Office of the Secretary
of The University

University of Wisconsin, B.A., 1966
Columbia, M.I.A., 1968; Ph.D., 1973

Joan Edelman Spero received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin (1966), an M.I.A. from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (1968), and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate Faculties (1973). She also attended L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (1964-1965) and was a Visiting Scholar with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1976-1977). Spero was an assistant professor at Columbia from 1973 to 1979. She served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council from 1980 to 1981. From 1981 to 1993, she was an executive at the American Express Company, where her last position was Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications. In 1993, President Clinton appointed Ms. Spero to the U.S. Department of State as Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs.

From 1997 to 2008 Joan E. Spero was President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in 1997, which makes grants in the performing arts, environmental preservation, medical research and prevention of child abuses and also supports several operating foundations created by Doris Duke and based at her residences. Ms. Spero is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Foundation Center which conducts research, education, and training on philanthropy.

Ms. Spero has authored several books, including The Politics of International Economic Relations (7th Edition, 2009) and The Failure of the Franklin National Bank (1980). She also has contributed to numerous professional journals.

Spero is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, the American Philosophical Society, and the Council of American Ambassadors. She serves on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and is a director of IBM Corp. and ING Group.