David Eisner Named President and CEO of National Constitution Center
Philadelphia, PA, November 18, 2009 — The National Constitution Center Board of Trustees announced today that it has appointed David Eisner, former Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, to serve as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center. Eisner succeeds Linda E. Johnson, a member of the Center’s Board of Trustees, who has served as Acting President and Chief Executive Officer since the Board began its national search in January 2009.
“The National Constitution Center is an extraordinary American institution,” said Eisner. “I look forward to working with the remarkable Board of Trustees, led by President Clinton, as well as the talented and energetic staff, to engage more citizens in our democracy and advance the Center as the heart of America’s most vibrant and meaningful discourse on the Constitution.”
“David’s diverse experience in the non-profit, corporate, and government sectors will be essential for the continued growth of the National Constitution Center as a leading cultural and educational institution,” said President William J. Clinton, Chairman of the National Constitution Center. “We are extremely fortunate to welcome someone of his caliber, who, throughout his career has demonstrated strong leadership, and a dedication to civic engagement and to the values at the very core of the Center’s mission.”
Both Clinton and Eisner expressed gratitude to Linda Johnson. “Linda’s dedication, as Acting Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Trustees for over a decade, has been invaluable to our success,” added Clinton.
“I have a longstanding respect for the mission of the National Constitution Center; it has been an honor and a pleasure serving a renowned organization that does such important work on a global stage,” said Johnson. “The Center has firmly secured itself as a national treasure, and under David’s leadership, will accelerate its progress as one of the country’s most vital and dynamic institutions, as well as a prominent forum for constitutional conversation.”
Eisner served as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the Federal agency overseeing AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, and other national service programs, from December 2003, when he was appointed by President George W. Bush, through November 2008. He is widely recognized for his successful tenure, during which he strengthened the agency’s accountability, improved customer service, increased public trust, and positioned the Corporation for significant growth as an engine of positive social benefit.
For seven years prior, Eisner was a senior executive at AOL Time Warner and America Online, Inc., where he established and directed the AOL Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. At AOL, Eisner founded several of the first online initiatives to foster philanthropy and volunteering, including Network for Good and Helping.org. Prior to that, he was a Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hilliard International Communications in Washington, D.C. He also previously managed public relations at the Legal Services Corporation. Eisner started his career on Capitol Hill, serving as press secretary for several Members of Congress.
A nationally recognized leader in organizational effectiveness, Eisner has served on the boards of several national non-profit organizations, including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, and Network for Good. He graduated from Stanford University and he received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues. The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising”. The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education. Also, as a non-partisan forum for constitutional discourse, the Center presents – without endorsement – programs that contain diverse viewpoints on a broad range of issues. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
