2026 Alumni Award: Dr. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer

The Sciences Po American Foundation is proud to announce that the 2026 Alumni Award will be presented to Dr. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer ('11), President of the German Marshall Fund, on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

About the Award

The US Sciences Po Alumni Award recognizes Sciences Po alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary success in their field in the United States. Since its inception, the award has honored leaders who have risen to the top of their fields: from business and diplomacy to technology and public service. 

Past honorees include Hubert Joly, who led the celebrated turnaround of Best Buy as its CEO; Guillaume Jesel, President of Global Brands at The Estée Lauder Companies, who has built some of the most coveted

 luxury beauty brands in the world; Camille François, a leading voice on digital trust and saf

ety; and Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative, who has shaped American trade policy at the highest level of government as the country's chief trade negotiator- each a reflection of the breadth and caliber of the Sciences Po community in the United States. 

Dr. de Hoop Scheffer joins this distinguished group as a scholar, strategist, and institution-builder whose work has shaped transatlantic dialogue at the highest levels.

About the Honoree

Dr. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer is one of the most respected voices in transatlantic policy today. As President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, she leads one of the most influential transatlantic policy organizations in the world, building on more than 15 years of senior advisory and executive experience spanning European affairs, international security, and corporate diplomacy.

Before becoming President, Dr. de Hoop Scheffer served as GMF's Senior Vice President for Geostrategy, directing its policy and risk advisory initiatives across Europe, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific. She advises governments, multinational corporations, and financial institutions on the political, geopolitical, and macroeconomic trends shaping their operations — and helps them build the forward-looking decision-making processes to navigate an increasingly complex world.

Her board memberships reflect the breadth of her engagement: she serves as an independent board director on the supervisory board of Meridiam and the French Treasury Strategic Committee, chairs the advisory board of the French Chief of Defense Staff, and sits on the editorial board of The Washington Quarterly. She is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Dr. de Hoop Scheffer came to GMF in 2012 as its Paris office director and senior fellow, following advisory roles with the French foreign ministry's policy planning staff, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the French Ministry of Defense, and UN peacekeeping operations. She also served as an associate professor at Sciences Po Paris and as a research fellow at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.

A dual French-Dutch citizen, Dr. de Hoop Scheffer holds a PhD in political science from Sciences Po Paris and is the author of Hamlet en Irak.

"Alexandra embodies everything this award stands for. Her career is a testament to what Sciences Po graduates carry into the world: intellectual rigor, a commitment to the public good, and the ability to shape policy at the highest levels. We are honored to celebrate her."
— Jean-François Ducrest, Chairman, Sciences Po American Foundation

Join Us

Members of the Sciences Po community and beyond are warmly invited to celebrate Dr. de Hoop Scheffer's remarkable achievements.

RSVP HERE