Paul Mahoney, the former dean of the School of Law between 2008 and 2016, will serve as the University's interim president following former University President Jim Ryan’s resignation at the end of June. The Board of Visitors announced his appointment at the end of the special meeting Monday.
Jennifer Wagner Davis, executive vice president chief operating officer, has been serving as acting president since Ryan’s resignation per the University’s Continuation of Operations Plan. The Board did not specify at the meeting when this appointment will be effective or when Davis will officially step down.
Mahoney’s appointment as interim comes amidst ongoing negotiations between the Board and the Department of Justice surrounding allegations that the University has not adhered to anti-discrimination civil rights laws, specifically in relation to admissions policies, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and antisemitism.
Ryan’s resignation followed pressure from the Justice Department, even as top officials deny they told him to resign. Davis has said that a resolution document will be released once negotiations have concluded.
Mahoney joined the Law School faculty in 1990 after practicing with Sullivan & Cromwell law firm and clerking for Judge Ralph Winter of the U.S. Court of Appeals and Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court. Mahoney did not attend the University — he earned his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Mahoney is an expert in the field of securities regulation, law and economic development and corporate finance. He authored a book titled “Wasting a Crisis: Why Securities Regulation Fails” in 2015.
He served as an academic associate dean for the Law School between 1999 and 2004 before becoming dean of the Law School in 2008.
The Board also elected Scott Ballenger, assistant professor of law, as Secretary to the Board. At the meeting, Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson noted that current Secretary to the Board Susan Harris would be stepping down August 15.
Faculty and students had previously expressed concerns that the process for selecting an interim president would not include their voices.
The Board conducted listening sessions prior to the selection and advertised a form through which community members could nominate candidates for interim president. The Board has not made the results of this form public, but said in the meeting that five individuals received 30 or more nominations. It is not clear whether Mahoney was one of these five.
Grace Traxler contributed reporting to this article.
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