Here’s Pelosi’s new role.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing for life after Congress with a new role at the University of California, Berkeley, where she will lead a newly created academic institute focused on representative democracy.
The longtime California Democrat, who announced she will retire from Congress when her current term ends in January 2027, said the new position will allow her to remain engaged in public service while stepping away from the partisan battles of Washington.
“I think all of us in public service who have an opportunity to do so want to use our experience to train leaders for the future,” Pelosi said during an interview with CNN.
She described the transition as an opportunity to focus on education and civic engagement rather than day-to-day political conflicts.
Pelosi To Lead New UC Berkeley Institute
UC Berkeley announced Monday that it will establish the Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy, which is scheduled to open in January 2027 within the university’s Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science.
Although the institute bears Pelosi’s name, she emphasized that it will not have its own building or campus landmark. Instead, the program will operate through the university’s existing classrooms, lecture halls, and research facilities.
When asked whether students would someday walk past a building carrying her name, Pelosi laughed and said she hoped that would not happen.
“I hope not,” she said, noting that Berkeley already has the classrooms, auditoriums, and theaters needed for the institute’s work.
According to Pelosi, the program is intended to serve as an academic initiative that brings together students, faculty, scholars, and public officials through research, classroom instruction, and public events.
Focus On Democracy And Public Service
University officials say the institute will examine representative government, political polarization, civil and human rights, and major policy issues, including artificial intelligence and climate policy.
“The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling,” Pelosi said in Berkeley’s announcement.
She added that the university’s long history of civic engagement made it an ideal place to help prepare future leaders for public service.
Pelosi said Berkeley administrators and faculty members first approached her with the proposal nearly a year before it became public. While she did not immediately accept the offer, she said she was ultimately persuaded by the vision of creating a bipartisan academic program dedicated to studying American government and public policy.
Pelosi said she intends to bring prominent Republicans and Democrats to campus to engage with students and will also co-teach a course on Congress with political science professor Eric Schickler.
Millions Already Raised
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons stated the institute reflects the university’s mission to prepare future civic leaders through education and research.
Lyons said the institute’s success will depend on UC Berkeley’s ability to unite leading faculty members with outstanding students. He added that the university’s goal is not only to examine democracy academically, but also to help strengthen democratic institutions through the institute’s work.
University leaders say the institute is expected to serve hundreds of students annually through undergraduate classes, faculty-led research, and a visiting fellows program that will bring in seasoned public officials from across the political spectrum.
The university also announced that the project has already secured more than $35 million in philanthropic commitments toward a broader $50 million fundraising campaign designed to establish permanent endowments and expand future initiatives.
Pelosi said she agreed to move forward with the project only after helping secure at least $25 million in private donations before the public announcement, adding that reaching the fundraising goal came “quite easily.”
A New Chapter After Congress
Pelosi said she hopes the institute will help prepare future generations of public servants while continuing the work she pursued throughout her decades in elected office.
“I’m so proud of what I leave behind, and how they go on to what’s next,” she said.
Pelosi has represented San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987. She became the first woman elected Speaker of the House, serving from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, making her the first Speaker in more than six decades to hold the position during two nonconsecutive terms.
With her retirement approaching in 2027, Pelosi’s new role at UC Berkeley marks the next phase of a political career that has spanned nearly four decades and made her one of the most influential figures in modern congressional history.