Board of Directors
Joel L. Fleishman
Professor of Law and Director, Heyman Center for Ethics, Public Policy, and the Professions
Joel L. Fleishman, Professor of Law and Public Policy Studies, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (A.B., 1955, J.D., 1959) and Yale University (LL.M., 1960).
In 1971, Mr. Fleishman joined the faculty of Duke University where he combined his background in public policy and law as founding Director of the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs (now called the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy), a position he held until 1983. He has been Professor of Law and Public Policy Studies since 1974. Mr. Fleishman was appointed Chairman of the Capital Campaign for the Arts & Sciences and Engineering in 1982, which succeeded in raising more than $200 million in endowment. He became Vice President of the University in 1985, Senior Vice President of the University in 1988, and First Senior Vice President of the University in 1991. In September of 1993, Mr. Fleishman relinquished his administrative duties at Duke University to become President of The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company, Inc. in New York City, the U.S. program staff for Atlantic Philanthropies, which he held until January 2001, at which time he was appointed Senior Advisor at APS Company. Through his years with APS, Mr. Fleishman continued as part-time Professor of Law and Public Policy Studies and Director of the Sam and Ronnie Heyman Center for Ethics, Public Policy and the Professions within the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University and returned to full-time status in those positions effective July 1, 2003.
Mr. Fleishman was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of Mesorah Heritage Foundation, the charitable affiliate of ArtScroll Publications, was a founding Trustee of the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC, and continues to serve as a member of both boards. He is also a Trustee of Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Mr. Fleishman serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Urban Institute, Chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a member (and former Chairman) of the Board of Trustees of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation, a founding Trustee of the Partnership for Public Service, a Trustee of the Center for Effective Philanthropy and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In Fall 2004, Mr. Fleishman was appointed co-convener of the Expert Advisory Group, an eight-person group assembled by the Independent Sector to advise its Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, an entity composed of leaders from charities and foundations across the country. The Panel was formed at the encouragement of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee to prepare recommendations for Congress on how to improve the oversight and governance of charitable organizations. Again, in March 2006, Mr. Fleishman was appointed co-chair of the special Advisory Committee on Self-Regulation of the Charitable Sector, the purpose of which is to formulate recommendations on self-regulation of the charitable sector to recommend to the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector. Mr. Fleishman is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foundations.
Having authored and co-authored numerous articles, chapters, and books which reflect his interest in ethics, public policy, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as urban studies, the postal service, and the financing of federal elections, Mr. Fleishman has focused the writing of his most recent articles on public trust in not-for-profit organizations. His book on the role and impact of foundations in America was published in January 2007. Its title is The Foundation: A Great American Secret—How Private Wealth is Changing the World (New York: PublicAffairs Books, 2007).
In addition to his academic activities, Mr. Fleishman is a member of the Board of Directors of Boston Scientific Corporation, the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, and the James River Insurance Group. For eight years he wrote a monthly wine column for Vanity Fair magazine.
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