From the President and Chief Executive Officer
Sometimes the things that essentially define us are the easiest to take for granted. As the only institution in America solely dedicated to the principles expressed in our nation’s most cherished document, the National Constitution Center is a far-reaching organization focused squarely on one powerful idea: the vision of popular sovereignty embodied in the Constitution’s opening words, “We the People.”
In just ten years, the Center has earned a strong reputation for both its innovative museum experience and its distinctive role as a forum for national dialogue. The resonance of the Center’s mission—to increase public understanding of the history and ideas of the Constitution—has been affirmed by the more than six million people who have visited the museum since it opened on July 4, 2003, as well as the millions of virtual visitors who use the Center’s website and download its podcasts.
In 2008, the Center hosted Barack Obama’s seminal speech on race, as well as the final and most-watched primary debate between history-making Democratic presidential candidates, then-Senators Obama and Hillary Clinton. These occasions were milestones in the organization’s short history, and every day the Center continues to expand its role as America’s town hall. Regularly hosting leading voices in the national conversation—including members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and experts of all stripes—the Center’s programs address the most contentious constitutional issues facing our nation.
Even before I became President and CEO in November 2009, I was a strong believer in the Center’s mission, with a passion for public service and an appreciation for the profound interconnections between the history of Philadelphia and the history of constitutional values and principles. After running AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and VISTA for years, I am especially excited to lead the expansion of the Center’s outreach efforts. For a young organization, the Center has already gained impressive momentum, and I look forward to steering its progress and engaging with ever greater numbers of Americans and individuals from around the globe.
Whether you are contemplating your first visit or have been a member for years, I encourage you to explore all that the Center has to offer, and in doing so, I hope you, too, will be inspired to heed the Founding Fathers’ call to “form a more perfect Union” by securing “the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
In the spirit of citizenship, welcome.
David Eisner
President and Chief Executive Officer