New York Times, Ford Foundation’s New Leader Says She’ll Work to Protect Democracy:
Heather K. Gerken, the dean of Yale Law School, will become the president of the Ford Foundation later this year, the group said Tuesday.
Ms. Gerken, who was seen last year as a contender for the Yale presidency, will take over one of the country’s wealthiest and most influential philanthropies at a time of especially fraught debate about social justice and inequality, two of the foundation’s touchstones.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ms. Gerken said she was looking forward to working at the foundation “to protect democracy and the rule of law and further our mission to create a more just and fair world for everyone.”
Ms. Gerken will succeed Darren Walker, who announced last summer that he would conclude a 12-year tenure in 2025. About a decade ago, he began to redirect Ford’s philanthropy toward combating inequality, writing then that the foundation would work on “not just wealth disparities, but injustices in politics, culture and society that compound inequality and limit opportunity.”
- Ford Foundation, Ford Foundation Announces Heather Gerken as New President
- Ford Foundation, What They’re Saying About Heather Gerken, Incoming President of the Ford Foundation
- Yale, Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken Named Ford Foundation President
- ABA Journal, Yale Law Dean Moves To Ford Foundation
- Law.com, Yale Law Dean to Step Down 2 Years Ahead of Term End
- Law360, Yale Law's 1st Woman Dean To Leave Post 2 Years Early
- Reuters, Yale Law Dean Departs to Lead Ford Foundation
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