Jeffrey Rosen is no longer leader of Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center

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The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia announced Friday afternoon that Jeffrey Rosen has stepped down as president and CEO. Effective immediately, Vince Stango, vice president, is interim president and CEO.

Rosen, a scholar of constitutional law, came to the NCC 12 years ago with the mission of turning it into a bipartisan town hall for discussing issues related to the United States’ founding document.

“My goal was to create an American institution that convenes people of different perspectives for civil dialogue and debate and inspires people to learn about our Founding ideals,” Rosen wrote in a statement. “As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, I am proud to pass the baton to Vince and our exceptional leadership team who are fully ready to guide the Center’s next chapter.”

Stango has been with the Constitution Center since 1999, predating its opening in 2003. He said Rosen came to the NCC in 2013 when the organization was “struggling to find its identity,” giving it a clear purpose for civic dialogue.

“He had a mission and he surely met and exceeded his goals as CEO,” Stango said. “After a 12 ½-year tenure as CEO, he and then the board felt it was time to make that change at the start of the year rather than at some later point.”

Stango added that the Constitution Center ended its 2024-2025 fiscal year in one of its strongest financial positions ever.

“No part of this change has anything to do with the financial strength of the organization,” he said.

Rosen said he will devote more of his time to writing and public engagement. His 2024 book “The Pursuit of Happiness,” about the philosophical underpinnings of the Declaration of Independence’s famous phrase, was a New York Times bestseller. He has since released a second book, “The Pursuit of Liberty,” and aspires to make it a trilogy with a proposed third book, “Pursuit of Union.”

Last year, Rosen also hosted “Pursuit,” a 12-episode podcast exploring concepts in his books with filmmaker Ken Burns and invited guests. He’s also written a dozen art songs, taking inspiration from 12 virtues Benjamin Franklin listed as essential to living a good life.

Marquee year for the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is preparing for an expected uptick in interest as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this summer. The organization is a leading member of a cohort of Philadelphia’s historic district organization coordinating their efforts for the upcoming semiquincentennial.

Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, said Stango has been at the vanguard of Philly’s semiquincentennial planning for more than two years.

“It’s hard for me to think of somebody who is a more well-respected civic and historical cultural institutional leader in the city of Philadelphia than Vince Stango,” she said. “It feels like a no-brainer to me, quite candidly, because he is just so smart, so strategic and just so committed to the mission of the Constitution Center and to the potential and promise of the historic district and Independence National Historical Park.”

Stango said efforts by the Constitution Center and the city of Philadelphia to create a “warm, welcoming, visitor-friendly, exciting place” is well underway and that a leadership transition will not disturb those efforts.

“We have a leadership team that’s been in place for a while planning all of the efforts for this year,” he said. “You certainly can’t replace somebody like Jeff Rosen in terms of his scholarship and his public profile, but the institution and the Constitution, like the country, is always more about more than one person.”