Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is set to join the faculty of a new nonpartisan democracy institute at the University of California, Berkeley that bears her name, marking a transition from her 39-year congressional career to academia.
Pelosi will co-teach a course on Congress at the Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy (NPI), and has already helped raise $35 million toward the institute's $50 million fundraising target, according to a Monday announcement from the university.
“The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling,” Pelosi, who in 2007 became the first woman elected Speaker of the House, said in a statement. “UC Berkeley has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and producing leaders who run toward the greatest challenges of our time.”
“I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good,” she added.
The institute, described by the university as a hub for research, teaching, and civic engagement, will offer participants a certificate in public leadership upon completion. Its mission is rooted in advancing the public good through a shared commitment to democratic governance.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons emphasized the institute's broader purpose. “The purpose and impact of the NPI will be defined and strengthened by Berkeley’s ability to bring together world-class faculty and extraordinary students and by our commitment, as the country’s preeminent public university, to advancing the greater good,” he said in a statement. “We intend to do more than simply study democracy; we are building this institute to strengthen it.”
The move comes as Pelosi, a towering figure in Democratic politics, steps back from her role in Congress. Her successor candidates have already faced political turbulence; for instance, state Senator Scott Wiener, a potential Pelosi successor, recently reported harassment at a Trans March over his stance on Gaza. Meanwhile, Pelosi has been vocal on foreign policy, blasting the Trump administration's Iran memorandum of understanding as a costly “gift” that hurt Americans.
The institute is expected to become a focal point for political scholarship and public leadership training, leveraging Berkeley's reputation as a public university to shape future policymakers. Pelosi's involvement signals a continued influence in democratic advocacy beyond the Capitol.
