Joan E. Spero is President of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which strives to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, and child maltreatment prevention as well as preservation of Doris Duke's properties. Renowned throughout the field of political science, Spero received her doctorate in political science from Columbia University, where she taught international politics and economics from 1973 to 1979. In 1980, she was named U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council by President Jimmy Carter. From 1981 to 1993, she served as an executive at the American Express Company, ultimately executive vice president for corporate affairs and communications. Dr. Spero's vast political experience also includes serving as undersecretary of state for economic, business, and agricultural affairs in the Clinton Administration.
