Get to Know–Bill Isler
Bill Isler is President and CEO Emeritus of Fred Rogers Productions and a long-time educator and advocate for children. He began his career as a teacher and administrator and later joined the Pennsylvania Department of Education, where he served as Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Education, Commissioner of Basic Education and Senior Program Advisor for Early Childhood Education before joining the Fred Rogers Company in 1984. In 2005 he was named the inaugural Executive Director of The Fred Rogers Center, a position he held until 2008.
In addition to serving on the Board of The Fred Rogers Company, he is a board member of the Grable Foundation, the Forbes Fund,
the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh and The Jewish Health Care Foundation and an emeritus member of the Governor’s Early Learning Investment Commission. He is an honorary member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He served as Treasurer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a member of the Saint Vincent College Board of Directors, Chairperson of the Council of Great City Schools, he was a member of the Board of the Pittsburgh Public Schools for sixteen years, serving five years as Board President.
He received the Pittsburgh Foundation Isabel Kennedy Award for child advocacy, was named Person of the Year in 2007 by the Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Green-Gardner Award as Urban Educator of the Year in 2015 for the Council of Great City Schools, the Colman Award from the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics and the PBS Be More Award for Excellence in Children’s Media.
Bill Isler holds a B.A. in English from Saint Vincent College and post-graduate study in child development at the University of Pittsburgh. He is married to Mardi Woodward Isler and has a son and two grandchildren.
How do you define your leadership style?
Inclusive—to be a good leader you have to be willing to include the people you are working with in all that you do—decision-making, strategizing, etc. You don’t have to do everything they may want you to do, but it’s important to listen. They have opinions and lessons you may not know. Inclusion doesn’t stop with staff it extends to board work as well.
Whose shoulders do you stand on?
I have several mentors, people I have worked with in my life. Starting when I was working in a community health center in the Mon Valley, the executive director there was a real mentor in terms of organizational theory and staff development. He was always focusing on the goal of the organization. That was a major influence and has continued to be a major influence in any leadership roles I have had.
When I was in state government, there was a person who was incredibly focused on delivering the best for people in the Commonwealth of PA, primarily in education. His style of leadership was a major influence in terms of including people in the decision-making process, listening to those who worked with him to develop the strategies for the organization.
Finally, working with Fred Rogers, obviously was a mentor and friend. Understanding how important it was to give everything you could to help children and families as they learn and grow together.
What is the most significant risk you have taken and what was the outcome?
Very interesting question. Any time you step into a leadership position it is a risk; you are going to be called on to make decisions on behalf of the organization for the people of the organization and the people served. Anytime I was asked to take a leadership position it was a risk. You have to take time, learn the history, learn the goals of the organization and how you can fulfill those goals. The people I worked with helped me achieve whatever good I did as a leader. It takes more than one person to achieve success, it’s all about inclusivity.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?
Continuing to build relationships with people who have experiences that are different than mine, that have skills that are different than mine, and who believe in working to provide the people they work with and for the best opportunities for growth. I like to surround myself with people who have achieved more than I have and who are continuing to grow and explore what they can do from the position they are in. Nowadays I do this through serving on boards rather than in a professional capacity.
What book are you currently reading?
Just finished Caste – Isabel Wilkerson. An incredibly thought provoking book, provided me many opportunities to think about life experiences.