June 2021
The ILI–South African Centre of Excellence (ILI-SACE) congratulates Judge Ann Claire Williams (Ret.), on her election to the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation, one of the oldest and most significant foundations in the U.S. This is Judge Williams's second time as a trustee; she served on the board from 2012 through 2020. Judge Williams was the first woman of color to serve on a district court in the three-state Seventh Circuit, the first and only judge of color to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the third Black woman to serve on any federal circuit court. Judge Williams retired as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2018 and now serves as of counsel at the Jones Day law firm.
"On behalf of the entire board of trustees and the Corporation's staff, we are delighted to welcome three highly distinguished individuals as members of the foundation's board—the depth and breadth of their wisdom and expertise will be critically important to the stewardship of the institution," said Thomas H. Kean, chairman of the board of trustees and former governor of New Jersey. "Judge Ann Claire Williams is one of the true pioneers on the federal bench, who has also worked to advance numerous causes, including the rule of law in Africa and the careers of underrepresented minority attorneys."
"One hundred ten years ago this month, Andrew Carnegie established the Corporation as the first grantmaking foundation of its type, with the understanding that its trustees would provide steady but responsive leadership for an institution meant to evolve in perpetuity," said Janet L. Robinson, vice chairman of the board of trustees, chair of the committee on trustees, and former president and CEO of The New York Times Company. "With the addition of Marty Baron, Kurt Schmoke, and Judge Ann Claire Williams, the board will benefit from the contributions of three powerhouse thinkers and doers."
As Chair of ILI-SACE’s International Advisory Board, Judge Ann Claire Williams champions the Institute’s work in promoting the rule of law across the African continent.
Read the Carnegie Corporation of New York's press release on the election of its three new trustees.
The ILI-South African Centre of Excellence was recently established to serve South and Southern Africa; it builds on over six decades of work of the International Law Institute in Washington, DC promoting global developing country innovations in law, finance, management and governance. It is also affiliated to the International Law Institute African Centre for Legal Excellence, which was established in Kampala in 1997.