1998 Council
On Ideas Members
Jane Alexander
Most recently the sixth chairman of the National Endowment for the
Arts (NEA), Alexander completed a total reorganization of NEA to emphasize
partnerships and cross-disciplinary initiatives. Prior to becoming
chairman in 1993, Alexander pursued a successful career in the arts
as a producer, author and award-winning actress including six Tony
nominations and a Tony Award for The Great White Hope; five Emmy nominations
and an Emmy Award for Playing for Time; and four Academy Award nominations.
She is the recipient of numerous honors including the 1995 Montblanc
Award de Culture North American Award, the Commonwealth Award and
the Living Legacy: Jehan Sadat Peace Award in 1988; and is a Board
member of the McDowell Colony, the Hornecker Wildlife Institute, and
the American Bird Conservancy.
Ana Maria Cetto
Professor of theoretical physics at the Institute of Physics at UNAM
(Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) since 1967. She received
her Master's degree in biophysics from Harvard University and in physics
from UNAM, and her PhD in physics from UNAM (1971). Cetto has served
as dean of the Faculty of Sciences, editor of Revista Mexicana de
Fisica, and was head of the project for the Museum of Light at UNAM.
Currently playing a leading role in the development of LATINDEX, an
electronic information system for Latin American scientific periodicals,
she has published over 60 research articles and several monographs
and textbooks in physics, is co-editor of Scientific Publications
in Latin America (1995) and co-author of The Quantum Dice: An Introduction
to Stochastic Electrodynamics (1996).
Stephen Jay Gould
Professor of geology and zoology at Harvard University, Gould is also
curator of invertebrate paleontology at the university's Museum of
Comparative Zoology. He is internationally known for his collections
of essays and books including The Panda's Thumb (1981 National Book
Award); The Mismeasure of Man (1982 National Book Critics Circle Award);
Wonderful Life (1991 Rhone-Poulenc Prize and 1991 Pulitzer Prize finalist);
Bully for Brontosaurus; Full House; and his most recent Questioning
the Millenium. A 1981 MacArthur fellow, Gould is the recipient the
Golden Trilobite Award, Discover Magazine Scientist of the Year, and
many other awards of excellence from distinguished universities worldwide.
Robert D. Kaplan
Contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly and twice nominated for
a Pulitzer Prize, Kaplan has been a free-lance writer for over 20
years. Kaplan has lived and travelled extensively in the Middle East,
Europe and Asia cultivating a global perspective that has permeated
his work including Balkan Ghosts (named by the New York Times Book
Review as one of the best books of the year) ; The Arabists: The Romance
of an American Elite, and The Ends of the Earth: A Journey at the
Dawn of the 21st Century. He is also the author of books about the
Horn of Africa and Afghanistan. A fellow of the World Economic Forum
and a consultant to the U.S. Army's Special Forces Regiment, Kaplan
lectures frequently at the U.S. military academies; and at universities
including Harvard and the Wharton School of Business.
Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Currently President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
Mathews is a leading authority on foreign policy, specializing in
global environmental issues and nuclear proliferation. Prior to joining
the Carnegie Endowment, Mathews was a senior fellow at the Council
on Foreign Relations and a columnist for the Washington Post; and
served as vice-president of the World Resources Institute for nine
years. She also worked for the National Security Council, the Department
of State and in Congress as a congressional science fellow and professional
staff member. A subject of Bill Moyers World of Ideas series, Mathews
is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a distinguished
fellow of the Aspen Institute.