front row (sitting) left to right: E. Ramshaw, N. Brown, T. Shelby, M. Miller; back row left to right: C. Lozada, N. Barnes, V. T. Nguyen, K. Lytle Hernández, A. Applebaum, J. Cobb (on screen; attending virtually), K. Merida, N. Carroll, S. Chan, D. Remnick (slightly behind S. Chan), G. Escobar, G. Thompson (slightly behind G. Escobar) and E. Alexander (absent: M. Shafik). (Photo by Jose R. Lopez)
Nemat (Minouche) Shafik became the 20th president of Columbia University on July 1, 2023. President Shafik is a distinguished economist who for more than three decades has served in senior leadership roles across a range of prominent international and academic institutions. She also currently holds the title of professor of international and public affairs at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.
Kevin Merida is the former executive editor of the Los Angeles Times. He took the helm of the largest newsgathering organization in the West in June 2021 and oversaw the newsroom as well as Times Community News and Los Angeles Times en Español. He left The Times in January 2024.
