The Ford Foundation has selected an Ivy League lawyer with experience in litigation and expertise in constitutional law and democracy to head up the New York-based charitable organization, including operations and grantmaking. 

On Tuesday, the foundation, which is centered around strengthening democratic values, said that Heather Gerken will become its 11th president. In November, the Yale Law School dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law will succeed Darren Walker, who plans to retire after 11 years at the helm.

The foundation has been hyping up how much Gerken’s bona fides align with its stated mission. Foundation Chair Francisco Cigarroa called Gerkin a “leader with a knowledge and passion for justice that is centered on the values of democracy and helping advance human achievement for all citizens.”

Paula Moreno, who served on the board’s search committee, said that Gerken’s “profound commitment to justice around the world” will bring “transformative systemic change” to the foundation.

As dean of Yale's law school, Gerken focused on reducing economic barriers to the legal profession for underrepresented students, launching the first full-tuition scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds.

Gerken takes over the foundation, which has a $16 billion endowment, at a time when the White House is challenging the tax-exempt status of nonprofits. (This is tangentially connected to the Trump administration’s ongoing battle with university endowments.)

The foundation also pointed out Gerken’s experience as an aggressive litigator. In addition to her experience running the law school, she formed and runs a program that helps students work with attorneys to litigate cases on the city’s behalf. For almost twenty years, the program has helped the city win significant victories, including a multimillion-dollar settlement in the opioid litigation and the landmark case that legalized same-sex marriage in California.

Before Yale, Gerken was a professor at Harvard Law School and clerked for Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Gerken also serves as a trustee of Princeton and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Executive recruiter Russell Reynolds Associates led the search for Walker’s replacement.