The Aspen Strategy Group honors the memory of diplomatic luminary Joseph S. Nye, Jr. who passed away on May 6, 2025. Nye was the co-founder, co-chair emeritus, and first executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group and a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

To say Nye was a pioneer and generational influence on American diplomacy would be to undersell his achievements. Nye developed the now globally taught foreign policy concepts of soft and smart power that helped construct a more peaceful interconnected world. He was the former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus there too, and served in the Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations. 

“Joe Nye made countless deep and enduring impacts as a scholar, teacher, mentor, leader and a co-founder and guiding light of the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Strategy Group,” said Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield. “We will miss him, and will continue his work with great pride and gratitude for his life of service.”

A prolific author, Nye published dozens of books and hundreds of articles that helped to shape the direction of American foreign policy for decades. His emphasis on cultural exchange and attraction over warfare and coercion fundamentally align with the Aspen Institute’s mission to develop free societies through dialogue and the respectful exchange of ideas. 

More than just his diplomatic and policy credentials, Nye loved the outdoors with hobbies that included fly fishing, hiking, squash, skiing, gardening, and working on his tree farm in New Hampshire. Nye and his wife Molly Harding Nye, who passed away in December 2024, were devoted in marriage for 63 years prior to her passing. They are survived by their three sons.

A mainstay in Washington and Aspen, we will miss Joe’s warm heart, thoughtful consideration, and insightful commentary. While he may have left us now, his legacy lives on and we are all the better for it. 

See more tributes to Joe’s life from those who knew him best here.