David M. Kirkham
David M. Kirkham former professor, university administrator, international negotiator, diplomat, US Air Force officer, and lawyer. He was named president of the BYU International Society. Before this appointment, he was a special representative in the United Arab Emirates for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he worked on governmental, humanitarian, and interfaith relations.
He is a Senior Fellow for Comparative Law and International Policy and Advisor for European Union and Council of Europe, at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, in the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.
He is a retired associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University. He was Academic Director at the BYU London Centre from 2015 to 2019.
Throughout his career, Kirkham actively engaged in international negotiations and diplomatic representations. He represented the United States, the United Nations, and Brigham Young University in over fifty nations across six continents. Notably, he was a senior humanitarian affairs officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, primarily focusing on Africa.
He holds a PhD from George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from BYU in creative nonfiction writing. He has published in BYU Studies Quarterly: "The Hoarse Whisperer" and "On Music Angels."
He was a United States Air Force Officer from 1982 to 2007. He was Associate Dean at George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies from 2005 to 2007; Professor of International Politics and Democratic Studies at the Marshall Center from 2003 to 2997. He was Deputy Head for International History at the United States Air Force Academy where he was also Associate Professor of History, Assistant Professor of History, and Director of International Plans, Programs and Development.
From 1997 to 1999 he was Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations.
Kirkham and his wife, Judy, are the parents of eight children.
