David Eisner Confirmed as New CEO of Corporation for National and Community Service
David Eisner Confirmed as New CEO of Corporation for National and Community Service
12/10/03 5:32:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Sandy Scott of the Corporation for National and Community Service, 202-606-5000 ext. 255 or sscott@cns.gov
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- David Eisner, a former executive at AOL Time Warner and a nationally recognized expert on nonprofit capacity-building and organizational effectiveness, was confirmed by the Senate yesterday as the next Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and other domestic service initiatives that engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities and country.
"National and community service represents the best of American citizens' commitment to our civil society and democratic values," said Eisner. "I am extremely grateful to President Bush for nominating me, and to the Senate for allowing me to serve in this post."
Eisner, 42, takes over from Acting CEO James F. Manning, who remains the agency's chief operating officer. In his new position, Eisner will oversee an agency with 600 employees that supports more than 1.5 million Americans who serve the needs of their communities through schools, nonprofits, and faith-based and community organizations. On Monday, the House of Representatives approved a 20 percent budget increase for the Corporation and its programs as part of the Fiscal 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill.
"I am very eager to get to work," said Eisner. "The Corporation and our grantees have had a difficult year, but it's a new day. We are moving ahead, confident in our mission, optimistic about our future, and committed to becoming even more effective and accountable as we strengthen volunteering and service across America. With an incredibly dedicated staff, an outstanding field, and a historic bipartisan display of grassroots, Congressional, and Presidential support, we are poised to engage more Americans in service to meet the needs of our neighborhoods and nation."
Stephen Goldsmith, chairman of the Corporation's board of directors, said, "The Corporation is very fortunate to have attracted someone with experience in the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors -- especially someone with the organizational, management, and leadership skills that David brings to the post."
"I am extremely pleased that we have the benefit of David's leadership to help achieve the President's goal of increased volunteering and civic engagement in our nation," added John Bridgeland, Assistant to the President and Director of the USA Freedom Corps. "David will strengthen management and accountability at the Corporation, which will help ensure that more Americans have the opportunity to serve their communities through volunteering and national service." The Corporation and its programs are a key component of USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility and to help all Americans answer President Bush's Call to Service.
From 1997 until this year, Eisner was a vice president at AOL Time Warner. He also was senior vice president of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. At AOL, he directed and developed the company's charitable foundation and its pro-social business strategy, managing a team of employees responsible for creating and sustaining strategic relationships, coalition development, philanthropic initiatives, and social policy issues impacting the company's business divisions. Eisner also led the effort to develop two leading donation and volunteer websites: the AOL Foundation's Helping.org, and Network for Good, a partnership between AOL Time Warner, Cisco Systems, and Yahoo. In collaboration with the federal government, he was also instrumental in helping to create the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network, the largest network of volunteer opportunities ever assembled.
Before joining AOL, Eisner worked for four years as Senior Vice President in the Washington, D.C., office of Fleishman- Hilliard International Communications, one of the world's largest public relations firms. From 1990 to 1993, he managed public relations at the Legal Services Corporation. Eisner started his career on Capitol Hill, serving as press secretary for three Members of Congress between 1985 and 1990: Dana Rohrabacher (R- Calif.), Bill McCollum (R-Fla.) and Mac Sweeney (R-Texas).
Eisner has brought his expertise in organizational development to bear as a board member of several national nonprofit organizations, including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, and Network for Good. He was a founding board member of the Social Enterprise Alliance, which helps nonprofit groups employ earned income strategies to build sustainability, and he also served on the boards of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, which supports the thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations that build technology capacity within nonprofit organizations, and Technology Works for Good, which delivers technology solutions to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C., region.
"In addition to being a strong leader, thinker, and collaborator, David has a wealth of expertise in organizational structure and nonprofit capacity-building," said Diana Aviv, President of Independent Sector, a national coalition of more than 700 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropic programs. "We're delighted that the President has selected and the Senate has confirmed such an inspired choice to strengthen the cause of national service and serve the entire nonprofit sector. David knows how to work with others and understands service and volunteerism. I am confident that under his stewardship, the Corporation for National and Community Service will be well managed and will flourish."
A graduate of Stanford University, Eisner received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife, Lori, live in Bethesda, Md., with their four young children.
Through its various programs, the Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.org.
