Academy for Educational Development
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Joseph S. Iseman, 89, One of the Founders of AED Washington, D.C., April 28, 2006 —
"Joe Iseman was instrumental in helping to guide AED to its current position as one of the nation's leading human and social development organizations and generously supported our efforts," said AED President Stephen F. Moseley. "In every meeting, small and large, his personal participation and commitment to social issues were shared in his warm and engaging style. Even in his advanced years, he demonstrated his devotion to tackling complex problems, always seeking new and flexible ways to solve them." Mr. Iseman had a distinguished legal career with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he maintained an office in New York City. As a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, Mr. Iseman taught at such institutions of higher education as the College of William and Mary in Virginia and Fisk University in Tennessee. Early in his career, Mr. Iseman helped to establish New York City's first educational television channel, WNET/Thirteen. In 1976, he served as acting president of Bennington College in Vermont and served on the governing boards of Bennington and Wake Forest University. In addition to his appointment as acting president of the American University in Paris and service as vice chairman of the board of trustees from 1987 to 1988, Mr. Iseman was the coordinator and draftsman of the institution's accreditation self-study. After his service on the board of trustees, the university awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1997. He acted for many years as secretary and general counsel to the Charles F. Kettering Foundation and served as director or trustee of several private foundations and other charitable organizations, including Safe Horizon, the major New York City area agency dealing with domestic violence and similar problems, and The Hastings Center, the nation's leading bioethics organization. "Throughout his life, Joe Iseman demonstrated his belief in a vision that there could be a better world, whether by reducing community violence in New York, helping to increase access to education in the U.S. and overseas, or helping to create new social development institutions to address people's needs," said Moseley. "He always wanted to learn more about AED's work and its impact, most recently accompanying other board members to visit AED projects in Ghana." Mr. Iseman graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School. He was a member of the bar in New York and Paris, France, and was licensed as a Conseil Juridque in France. ### |
Joseph S. Iseman, 89, a founding board member of the Academy for Educational Development, died April 25 in New York City. 
