Steven L. Isenberg has been named Executive Director of PEN American Center, the largest branch of International PEN, the world’s oldest literary and human rights organization. A statement issued on PEN American Center’s website announced the appointment, effective immediately, in early August. Mr. Isenberg has taught at Berkeley, Yale, Davidson, The New School, and UT-Austin, among other schools, and has served as interim President and Chairman of the Board of Adelphi University, Publisher of New York Newsday, Executive Vice President of the Los Angeles Times, and Chief of Staff to New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay. “In a richly varied career, Steven Isenberg has demonstrated over and over again that he is imbued—as PEN is—with a love of literature and an unyielding commitment to free expression around the world,” said the President of PEN American Center’s Board of Trustees, Kwame Anthony Appiah. Mr. Isenberg said of his selection, “PEN’s membership and activities have long been wed in the service of free expression and the promotion of literature. PEN’s history and spirit reflect a strong dedication to the arena of human rights and the celebration of free voices and views. I am honored to have a part in both sustaining that tradition, and in helping to widen the national and international awareness of PEN and engagement in its exemplary work.” Mr. Isenberg succeeds Michael Roberts, who helmed the organization for eleven years.