Jack Cline is the Vice President for Federal Relations at Northeastern. As the university’s chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C., he engages with members of Congress, federal agencies, the White House, and higher education advocacy groups to advance Northeastern’s interests in teaching and research.
Cline also works with colleagues across Northeastern’s campuses to lobby for research funding, shape public policy, and raise the university’s visibility among key government stakeholders.
Before coming to Northeastern, Cline was at the University of Kansas as Associate Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations and a member of the Chancellor’s cabinet. During his time there, he was invited by the U.S. Department of State to represent public higher education on official visits to Northern Ireland. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations for the University of Massachusetts system, and as a member of former Governor Mitt Romney’s senior staff.
Cline has held leadership roles with the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Cancer Institutes. He is also a past President of The Science Coalition, a nonpartisan organization of leading U.S. public and private research universities.
A former Marine, Cline served in the White House Military Office and received his commission in the United States Navy Reserve. He graduated from Harvard University and lives with his family in the Washington, D.C. area. He is based at Northeastern’s Capitol Hill office.