NEWTON, MA | January 28, 2008
Vivien Stewart, Vice President for Education at Asia Society, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). EDC, celebrating its 50th year, is a global nonprofit organization that advances solutions to some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development.
At Asia Society, Stewart has used her global focus to develop a network of state and national education leaders to expand international programs across the U.S., and created a national initiative to encourage the teaching of Chinese. She manages a prizes program to recognize excellence in international education and has developed a series of exchanges to share expertise between American and Asian leaders on how to improve education to meet the demands of globalization.
Stewart has long been involved in education and youth affairs. At the Carnegie Corporation of New York, she was a leader in shaping reform agendas in early childhood education, urban school reform, science education, teaching, and healthy adolescent development. She managed a number of Carnegie task forces which produced such influential reports as Turning Points, A Matter of Time and Starting Points. She was instrumental in the creation of the National Center for Children in Poverty and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
In 2007, Stewart was awarded the Harold McGraw Prize for her work in education. She was honored for demonstrating a commitment to helping young people develop the skill sets needed to succeed in a global economy.
Stewart serves on several boards, including the National Center on Education and the Economy and on the advisory board of the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. She has served as Senior Policy Advisor to the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
EDC President and CEO Luther Luedtke called the new trustee’s expertise and experience invaluable to EDC’s mission. “Vivien Stewart has worked throughout her career on expanding educational opportunities, building communities, and improving learning throughout the world—many of the challenges EDC works on every day,” Luedtke said.
Stewart joins EDC trustees Charles Benton, Chairman, Public Media Incorporated; Beatriz Chu Clewell, Principal Research Associate, The Urban Institute; Larry Irving, President, Irving Information Group; Pat Mora, Author; Bradley Palmer, Managing Partner, Palm Ventures, LLC; Linda G. Roberts, national education consultant; Marvin Suomi, President and CEO, KUD International; Deborah Wadsworth, Senior Advisor, Public Agenda; Laura Walker, President and CEO, WNYC Radio; Luther Luedtke, President and CEO, EDC; and Gail T. P. Wickes.
