Walter Isaacson

Author and journalist Walter Isaacson is a Professor of History at Tulane University. He is the past CEO of the Aspen Institute, where he now serves as a Distinguished Fellow, and is the former chairman and CEO of CNN and former editor of TIME magazine.

A bestselling and prolific writer, Isaacson has authored numerous books including "Elon Musk," "The Code Breaker," "Leonardo da Vinci," "The Innovators" and "Steve Jobs," among others. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.

Host of the show “Amanpour and Company” on PBS, Isaacson is also host of the podcast “Trailblazers, from Dell Technologies.”

Isaacson began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times-Picayune. At TIME magazine, he served as a political correspondent, national editor, and editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor.

Isaacson is chair emeritus of Teach for America. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States. Additionally, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of the Arts, and the American Philosophical Society.

Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.