Amy A. Kass

Amy A. Kass is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. For thirty years, she has been an award-winning teacher of classic texts in the College of the University of Chicago, where she was a senior fellow in the John M. Olin Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy.

In early 2008, Kass led a seminar series at Hudson Institute on various aspects of American identity. Two major questions informed the program: "What makes an American an American?" and "Who are we Americans as a people?" Proceeding on the assumption that American identity is a matter of the heart, as well as of the mind, and that American character embodies more than adherence to lofty principles and knowledge of our history and institutions, the seminars explored issues of American identity using American imaginative literature—short stories. This seminar series is currently being evaluated, and next steps are being developed.

Kass has also directed nationwide seminars on civic leadership, first under the auspices of the "Toqueville Seminars on Civic Leadership" at the University of Chicago and then under the "Project on Civic Reflection" at Valparaiso University. At Hudson Institute in 2005 and 2006, she conducted the "Dialogues on Civic Philanthropy," a seminar series seeking to promote and sustain thoughtful discourse on basic issues in philanthropy with leaders in the field.

Kass served on the National Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as on the Council of Scholars of the American Academy of Liberal Education, and as a consultant on American history and civic education at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She also has served as a consultant on civic education for the Corporation for National and Community Service and USA Freedom Corps, and is currently an advisor for Civic Enterprises, LLC, and the National Conference on Citizenship.

Kass earned her B.A. at the University of Chicago, Master’s at Brandeis University, and her Doctorate at The Johns Hopkins University.

For more information on Amy Kass' work, visit http://dcp.hudson.org.

Kass is the author of numerous articles and the editor of four books:

Giving Well, Doing Good: Readings for Thoughtful Philanthropists (January 2008) brings together key texts that provide guidance to current and prospective donors, trustees and professional staff of foundations, and leaders of nonprofit organizations.

The Perfect Gift: The Philanthropic Imagination in Poetry and Prose (2002) aims to help givers, large and small, think about the meanings and purposes of giving.

Wing to Wing, Oar to Oar: Readings on Courting and Marrying (with Leon R. Kass, 2000) is a companion for young people seeking help in finding a worthy life partner.

American Lives: Cultural Differences, Individual Distinction is an anthology of American biographies.