EMK Institute Welcomes New President and Director of Programming and Education

Andrew Tarsy appointed as President of the EMK Institute and Dr. Nell Breyer joins as Director of Programming and Education

Boston, MA– The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate (the EMK Institute) is proud to announce Andrew Tarsy as the new President of the organization. As President, Tarsy will serve as a key spokesperson and advocate for the value and importance of the Institute and spread its educational value globally. Tarsy will lead the Institute as the unique facility continues construction. He will oversee all facets of the staff, budget and programming. The Institute today also announced the appointment of Nell Breyer to the position of Director of Programming and Education, another key step in moving the Institute forward towards its completion.

“This is an exciting time for the Institute as it continues to grow and welcome new leadership,” said Lee Fentress, Chair of the Board of Directors. “We are excited to have Andy lead the organization as we build towards the historic opening. There is much work to be done and we feel he’s the right leader to make it all happen. We also are incredibly lucky to have Nell Breyer joining the team. Her contributions will be pivotal to the substantive programming the Institute will unveil.”

Andrew Tarsy has extensive experience in leading successful organizations making him the right choice for the Institute. He has been President of the Alliance For Business Leadership, Inc. since 2009. He is a co-founder of the nearly 200-member leadership organization of CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs and investors. He has led a series of six 100 CEO Summits including three on Capitol Hill in Washington, and has led the group to play significant roles in education, health and energy public policy debates in Massachusetts and in Washington.

“The Institute has an obligation to honor Senator Kennedy and the great history of the U.S. Senate by making a serious contribution to strengthening democracy. This effort could not have come at a more urgent time, where our differences as diverse people and communities threaten to prevent us from meeting enormous challenges. I am honored to be part of this team and ready to go to work,“ said Tarsy.

Tarsy was the Chief External Affairs Officer and Director of Public Policy at Facing History and Ourselves from 2008-2009 and previously he was the Executive Director of the Anti-Defamation League’s New England Region from 2005-2008. He served an appointment as a Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court in the Hague in 2009, advising the Chief Prosecutor on development of a global education strategy.

Tarsy began his career as a lawyer serving as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice. He has received numerous awards including the NAACP’s Kivie Kaplan Humanitarian Award in 2008 and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Award from the City of Somerville, Massachusetts in 2003.

As Director of Programming and Education, Dr. Nell Breyer will work with the leadership on the development of content and visitor experience models for the exhibits and Senate simulations. Breyer will also form the strategic educational objectives by strengthening the Institute’s educational services to students, faculty, government officials, policymakers and the public.

Breyer has been a consultant for Ignition Ventures, working on new venture creation and technology commercialization; and Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, working to launch international digital research initiatives to protect and expand the digital public domain and to alter classroom education with learning and skills derived from strategic game play.

From 2002-2010, Breyer was a Research Affiliate for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She collaboratively developed an advanced stream processing software system for manipulating real-time and recorded video streams to create unique visualizations of motion.

Breyer has served as a faculty member or guest lecturer at Harvard University, Tufts University, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and Rhode Island School of Design.

“It is an honor to be joining EMKI’s remarkable team. The Institute will transform our understanding of the Senate,” said Breyer. “It will immerse citizens in the complexities and controversies of political decision-making using dynamic simulations and interactive technology. It should also inspire us - with the courage, compassion, failures and imagination of our senate’s past - to engage actively in the public sphere of our future.”