Oxford Vice Chancellor Tapped to Lead Carnegie Corp.

University of Oxford vice chancellor Louise Richardson will become the next president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the philanthropic foundation announced Thursday. She will assume the role in January 2023, when her term at Oxford ends.

Richardson, a native of Ireland, is an expert on international terrorism. She spent 20 years as a professor at Harvard University, where she also served as the executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She became the first woman to serve as principal and vice chancellor of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the first to lead Oxford. And when she takes the helm at Carnegie, she will be the first woman to hold that position.

“The corporation will benefit immensely from Louise Richardson’s depth of leadership experience and her international standing as an expert on higher education and terrorism,” said Janet L. Robinson, vice chair of the corporation’s Board of Trustees. “Louise was one of seven children, who grew up to become a brilliant trailblazer for young women and for all who seek to fight for change. We are confident that she will help the corporation meet its full potential as a grantmaker that aims to improve the world through greater knowledge and understanding.”

Richardson has served on the Carnegie Corporation’s Board of Trustees since 2013. As its 13th president, she will succeed educator and civic leader Vartan Gregorian, a fellow immigrant, who died in April.