Albany Law School hired Penelope Andrews to be the school’s 17th President & Dean, effective July 1, 2012. Andrews will be the first female President for the school since it opened in 1851.
Albany started the search process more than a year and a half ago, but had to restart it twice. Thomas Guernsey announced his departure as dean in 2010. The school had five finalists in October 2010, but none panned out. The school started a new search and Richard Wesley, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, emerged as a candidate later that summer, but contract talks collapsed. Meanwhile Guernsey stepped down in June 2011, and Connie Mayer took over as interim dean.
Andrews is currently the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, City University of New York School of Law. Prior to CUNY, Andrews was a Professor of Law and Director of International Studies at Valparaiso Law School, where she taught courses such as International Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law.
Andrews was born and raised in South Africa and has extensive international experience, including teaching at law schools in Germany, Australia, Holland, Scotland, Canada and South Africa.
