FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tricia Kelly
The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program
202-736-5818 | tricia.kelly@aspeninstitute.org
Aspen Institute Welcomes Catherine Casserly as Fellow
Former CEO of Creative Commons to join Communications & Society Program
Washington, DC, June 18, 2014 – The Aspen Institute announced today that Catherine Casserly, former CEO of Creative Commons, will become a part-time Fellow at the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program effective July 1, 2014. At the Institute, a non-partisan venue for values-based leadership, Casserly will follow up the work of the Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning and the Internet through writings, convenings and public appearances.
“I’m enthusiastic about helping the Aspen Institute engage the community to collaboratively craft next action steps and follow up the terrific work of the Task Force on Learning and the Internet,” said Casserly. “We have a pivotal moment to collectively address America’s education challenges by harnessing the promises posed by the digital revolution. In this moment, we need to allow innovative learning approaches, tools and practices to flourish, so that all Americans, especially our youth, are educated in concert with the opportunities of the information age.”
“We are delighted to welcome Catherine Casserly,” said Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Institute. “She typifies the kind of leadership and human values that the Aspen Institute stands for.”
After a yearlong process the Task Force on Learning and the Internet released a report entitled, “Learners at the Center of a Networked World.” The Task Force consisted of 20 high-level leaders and experts in education, technology and families. Dr. Casserly was a member of the Task Force and is a longtime supporter of educational equity and open educational resources. The Task Force and this fellowship are supported by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
“Cathy Casserly is the perfect person to be leading the follow up activity of the Task Force on Learning and the Internet,” added Charles Firestone, executive director of the Institute’s Communications and Society Program. “Her understanding of the complex issues, long commitment to the field and ability to bring diverse perspectives into alignment all point to a great opportunity to move the Task Force recommendations forward.”
The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, www.aspeninstitute.org/c&s, addresses the societal impact of communications and information technologies, and provides a multi-disciplinary venue for considered judgment on communications policy issues.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
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