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Kentucky political donor, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, taking on a new role at Harvard

WUKY | By Karyn Czar
Published August 19, 2026 at 11:58 AM EDT
FILE - IN this Sept. 26, 2017, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft stands during her swearing in ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds in Washington. Three Democratic senators are calling on President’s Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nation to clarify that she will put U.S. interests ahead of her own financial interests when it comes to climate change. The Democrats say Craft, who was nominated to the U.N. post last week, has invested more than $60 million in oil companies and other fossil fuel interests. Her husband, Joe Craft, is CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest U.S. coal producers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Alex Brandon/AP
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AP
FILE - IN this Sept. 26, 2017, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft stands during her swearing in ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds in Washington. Three Democratic senators are calling on President’s Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nation to clarify that she will put U.S. interests ahead of her own financial interests when it comes to climate change. The Democrats say Craft, who was nominated to the U.N. post last week, has invested more than $60 million in oil companies and other fossil fuel interests. Her husband, Joe Craft, is CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest U.S. coal producers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Kelly Craft has been named a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics for the fall semester.

She’ll live on campus and work with students on diplomacy, national politics and public policy.

Craft says she’s looking forward to working with the next generation of leaders and sharing what she’s learned from decades in diplomacy.

Craft remains a prominent figure in Kentucky Republican politics. She ran for governor in 2023 but lost to Daniel Cameron.

She and her husband, Joe Craft, are also major Republican donors and have donated millions of dollars to the University of Kentucky.
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Karyn Czar
Karyn Czar has been a journalist with WUKY since 2013 and is currently the Assistant News Director. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and brings more than 30 years of broadcast experience to NPR. Karyn's work has been recognized with numerous Associated Press, Kentucky Broadcaster Association, Public Media Journalist, and Edward R. Murrow awards throughout her career.
See stories by Karyn Czar