David Eisner To Step Down As President And CEO Of National Constitution Center

Will serve as an advisor in search for new leadership

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 17, 2012  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- David Eisner announced today that he will step down as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, effective October 31.

Eisner, who oversaw the Center's powerful FREEDOM! branding initiative as part of a long-term strategic plan to grow regional and national awareness of the Center, will remain at the helm into the fall, where he will preside at the presentation of the 2012 Liberty Medal to Muhammad Ali, debut the much-anticipated American Spirits exhibition about Prohibition, and lead other exciting public announcements the Center expects to make in the coming months.  At the request of the Center's Board of Trustees, Eisner also has agreed to assist in the search for new leadership to ensure a smooth transition in the coming months.  

"The National Constitution Center has made significant progress in establishing itself as a regional and national attraction, and this is the right time for me to step aside," Eisner said.  "I am very confident in the Center's ongoing success, both now and in the long-term.  I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the Center and its mission, and my passion around public engagement will remain in the forefront as I pursue new opportunities in both the public and private sectors."

"David has been a strong leader and he helped put the Center in a position to achieve its goals," said Doug DeVos, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Center's Board of Trustees.  "We are grateful for his vision and for the time and energy he has devoted to putting the Center's new Strategic Plan into place, strengthening the exhibition pipeline and business model, creating digital pathways to engage more citizens, and raising the Center's regional and national profile."

DeVos said the search for a successor would begin immediately, and that Eisner would assist the search and work with his successor to assure a smooth transition. When Eisner departs on October 31, Vince Stango, Chief Operating Officer, will step into the interim position.

Eisner was appointed President and CEO in November 2009 by the Center's Board of Trustees, chaired by former President William J. Clinton, and including, among others, former President George H.W. Bush, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. 

Over his three-year tenure, Eisner worked with the Board to craft a five-year strategic plan; won the coveted museum accreditation from the American Association of Museums; launched the Center's first comprehensive branding campaign; reinvested in relationships with other Philadelphia cultural institutions and neighboring historic attractions; and strengthened the Center's staff in communications, sales, marketing, development, exhibitions and public engagement.  Participants in public activities at the Center in recent years include (in addition to Board members): President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Justice Stephen Breyer, Senator John McCain, Tony Blair, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, Larry Summers, Gary Locke, Steven Spielberg and many others.

"I am extremely proud of everyone who worked with the National Constitution Center during my tenure, and of those who will work toward its continued success in the future," Eisner said.  "The Center has become an important part of this city, and of this country, and I look forward to seeing its advancement in the years to come."

The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution.  Located on Independence Mall in Historic Philadelphia, the birthplace of American freedom, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires active citizenship through a state-of-the-art museum experience, including hundreds of interactive exhibits, films and rare artifacts; must-see feature exhibitions; the internationally acclaimed, 360-degree theatrical production Freedom Rising; and the iconic Signers' Hall, where visitors can sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.  As America's forum for constitutional dialogue, the Center engages diverse, distinguished leaders of government, public policy, journalism and scholarship in timely public discussions and debates.  The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the national hub for constitutional education, which offers cutting-edge civic learning resources both onsite and online.  Freedom is calling.  Answer it at the National Constitution Center.  For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org. 

SOURCE National Constitution Center