Dr. Ephraim Isaac

Board Vice President

Ephraim Isaac is a scholar of ancient Semitic Languages & Civilization, and African/Ethiopian Languages and Religion. He is the Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies in Princeton, NJ, and the Chair of the Board of the Ethiopian Peace and Development Center. 

Born in Ethiopia where he received his early education, Dr. Isaac holds B Div. from Harvard Divinity School, a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages,  DHL (Honorary, John Jay/CUNY) and a Litt. D. (Honorary, Addis Ababa University). He is a founder and the first Professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University. In recognition of his merits, the "Ephraim Isaac Prize for Excellence in African Languages" is given to a Harvard graduate who writes the best essay in African Studies.