Gerard G. Leeds
Co-Founder of ISA
Co-Founder and Chair of the
Alliance for Excellent Education
Gerard Leeds is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Student Achievement, Inc., which he founded with his wife, Lilo, in 1990.
In 1971, prior to establishing the Institute, Gerard and Lilo Leeds founded CMP Media Inc., a major publisher of business newspapers, magazines, Internet and other information services for the high-tech industries. The company's socially responsible policies placed it in Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 best companies to work for, and in Working Mother, as one of the best companies for women workers. The company instituted a major on-site childcare center, a strong diversity program, and an active employee-run foundation.
In 1988, Gerard and Lilo Leeds transferred the management of the company to the next generation and Michael Leeds took over as President and CEO. The Leeds made the challenge of educating children at risk their principal focus. In addition to founding the Institute for Student Achievement, they are on the boards of several other organizations working on education issues. These include the Alliance for Excellent Education, located in Washington, DC, whose goal is to make excellent education for all children a reality, and the Schott Foundation, in Boston, which focuses on early care in education, fair funding and gender equity.
Gerard and Lilo Leeds are both immigrants to the United States, and consider their work in education a way to return to society some of the business and personal success that America has allowed them to achieve.
Gerard and Lilo Leeds are recipients of a large number of civic awards, including Socially Responsible Entrepreneurs of the Year, LIA Humanitarian Award, outstanding Philanthropists of the Year for NSFRE/L.I., were honored by the Urban League of L.I., the NYS Chapter of NAACP, the NYS United Teachers Association, and the American Jewish Committee. They were cited by Newsday in its report on "100 Who Shaped a Century".
Mr. Leeds holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science and an honorary doctorate from Adelphi University, and a Masters of Arts and an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York at Stonybrook. He has taught management at Long Island University and Hofstra University, and lectures annually to MBA students on socially responsible business management.
|
