Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has big plans for her retirement, announcing a partnership with the University of California, Berkeley to launch a new nonpartisan academic institute dedicated to bolstering democracy.
Pelosi, a Democrat who has represented San Francisco for close to four decades and is not running for reelection, will take an active role in the institute’s academic life — including co-teaching a course focused on Congress. The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy is set to open in January.
“I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good,” Pelosi said.
According to the university, the institute will be built around four core areas: reinforcing America’s democratic institutions, tackling challenges facing society, the economy, and the environment, advancing human and civil rights, and cultivating political leadership that reflects a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints.
Among the topics researchers plan to explore are strategies for combating climate change, addressing wealth inequality, and identifying electoral reforms that could help reduce political polarization among voters.
The institute has already secured more than $35 million in philanthropic pledges. UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said the initiative fits squarely with the university’s mission to encourage civil dialogue and prepare students for leadership roles on the world stage. The institute will be housed within the university’s political science department.
“We intend to do more than simply study democracy,” Lyons said. “We are building this institute to strengthen it.”
The institute will also feature an exhibit documenting Pelosi’s long career, which included two separate terms as House speaker. She first took the gavel while Republican George W. Bush was finishing his presidency, becoming the first woman ever to hold the speakership. She continued in that role during Democrat Barack Obama’s first two years in the White House, playing a central part in pushing the Affordable Care Act into law.
Her second stint as speaker came during President Donald Trump’s time in office, a period marked by the House impeaching Trump twice — though he was acquitted by the Senate on both occasions.
One of the most iconic moments of Pelosi’s career came when she tore up her copy of Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address. She held up the remnants toward her family seated in the gallery and later told reporters that “it was a manifesto of mistruths.” The move drew sharp criticism from Republicans.
Trump, who was no admirer of Pelosi, responded to news of her retirement last year by telling reporters he was pleased she would be leaving Congress.
Now 86, Pelosi continues to wield considerable influence within Democratic politics, especially in her home state of California. Since stepping back from leadership in 2023, she has served as a rank-and-file House member unlike most, operating as a speaker emerita who stays engaged in the day-to-day work of legislating while offering guidance to the next wave of Democratic leaders.
