]


Publications

Lagon has published two books:

His other works have been published in over 60 journals and newspapers. These journals include Perspectives on Political Science, Policy Review, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Journal of Political Science, The National Interest, and World Affairs. These newspapers include The Hill, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Lagon has written a variety of pieces on behalf of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.[33][34][35]

Personal life

Lagon is the son of World War II-era Polish refugees and was raised in Concord, Massachusetts.[36] He is married to Dr. Susan Lagon, a political scientist and longtime Senior Fellow at Georgetown University.

References

  1. ^ "Friends Names Respected Scholar Mark P. Lagon as Chief Policy Officer". Friends of The Global Fight. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  2. ^ "Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery - Amb. Mark P. Lagon, PhD | Executive Director". web.archive.org. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  3. ^ Una-nca (2015-12-07). "UNA-NCA Blog : Human Rights Awards Reception – Spotlight! on Ambassador Mark P. Lagon (ret.)". UNA-NCA Blog. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  4. ^ Arend, Anthony Clark (2010-05-03). "Ambassador Mark Lagon to return to Georgetown University". Anthony Clark Arend. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  5. ^ "Backing Civil Society in the March to End Epidemics". Friends of The Global Fight. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  6. ^ "Human Dignity and the Future of Global Institutions | Georgetown University Press". press.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  7. ^ "Human Rights Governance: Multistakeholderism Without States' Stake" (PDF). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2018-12-21. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  8. ^ "GBCAT". GBCAT. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  9. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2007-05-15). "Lagon, Mark P." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  10. ^ "Friends Names Respected Scholar Mark P. Lagon as Chief Policy Officer". Friends of The Global Fight. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  11. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2007-05-15). "Lagon, Mark P." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  12. ^ Arend, Anthony Clark (2010-05-03). "Ambassador Mark Lagon to return to Georgetown University". Anthony Clark Arend. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  13. ^ "The "Shanghai Coalition": The Chattering Classes and China". www.tandfonline.com. doi:10.1080/10457090009600691&. Retrieved 2018-12-21. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ "Faculty". gufaculty360.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  15. ^ "Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, PhD". www.isst-d.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  16. ^ "Mark Logan". www.gwcapitolhilltop.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  17. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2007-05-15). "Lagon, Mark P." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  18. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2007-05-15). "Lagon, Mark P." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  19. ^ "Dr. Mark Lagon joins private anti-trafficking organization". www.iwp.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  20. ^ "Google Global Impact Award". Polaris. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  21. ^ "Winner of Partnership for Freedom Challenge". Polaris. 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  22. ^ Foundation, Clinton (2015-01-09). "Fighting Modern Slavery through Data and Information Sharing". The Clinton Foundation. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  23. ^ "Polaris Selected as 2017 Skoll Awardee for Social Entrepreneurship". Polaris. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  24. ^ "Mark Lagon". LinkedIn. Retrieved 14 December 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  25. ^ "GU Professor to Lead Freedom House". 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  26. ^ "About GBCAT". GBCAT. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  27. ^ "Mark P. Lagon to Become President of Freedom House". freedomhouse.org. 2014-10-01. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  28. ^ "About us | Freedom House". freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  29. ^ "Former Freedom House President, Mark P. Lagon, Joins SFS as Inaugural SFS Centennial Fellow". School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  30. ^ "Friends Names Respected Scholar Mark P. Lagon as Chief Policy Officer". Friends of The Global Fight. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  31. ^ "At the Tipping Point: U.S. Leadership to End AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria" (PDF). www.theglobalfight.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  32. ^ "Home - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria". www.theglobalfund.org. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  33. ^ "The Global Fund as a Model of Development Assistance". Friends of The Global Fight. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  34. ^ "Multiplier for U.S. Policy: The Global Fund and HER (HIV Epidemic Response)". Friends of The Global Fight. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  35. ^ "Backing Civil Society in the March to End Epidemics". Friends of The Global Fight. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  36. ^ Una-nca (2015-12-07). "UNA-NCA Blog : Human Rights Awards Reception – Spotlight! on Ambassador Mark P. Lagon (ret.)". UNA-NCA Blog. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
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