University Names Lisa Carnoy and Jonathan Lavine as New Trustee Co-Chairs

Columbia University today announced that Lisa Carnoy (CC’89) and Jonathan Lavine (CC’88) have been elected to serve as the next co-chairs of the University Board of Trustees, beginning in September 2018.

April 18, 2018

Columbia University today announced that Lisa Carnoy (CC’89) and Jonathan Lavine (CC’88) have been elected to serve as the next co-chairs of the University Board of Trustees, beginning in September 2018.

After nine years of dedicated service to the board, including nearly five years as chair, Jonathan Schiller (CC’69, LAW’73) will pass the gavel to Carnoy and Lavine.

“I could not have a greater honor than to lead Columbia’s board of trustees, and to do so together with my longtime College friend and dedicated fellow alum, Jonathan Lavine,” said Carnoy. “We are both in the first generation to experience a fully coeducational Columbia and even as we’ve each built our careers and families, we’ve worked together for decades to give back to the College and University that has had such an enormous impact on our lives.”

“I believe that to whom much is given, much is expected in return,” said Lavine. “I’ve always done whatever I can to be an active citizen in our democracy. So much of that is rooted in the time I spent at Columbia, learning from some of the world’s best professors, and being an active part of a vital, engaged campus life. I could not be prouder to serve as co-chair with my friend, Lisa, and have another unique opportunity to give back to this remarkable institution.”

Carnoy is an accomplished leader in global finance and capital markets. She spent 23 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, most recently as the Division Executive for the Northeast for U.S. Trust, the private bank within Bank of America, and as NYC Market President for Bank of America. She served on the operating committees for Global Wealth & Investment Management and for Bank of America. Prior to her move to Wealth Management, Carnoy served as head of Global Capital Markets for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and was a member of the Global Corporate and Investment Banking Operating Committee. She led the team raising the largest equity offering in U.S. history, $19 billion, that helped Merrill Lynch and Bank of America in 2009 repay the U.S. Treasury for money received from Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).

Carnoy has been a passionate advocate for diversity – and co-founded several organizations including the Women’s Leadership Council at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and at Columbia, both the Women’s Leadership Council for Athletics and the Dean’s Advisory Circle. She was named among the 25 most influential women for the 25th anniversary of the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium, and Women in Science at Columbia have named a leadership award in Lisa’s honor. Carnoy is an independent director of the U.S. Soccer Federation, and serves on the boards of the United Way of New York City and Rodeph Sholom School. She has been named to American Banker’s list of “Most Powerful Women in Finance,” and in 2013, she received the Merit Award from the Women’s Bond Club. She also has received Columbia’s John Jay Award for professional achievement, the College’s Alumna Achievement Award, and the University’s Alumni Medal.

With a cum laude degree in History/American Studies from Columbia College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Carnoy became a trustee of Columbia University in 2010, and is currently chair of the Alumni Relations and Development committee, and a member of the Compensation, Finance, Officers and Trusteeship committee.

Lavine is co-managing partner of Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading private, multi-asset alternative investment firms. He joined as one of the earliest employees in 1993 when the firm managed less than $500 million in assets. Since then, Bain Capital has grown to manage approximately $95 billion in assets across a number of asset classes and has nearly 1,000 employees working across 19 offices on four continents. Lavine founded Bain Capital Credit in 1998, where he still serves as chief investment officer. Under his leadership, Bain Capital Credit has grown to manage some $40 billion in assets across a number of credit and special situation strategies.

Widely recognized for their philanthropic efforts in social justice, economic equality and civic engagement, Lavine and his wife, Jeannie, formed the Crimson Lion Foundation to support organizations focused on leveling the playing field for individuals and families. To that end, the Lavines have supported a wide array of organizations including City Year (where he serves as co-chair of its board of trustees), uAspire (where they have dedicated the Lavine Family Center for College Affordability), WBUR/NPR, LIFT, the Equal Justice Initiative and many others. They are also dedicated to Jewish life at Columbia and beyond. Jonathan Lavine has been honored by the Columbia-Barnard Hillel Sexias Award, and the New England Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Community Service Award. In 2016, President Barack Obama (CC’83) named him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.

Lavine is the 2017 recipient of Columbia University’s Alexander Hamilton Medal, and is chairman emeritus of the Columbia Board of Visitors. He is also a past recipient of Columbia’s John Jay Award, the Dean’s Leadership Award for the Class of 1988 25th Reunion, Opportunity Nation’s American Dream Award, and Voices for National Service Citizen Service Award. He is also a member of the ownership group and a director of the Boston Celtics.

Lavine graduated from Columbia College Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and was awarded the David B. Truman award at graduation. He earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. He became a member of the Columbia’s board of trustees in 2011 and currently chairs the committee on Finance and its subcommittee on Shareholder Responsibility. He is also a member of the Alumni Relations and Development, Compensation, Officers and Trusteeship committees.

Carnoy and Lavine’s chair partnership is the natural culmination of more than 30 years of collaborative service to the University. Before being elected trustees, they worked together as officers on the Columbia College Board of Visitors and on the Columbia Capital Campaign. As undergraduates, both were student-athletes and have remained committed to Columbia Athletics. Carnoy lettered as a sprinter for women’s track and field; Lavine lettered as a member of the Lions’ golf squad.

They succeed attorney Jonathan Schiller (CC’69 LAW’73) who has been a University Trustee for almost 10 years and has served as chair since 2013, when he was first elected to serve alongside the late Bill Campbell (CC'62, TC'64). A co-founder and managing partner of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, Schiller has led Columbia’s board of trustees through a pivotal period in the University’s history that included the opening of its new Manhattanville campus and the establishment of a national model in policies, personnel and research addressing gender-based misconduct on campus. He also served on the Dean’s Council of Columbia Law School, and has been honored by the Alexander Hamilton Medal and the John Jay Award. In 2006, he was inducted into the Columbia University Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1967-1968 Ivy League Championship Basketball Team. In 2017, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Legends of Ivy League Basketball for his “achievements and contributions to the Ivy League.”

Jonathan Schiller

“My experience as a College student in the late 1960s resulted in my dedication, along with many of my classmates, to making Columbia a place where students can understand and engage in solving the challenges facing our society, both globally and in our local communities,” Schiller said. “I’ve been fortunate to lead a board of trustees committed to working with our outstanding president and administration to promote the well-being of a diverse and dynamic academic community, and to making Columbia a better, stronger institution among the greatest universities in the world.”

“I could say much about the contributions Jonathan has made as a trustee chair to help ensure that Columbia continues to reach its highest potential, but what is most powerful is a simple expression of our gratitude for his effective leadership and insightful counsel,” said University President Lee C. Bollinger. “The torch has been passed to Lisa Carnoy and Jonathan Lavine who have, individually and together, already done so much for the College and University. We know from the many years they have already devoted to serving Columbia as loyal alumni and dedicated trustees that we will greatly benefit from their leadership in the years to come.”

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