Council on Foreign Relations

Joan E. Spero is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Foundation Center, which works to strengthen the non-profit sector by collecting and disseminating information, conducting research, and offering educational programs on the world of philanthropy.  From 1997 to 2008, Ms. Spero served as President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.  The foundation makes grants in the performing arts, environmental preservation, medical research and prevention of child abuse. Ms. 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. Ms. Spero served in the U.S. Department of State as Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs (1993-1997) and as Ambassador to the United Nations for Economic and Social Affairs (1980-1981). She was a corporate executive at American Express Company (1981-1993) and an Assistant Professor at Columbia University (1973-1979).  Ms. Spero graduated from the University of Wisconsin and holds a master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. Ms. Spero has authored several books and articles in professional journals and is active in professional associations in foreign affairs and economics.   She is a Director of IBM and ING; serves as a Trustee of Columbia University, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; and is a member of the Academy of American Ambassadors, the Academy of Diplomacy, and the American Philosophical Society.