Hari M. Osofsky, dean of Penn State Law and the Penn State School of International Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Law, professor of international affairs and professor of geography, has been appointed dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, effective Aug. 1. She is also appointed the Myra and James Bradwell Professor.
“I am thrilled to welcome Hari Osofsky into the Northwestern University community,” Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “Her dynamic experience as a leader, scholar and mentor further strengthens Northwestern Pritzker Law’s national reputation for excellence and innovation at a time when we are reimagining our approaches to society’s injustices.”
A leading scholar of and contributor to public policy work on energy transition and climate change, Osofsky succeeds Kimberly Yuracko, the Judd and Mary Morris Leighton Professor of Law at the Law School, who was appointed dean in 2018 and later transitioned into a role in the Provost’s Office. James Speta, Elizabeth Froehling Horner Professor of Law at the Law School, has been serving as interim dean since July 2020.
Osofsky’s leadership has focused on collaboratively building legal and international affairs education for a changing society, including initiatives in mentoring, technology and innovation, interdisciplinary and international partnerships, and diversity, equity and inclusion. The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Legal Technology Resource Center recognized her as one of the top 2019 Women of Legal-Tech. She also has been involved in national efforts to encourage more women and people of color to consider law school and university leadership.
“I am extremely honored to be joining the Northwestern Pritzker Law community as its next dean,” Osofsky said. “This Law School has long been a leader in innovation, interdisciplinarity and experiential education, and has been doing important work to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We are at a moment of change in our society and the legal profession, which has been accelerated by the intersectional crises of this past year. I am excited to collaborate with our faculty, staff, students and alumni across the University and nationally and internationally to build an ambitious future grounded in the Law School’s strengths to make a difference.”
