The ISEE was founded in 1989. Its presidents have been Bob Costanza, Dick Norgaard, John Proops, Charles Perrings, Joan Martinez-Alier, Peter May, John Gowdy, Bina Agarwal, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Sabine O’Hara, Clovis Cavalcanti and Joshua Farley. The current president is Roldan Muradian (until January 2024), and the president-elect is Erik Gomez-Baggethun.

Other members of the Board include Executive Director, Anne Aitken, Student Members, Gabriel de Castro and Megan Egler. Other board members are Aledia Azamar Alonso, Louison Cahen-Fourot, Lina Brand Correa, Lisi Krall, M. Azahara Mesa-Jurado, Eric Dada Mungatana, Paula Novo, Inge Røpke, Brotoi Roy, and Madhu Verma.

The Society assists its members and ecological economists, regional societies of ecological economics, related societies, and other organizations in such matters of common concern as can be dealt with more effectively by united action. To this end, the Society publishes a research journal, books, and other materials; holds and sponsors scientific meetings; develops educational materials; and facilitates a voice for ecological economists in public forums.

Below is a classic photo from the period soon after the founding of ISEE, when in 1990 a workshop was held on Wye Island on the eastern shore of Maryland to prepare the introduction to the first ISEE Conference Proceedings “Ecological Economics: the science and management of sustainability”.