University officials appointed Kimberly Taylor as vice president and general counsel and Daniel Diermeier as the new dean of the Harris School of Public Policy last week.
Kimberly Taylor is currently a partner of the law firm Hilton & Bishop P.C. in Falmouth, MA, and will succeed Beth Harris, the University’s current vice president and general counsel, on August 1. Harris has dedicated her time to helping the Office of Legal Counsel better coordinate the University’s relationships with other institutions.
As vice president and general counsel, Taylor will continue this initiative, advise University officials on legal and regulatory questions associated with the University’s activities, and represent the University in administrative and judicial proceedings.
Taylor has acquired expertise in mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, finance, and partnership matters in her over-18-year career at the law firms Kirkland & Ellis and Hilton & Bishop.
“Kim is a widely recognized and accomplished attorney who will bring these capabilities to bear for the University in an increasingly complex environment. Her demonstrated capacity for judgment, leadership, collaboration and analysis will make her an excellent member of the University’s administrative leadership team,” Robert Zimmer said in a University press release.
Taylor also expressed excitement about joining the University this summer. “I have been impressed with each and every member of President Zimmer’s team. I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty and becoming a part of the Hyde Park community,” she said in a press release.
Daniel Diermeier is currently a professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Over Diermeier’s last 13 years at Northwestern, he has been the director of the Ford Motor Company Center for Global Citizenship and holds appointments in the Departments of Political Science, Economics, and Linguistics, as well as in the School of Law at Northwestern. He will start at his new position on September 1.
“In my experience, real impact requires collaboration and an entrepreneurial mindset. This is what I intend to pursue in my new role,” Diermeier said regarding his approach to working at the Harris School.
Diermeier co-founded the university-wide Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, a scientific organization that researches human behavior. He also co-founded the CEO Perspective Program, a nationally recognized development program for senior business executives, which was developed as a partnership between the Kellogg School of Management, the Corporate Leadership Center, the Chicago Booth School of Business, and the Northwestern Global Health Foundation. In addition to his work at Northwestern, Diermeier has published two books and more than 80 journal articles.
Diermeier is optimistic about his future endeavors at the University.
“I am honored and delighted to be named the new dean of Chicago Harris and look forward to joining one of world’s truly great universities. The University of Chicago has tremendous momentum in its efforts to engage with important issues, here in the Chicago area and globally. The Harris School stands poised to draw on the powerful intellectual resources of the University and help find new avenues for creating real-world impact,” Diermeier said.
