Jonathan F. Fanton is President Emeritus of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Fanton served as Interim Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College from 2009 to 2014. He previously was President of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation from 1999 to 2009 and for 17 years was President of The New School for Social Research. Earlier, he was Vice President of Planning at The University of Chicago. Dr. Fanton holds a Ph.D. in American History from Yale University, where he taught and was Special Assistant to President Kingman Brewster.
He is the author of Foundations and Civil Society, volumes I and II (2008), and The University and Civil Society, volumes I and II (1995, 2002).
As President of the American Academy, Dr. Fanton directed one of the nation’s oldest honorary societies and independent policy research centers. Founded in 1780, the Academy convenes leaders from academia, business, and government to address present and future challenges for the nation and the world.
In addition to his leadership of these organizations, he has served as board chair for several organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the Security Council Report, and the New York State Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. He currently serves on the boards of Scholars At Risk, American Exchange Project, World Refugee and Migration Council, European Humanities University, American University Afghanistan, and Integrity Initiatives International.