The Ford Foundation has announced that Heather Gerken, current dean of Yale Law School, will assume the role of president in November 2025.
The decision follows a formal search process initiated after Darren Walker revealed his plans to step down from the position he has held for over a decade.
Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, made the announcement on Monday.
Describing Gerken’s appointment as aligned with the foundation’s mission, he said, “Heather Gerken brings a wealth of experience working across the philanthropic and legal sectors that will only help sharpen the Ford Foundation’s operations and grantmaking. In Heather, we have found a thoughtful and innovative leader with a knowledge and passion for justice that is centered on the values of democracy and helping advance human achievement for all citizens.”
Gerken has served as dean of Yale Law School since 2017 and currently holds the Sol & Lillian Goldman Professorship of Law. Her tenure has been marked by efforts to expand access to legal education for underrepresented students and to reduce financial barriers to the profession. Under her leadership, the law school introduced full-tuition scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds and increased representation among veteran and first-generation college students.
She also oversaw Yale Law School’s withdrawal from the U.S. News and World Report rankings, citing concerns about how the methodology discouraged support for public interest law and low-income applicants.
Paula Moreno, a member of the Ford Foundation board who served on the presidential search committee, highlighted Gerken’s credentials. “Heather Gerken brings exceptional intellect, inclusive leadership, and a profound commitment to justice around the world,” she said. “As only the second woman to lead the Ford Foundation, where we reimagine the world through equality and hope, Heather will drive bold innovation and inspire transformative systemic change with urgency and vision.”
In a statement released by the foundation, Gerken expressed appreciation for the opportunity to lead the global philanthropic institution. “It is a profound honor to join the Ford Foundation and build upon the legacy of those who came before me, particularly the astonishing Darren Walker,” she said. “I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working with Ford staff and the board of trustees to protect democracy and the rule of law and further our mission to create a more just and fair world for everyone.”
Gerken previously taught at Harvard Law School and worked as an associate at Jenner & Block, where she focused on voting rights litigation. She also clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter and Judge Stephen Reinhardt on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Her academic work includes founding the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project at Yale Law School, which partners students with city attorneys on public interest cases. The clinic has been involved in litigation concerning opioid distribution and same-sex marriage rights in California.
Gerken holds degrees from Princeton University and the University of Michigan Law School. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves as a trustee of Princeton University and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Darren Walker, who has led the Ford Foundation since 2013, welcomed the announcement. “I extend my warmest congratulations to Heather Gerken as she prepares to lead the Ford Foundation into its next chapter,” he said. “Her experience and dedication to philanthropy and the field of law will undoubtedly propel the foundation’s mission forward.”
The search for Walker’s successor was conducted by the board of trustees in partnership with the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.
The Ford Foundation has been operating in West Africa since 1960 and has its West Africa regional office in Lagos, Nigeria, headed by Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye as Regional Director.
