Joan Edelman Spero (born October 2, 1944 in Davenport, Iowa) is a Senior Research Scholar at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

’s

School of International and Public Affairs The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. ...

, where she researches and writes about international philanthropy and its role in the global system. From 2009 to 2010, Ms. Spero was a visiting scholar at the

Foundation Center Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations.Wyland, Michael. "GuideStar Introduces Program Metrics Section for Nonprofit Profile ...

, where she conducted research on the role of American private foundations in U.S. foreign policy and in the global system.

Education and career

Ms. Spero graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from the University of Wisconsin and holds a master's degree in international affairs and a doctorate in political science from

. She also studied at the Institut d’Études Politiques in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and is fluent in French.

Government positions

Spero was Ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

for Economic and Social Affairs from 1980 to 1981. From 1993 to 1997, Ms. Spero served in the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...

as Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs.

Corporate and academic roles

Spero was an assistant professor at

from 1973 to 1979. From 1981 to 1993, she held several positions at American Express Company, the last being Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications. From 1997 to 2008, Ms. Spero served as President of the

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious l ...

. Known as an international political economist, her book ''The Politics of International Economic Relations'' first published in 1977 is currently in its 7th edition and has been translated into numerous languages. She is also the author of ''The Failure of the Franklin National Bank'' originally published in 1980 and reprinted in 1999, as well as ''New World, New Deal: A Democratic Approach to Globalization'' (2000), ''The Global Role of U.S. Foundations'' (2010) and ''Charity and Philanthropy in Russia, China, India, and Brazil'' (2014).

Organizations

Ms. Spero is a member of the Academy of Diplomacy, the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, and the Council of American Ambassadors. Spero serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Genesis Prize Foundation.Genesis Prize official website, accessed March 18, 2014 http://www.genesisprize.org/about/leadership/31-board-of-directors-and-advisory-board/157-joan-e-spero.html She serves as a Trustee of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the International Center for Transitional Justice and is a Trustee Emeritus of Columbia University, Amherst College, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Brookings Institution. Ms. Spero is a Director of IBM,

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

and Citigroup and has previously served as a director of

ING Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

, FDC,

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

, and Hercules.

Publications

* The Politics of International Economic Relations, 1st edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1977) * The Failure of the Franklin National Bank: Challenge to the International Banking System (1980, Reprinted 1999) * The Politics of International Economic Relations, 2nd edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1981) * The Politics of International Economic Relations, 3rd edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985) * The Politics of International Economic Relations, 4th edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990) * The Politics of International Economic Relations (with Jeffrey A. Hart), 5th edition (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 1997) * New World, New Deal: A Democratic Approach to Globalization (with W. Bowman Cutter and Laura D'Andrea Tyson) (Foreign Affairs, 2000) * The Politics of International Economic Relations (with Jeffrey A. Hart), 6th edition (Belmont, Calif.:

Thomson/Wadsworth Cengage Group is an American educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education, K-12, professional, and library markets. It operates in more than 20 countries around the world.(Jun 27, 2014Global Publishing Leaders ...

, 200

* The Politics of International Economic Relations (with Jeffrey A. Hart), 7th edition (Boston: Cengage, 201

* The Global Role of U.S. Foundations (The Foundation Center, 2010) * Charity and Philanthropy in Russia, China, India, and Brazil (The Foundation Center and WINGS, 2014)

References

External links

* U.S. Department of State Official Biograph

* Biography of Joan Edelman Spero, Trustee of Columbia Universit

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spero, Joan E. 1944 births Living people People from Davenport, Iowa Permanent Representatives of the United States to the United Nations University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Directors of Citigroup Members of the American Philosophical Society Columbia University faculty Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni United States Under Secretaries of State American women ambassadors 21st-century American women