On Nonprofit Governance: The Jon Stewart Case Study

January 30, 2011

The 9/11 Memorial, or the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, is a private not-for-profit foundation, in charge of overseeing the design, fundraising, programming and operating the Memorial & Museum under construction at the World Trade Center site. New York City Mayer, Michael Bloomberg, is the current chairman of the foundation. Members of the board of directors include politicians and real estate moguls, such as Daniel R. Tishman, CEO of Tishman Construction Corporation as well as attorneys Avi Schick, Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and

Robert Kasdin, Senior Executive Vice President of Columbia University.

On January 27, 2011, the foundation welcomed a new director, an entertainer as well as a political activist, Jon Stewart, the host of the Emmy-winning “The Daily Show” who used his show to promote a federal bill to provided medical benefits to those who became ill from exposure to toxic World Trade Center debris and dust.

Incidentally, also on January 27, 2011, during the public interest law week, Cardozo presented a panel dedicated to the topic of nonprofit cultural institutions entitled Lawyer for the Arts with Elena M. Paul (Executive Director, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts); Randall Bourscheidt (President Emeritus, Alliance for the Arts); and Patricia Northrop (former Assistant Attorney General with the Charities Bureau, Office of the NYS Attorney General). The guest speakers discussed changes that have taken place in the New York City regarding funding and governance of non-profit cultural institutions. The appointment of Stewart to the 9/11 Foundation board underscores the value of promoting the needs of public interest cultural undertakings and the breadth of individuals who should come together to accomplish these goals.

For more details, read LA Times.