Heather Gerken Named President of Ford Foundation
137July 3, 2025
TheFord Foundation, one of the United States’ largest and most prominent philanthropic concerns, with an endowment of about $16 billion, has namedHeather Gerkenas its next president. Gerken, the dean of Yale Law School and a nationally recognized expert on constitutional law and democracy, succeeds Darren Walker, who led the philanthropic organization for twelve years before being elected president of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, last fall. According to theNew York Times, she will assume her new role in November, leaving her post at Yale ahead of the conclusion of her term there, which had been slated for mid-2027.
“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,” saidGerken in a statement. “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 joined Yale Law School in 2006 and was appointed dean in 2017, in which capacity she has increased the school’s enrollment of veterans and established a program covering tuition for low-income students at the school. She previously taught at Harvard Law School, clerked for Supreme Court Justice David Souter, and worked in private practice. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan and her BA from Princeton University.
“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,” said Francisco Cigarroa, chair of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation, in a statement. “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. Her life’s work resonates with the mission of the Ford Foundation.”