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Noted Global Philanthropy Expert Joan Spero Appointed Adjunct Senior Research Scholar
SIPA alumna Joan Edelman Spero, former President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, has been appointed Adjunct Senior Research Scholar. Dean John H. Coatsworth says Spero will work with the School to advance and engage students in her research and writing about international philanthropy, particularly philanthropy during the Cold War and challenges to philanthropy in the post-Cold War era.
In addition to her Master of International Affairs from SIPA, Spero holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia. She is the author of several books, including The Politics of International Economic Relations. Her current research on international philanthropy draws on her recently published article, “The Global Role of U.S. Foundations.”
As President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation from 1997 to 2008, Spero directed the Foundation’s grant-making in the performing arts, environmental preservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse. Spero also served as President of the Duke Farms Foundation, a 2,700-acre property in New Jersey devoted to environmental stewardship; and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, whose mission is the study and understanding of Islamic arts and culture.
From 1993 to 1997, Spero served in the U.S. Department of State as Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs. From 1981 to 1993, she held several senior positions with American Express Company, the last being Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications. She was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Economic and Social Affairs from 1980 to 1981. She is a member of the Council of American Ambassadors, the Academy of Diplomacy and the American Philosophical Society. She serves as a Trustee of the Council on Foreign Relations and as a Director of IBM and ING.
Spero is a former Trustee of Columbia University and taught political science as an Assistant Professor at the University from 1973 to 1979. While serving in her new role at SIPA, she will continue her work as a Visiting Scholar at the Foundation Center, which works to strengthen the nonprofit sector through communication, research, and educational programs about the world of philanthropy.
09/07/2010