Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a bestselling author, acclaimed historian, journalist, and the Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values at Tulane University. He served as President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute, was Chairman and CEO of CNN, and Editor of TIME magazine. An accomplished biographer, Isaacson has written acclaimed books on Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, and Noble Prize winner Jennifer Doudna. Isaacson is a co-host of “Amanpour and Co.” on PBS, a contributor to CNBC, and host of the “Trailblazers” podcast from Dell Technologies. He is also an Advisory Partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm based in New York City.
Walter Isaacson Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
-
Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values
-
CEO and President
-
Editor
Academic History
-
B.A., Philosophy, Politics and Economics
-
B.A., History and Literature
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Chair Emeritus, Teach for America
Board Member, United Airlines
Board Member, New Orleans City Planning Commission
Board Member, New Orleans Tricentennial Commission
Board Member, Rockefeller Foundation
Board Member, Society of American Historians
Board Member, Carnegie Institution for Science
Member, American Philosophical Society
EARLY CAREER
Isaacson began his career The Sunday Times in London and then New Orleans’ Times-Picayune
He joined TIME in 1978 and served as a Political Correspondent, National Editor, and Editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th Editor in 1996.
He became Chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then President and CEO of The Aspen Institute in 2003.
He was Vice Chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversaw the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States.
RECOGNITIONS
2023 National Humanities Award
2014 National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecture
2012 Gerald Loeb Award
Honorary Degree, Cooper Union