Jan R. Liss
On November 21, 2005, Jan R. Liss joined Project Pericles as its second Executive Director, succeeding Dr. Karen E. Holt.
Ms. Liss graduated from Reed College with a BA in Psychology and earned her MBA from the Yale University School of Management.
Ms. Liss has thirty years of senior leadership in management, planning, and financial development for a wide range of academic/educational organizations, including The Aspen Institute, Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org), The New York Public Library, The Brookings Institution, American Express, and The Portland Art Association (Oregon). As an independent consultant to academic and not-for-profit institutions, she has served clients that include The Aspen Institute, Columbia University, and the University of Missouri School of Law on matters of strategic planning, curriculum planning, and publishing.
From 1985 to 2000, Ms. Liss served in senior management at Consumers Union. As Vice-President for Strategic Planning and Business Development, she was a member of the Policy Committee, the team that shaped and directed the organization. She directed new product and services development and evaluated business opportunities and developed, launched, and implemented Consumers Union's strategic plan.
Most recently, she was Associate Director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program and Director of CasePlace.org: Developing Leaders for a Sustainable Society. She led the design and launch of CasePlace.org, an interactive website of case studies and teaching materials that integrates societal issues and business strategies. She also developed the annual Walter V. Shipley Business Leadership Case Competition designed to boost the leadership and ethical decision-making capacity of business school students.
Ms. Liss is pleased to bring her experience in social responsibility and higher education to continue to build Project Pericles.