Isaacson is the chairman emeritus of Teach for America. Since 2012 he is the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Isaacson is a member of the board for United Airlines and Tulane University. In 2010 he was elected to the Board of Overseers of Harvard University. On 12 May 2014 Isaacson delivered the Jefferson Lecture at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. It was established by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The high honor is given "for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities".