Heather K. Gerken is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law at Yale Law School and the 11th president of the Ford Foundation. She served as the School’s 17th Dean from 2017 until 2025.
Gerken is one of the country’s leading experts on constitutional law and election law. A founder of the “nationalist school” of federalism, her work focuses on federalism, diversity, and dissent. She was the first female dean in the School’s 200-year history.
