The Ford Foundation has appointed Heather Gerken, dean of Yale Law School, as its next president. She will succeed Darren Walker and become the 11th president of the foundation, as well as the second woman to lead the organization in its nearly 90-year history. Gerken will officially assume the role on November 1, following a national search launched after Walker announced his departure after 12 years.
This appointment matters because the Ford Foundation is one of the largest private philanthropic organizations in the U.S. and a major funder of the arts. Gerken's background as a legal scholar focused on democracy, equity, and diversity, along with her trusteeship at the Mellon Foundation—another major arts funder—positions her to continue the foundation's emphasis on social justice and inequality. Her leadership could shape the direction of arts funding and philanthropic strategy in the cultural sector.