Ford Foundation Leader Vows to Protect Elections and Law as Trump Threatens Crackdown NYT | Top Stories Adam Liptak 3 November 2025 at 22:00 Heather K. Gerken, a voting rights scholar and former dean of Yale Law School, plans to intensify its emphasis on democracy as it girds for attacks from the Trump administration. © Hiroko Masuike/The New York TimesHeather Gerken, the incoming president of the Ford Foundation, was previously dean of Yale Law School.