On Monday, May 5, Columbia University announced Jeh Johnson as the newly elected co-chair of the Columbia University Board of Trustees. He will serve alongside co-chair David Greenwald.

Columbia has announced the election of Jeh Johnson (LAW ’82) as co-chair of the University’s Board of Trustees. Johnson will govern along with David Greenwald (LAW ‘83), who has been co-chair since 2023. Greenwald served as co-chair with now Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman. After Shipman’s appointment as Acting President, Johnson stepped into the role of co-chair effective April 24, 2025. 

Johnson served as General Counsel in the Department of Defense in the Obama Administration from 2009 to 2012, as well as Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. Previously, he was General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force and Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He is currently a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP. Along with serving on Columbia’s Board of Trustees, Johnson serves on the Board of Directors of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, as well as MetLife. 

Additionally, Johnson has received 13 honorary degrees from a number of institutions. He is an honorary life member of the Cambridge Union in England and is the recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Gold Medal Award, the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Johnson stated, “Columbia is in my bloodstream. Four generations of my family have degrees from Columbia University. As co-chair of the Board of Trustees, I will work to preserve and promote the greatness and values of our University and will be committed to the welfare and safety of all our students. I am retiring from Paul Weiss and intend to devote significant time and energy to Columbia.” He will retire from his law firm on June 30, 2025. 

“Columbia News” email sent to the Columbia community on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 11:28 am: 

Columbia today announced the election of Jeh Johnson (LAW’82) as co-chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, effective April 24, 2025. Johnson will serve alongside David Greenwald (LAW’83), who became co-chair in 2023.

Johnson is a lawyer and the 2021 recipient of The American Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as an American statesman who “has devoted his career to the public interest.” Johnson served in the Obama Administration as General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009-2012 and Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013-2017. Earlier in his career, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force and Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Johnson is currently a partner in the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP and will retire from the firm effective June 30, 2025. He is also on the Board of Directors of MetLife and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

In a statement, Johnson said: “Columbia is in my bloodstream. Four generations of my family have degrees from Columbia University. As co-chair of the Board of Trustees, I will work to preserve and promote the greatness and values of our University and will be committed to the welfare and safety of all our students. I am retiring from Paul Weiss and intend to devote significant time and energy to Columbia. Paul Weiss has been my private law practice home off and on for over 40 years. I will miss my colleagues there and appreciate the loyalty and support they have shown me over the years.”

“There’s no one better suited to co-chair the Board of Trustees right now than Jeh Johnson, a leader who has spent his career in public service and in private practice navigating some of the most complex and consequential issues imaginable,” said David Greenwald. “I’m grateful to him for stepping up, for marshalling his expertise and experience in the service of Columbia and its incredible community.”

Johnson is the recipient of 13 honorary degrees, a frequent debate participant at the Oxford and Cambridge Unions in England, and an honorary life member of the Cambridge Union. He is also the recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Gold Medal Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award.

Jeh Johnson via Columbia Law School