Previously, Nussbaum worked as Editor of Manhattan, Inc., Editorial Page Editor for BusinessWeek, and reported for Far Eastern Economic Review and American Banker. He holds a bachelor's in political science from Brooklyn College, and a master's in political science from the University of Michigan. He has previously taught at Parsons the New School for Design, and published the book Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect and Inspire, as well as many political essays.