Nikki Haley joins conservative Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute

April 17 (UPI) -- The Washington-based Hudson Institute this week said it will bring on former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley as its new Walter P. Stern Chair.

Haley was welcomed to the Hudson Institute on Monday, being called "a proven, effective leader on both foreign and domestic policy" by Hudson's President and CEO John Walters, who said, "In an era of worldwide political upheaval, she has remained a steadfast defender of freedom and an effective advocate for American security and prosperity."

Walter added that the institute was "honored" to have the former United Nations ambassador join its ranks.

Her move to the Hudson Institute puts her on the same roster of other notables such as former President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of State Alexander Haig. In 2021, he was joined by Donald Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who was a Cabinet secretary under three Republican presidents.

"When our policymakers fail to call out our enemies or acknowledge the importance of our alliances, the world is less safe," Haley said in a press release announcing her new role.

Haley was the recipient of the institute's Global Leadership Award in 2018.

"That is why Hudson's work is so critical," said the former South Carolina governor, adding that the institute believes "the American people should have the facts and policymakers should have the solutions to support a secure, free and prosperous future."

The conservative Hudson Institute, founded in 1961 during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, is a Washington think tank that focuses on public policy matters. The Walter P. Stern Chair was inaugurated by the Hudson Institute in 2020 to honor former Chairman Emeritus Walter "Wally" Stern.

Hudson's board of trustees chair said she was "extremely proud" Haley was joining their ranks.

"It is fitting that Nikki has taken on this title," Board Trustee Chair Sarah May Stern said, calling Haley "a courageous and insightful policymaker and these qualities are vital in making Hudson the powerhouse policy organization it is today."

In 2023, China had placed sanctions against the institute and the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. for hosting Taiwan's President, Tsai Ing-wen, during her visit to the United States, which Beijing angrily protested.