Ford Foundation Appoints Heather Gerken, Dean of Yale Law School, as its New President

Ford Foundation Appoints Heather Gerken, Dean of Yale Law School, as its New President

**Heather Gerken Named New President of Ford Foundation**

Heather Gerken, a leading scholar on democracy and constitutional law, has been appointed as the next president of the Ford Foundation, a major US private philanthropic organization. As the dean of Yale Law School since 2017, Gerken has established a strong legacy focused on equity, access, and innovation in legal education.

During her tenure at Yale, Gerken significantly increased financial support for law students, launching the first full-tuition scholarships for those with the highest financial need. This initiative has enabled 15% of Yale Law’s JD students to attend tuition-free. She also created two pipeline-to-law-school programs to broaden access for underrepresented groups, including first-generation college students and veterans. As a result, the number of veterans at Yale Law rose from 1% to nearly 10%, and the proportion of first-generation college or professional school students increased as well.

Gerken led Yale Law School to withdraw from the U.S. News & World Report rankings, a move motivated by concerns that the rankings methodology discouraged law schools from supporting public interest careers, need-based aid, and recruiting working-class students. She also founded and leads the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project Clinic, which enables Yale Law students to work with city attorneys on impactful cases, contributing to major legal victories, including a multimillion-dollar opioid settlement and a landmark case that legalized same-sex marriage in California.

Gerken's commitment to public service and democracy is well-recognized. She is a national expert on constitutional law and has served on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, evaluating arguments for and against Supreme Court reform. Her "Democracy Index" proposal, which ranks election systems across the country, was adopted as the Election Performance Index by Pew Charitable Trusts in 2013.

As the incoming president of the Ford Foundation, Gerken will emphasize continuing the organization’s mission to reduce inequality and promote social justice, building on the foundation’s recent focus under Darren Walker. She brings her deep expertise in constitutional law and advocacy for democracy, aiming to protect and strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law. Her approach is characterized by pragmatic, inclusive leadership aimed at addressing toxic polarization and increasing civic engagement.

Gerken’s transition from Yale Law School to the Ford Foundation reflects her lifelong commitment to equity, justice, and institutional reform. Her appointment as the president of the Ford Foundation will officially commence on November 1.

[1] Yale University News, "Heather K. Gerken Named Dean of Yale Law School," 2017. [2] The New Yorker, "Inside Yale Law School’s Radical Experiment," 2020. [3] Yale Law School, "San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project," n.d. [4] The Chronicle of Philanthropy, "Heather Gerken to Lead Ford Foundation," 2022. [5] The Atlantic, "The Ford Foundation’s New President Wants to Make Democracy Work," 2022.

1. Heather Gerken's tenure at Yale Law School, as evidenced by her establishment of full-tuition scholarships and pipeline-to-law-school programs, is a testament to her commitment to diversity-and-inclusion and access in education-and-self-development.
2. In recognition of her expertise in constitutional law and advocacy for democracy, Heather Gerken has been appointed as the president of the Ford Foundation, an organization known for its focus on business, personal-growth, and career-development, especially in the realm of finance and diversity-and-inclusion.
3. As she takes on her new role at the Ford Foundation, Heather Gerken aims to leverage her skills-training in leadership and pragmatic approaches to address social issues, promoting arts, culture, and social justice in line with the foundation's mission.
4. Furthermore, Gerken's work, such as championing public interest careers, need-based aid, and recruiting working-class students, aligns with the Ford Foundation's goal of reducing inequality.
5. With the transition from academia to a major philanthropic organization, Heather Gerken's influence in shaping the future of business, education-and-self-development, and social justice is poised to continue and expand.

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