Isobel Coleman
Encyclopedia
Isobel Coleman is senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR) and director of CFR’s Civil Society, Markets and Democracy Initiative. She is also director of CFR's Women and Foreign Policy program. Her areas of expertise include democratization and economic development in the Middle East
, educational reform and regional gender issues.
She is the author and co-author of numerous publications, including Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East (Random House
, 2010), Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President (Brookings Institution Press, 2008) and Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in International Security (Hoover Press, 2006). Her writings have also appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs
, Foreign Policy
, The Washington Post
, Financial Times
, International Herald Tribune
, USA Today
, Christian Science Monitor, and online venues such as the Huffington Post.
where she focused on financial institutions (1992–2000). She also served as CEO (2000-2002 of Nursing Hands, Inc., a health-care services company sold to Jobson LLC in 2002.
She sits on the advisory boards of various organizations, including Plan USA
and Student Sponsor Partners
.
. She attended Princeton University
and graduated magna cum laude with degrees in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School and East Asian Studies. A Marshall Scholar, she attended Oxford University where she earned an M.Phil. and D.Phil. in international relations. She lives in the New York area with her husband, Dr. Struan Coleman, and their children.
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
(CFR) and director of CFR’s Civil Society, Markets and Democracy Initiative. She is also director of CFR's Women and Foreign Policy program. Her areas of expertise include democratization and economic development in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, educational reform and regional gender issues.
She is the author and co-author of numerous publications, including Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East (Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, 2010), Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President (Brookings Institution Press, 2008) and Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in International Security (Hoover Press, 2006). Her writings have also appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Christian Science Monitor, and online venues such as the Huffington Post.
Career
Coleman was a partner in the New York office of McKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
where she focused on financial institutions (1992–2000). She also served as CEO (2000-2002 of Nursing Hands, Inc., a health-care services company sold to Jobson LLC in 2002.
She sits on the advisory boards of various organizations, including Plan USA
Plan USA
Plan International USA is an international charity with offices in Warwick, Rhode Island and Washington D.C., United States. It is part of Plan International, a global organization founded more than 70 years ago...
and Student Sponsor Partners
Student Sponsor Partners
Student Sponsor Partners is a nonprofit organization based in New York City founded by Peter Flanigan. Since 1986, Student Sponsor Partners has been providing at-risk students in New York City with the opportunity of a quality, non-public high school education, through the financial support and...
.
Personal life
Coleman was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and graduated magna cum laude with degrees in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School and East Asian Studies. A Marshall Scholar, she attended Oxford University where she earned an M.Phil. and D.Phil. in international relations. She lives in the New York area with her husband, Dr. Struan Coleman, and their children.