Remarks from Richard Paisner, Chair of the ISC Board of Directors.
As Board chair, I have many opportunities to recount the ISC story. And what a remarkable story it is – from a riverbank in Bulgaria to virtually every country of the former Soviet Union, from Moss Point, Mississippi to Mumbai, from Miami Beach to Guangdong – just to say those words is, I am sure, to weave a tapestry inconceivable to Madeleine and George when they started ISC 25 years ago.
We all have our fondest memories of this past quarter century – here are my top three: with my wife Christie, visiting Belgrade to meet the committed ISC staff and the brave Serbian champions who have worked so hard to create a vibrant NGO community in the wake of a horrible war; again with Christie, meeting the ISC staff in Mumbai – passionately committed to applying the lessons we have learned in our Chinese EHS+ Center to the challenging Indian environment; and finally, learning that in his 2015 Earth Day address, President Obama singled out our project in South Florida as a “model for the nation and for the world.” I guess I am old school enough and have lived in Washington, DC long enough to still believe that when the President of the United States tells you you have done something good, you have.
We have been fortunate to have the visionary leadership of Governor Kunin, the stalwart service of dedicated board and staff and the entrepreneurial spirit of George Hamilton. And such partners – USAID, EPA, DOE, HUD, foreign governments, GE, Apple, Disney and Mahindra; the list goes on and on.
I always close my description of ISC in the same way – so let me do it here: George Hamilton is the most talented social entrepreneur I know. What a champion! Happy Anniversary, ISC. Congratulations to board and staff!