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First woman to serve on Appellate Body of the WTO takes up new position in July
Salzburg Global board member Merit Janow has been appointed as the next dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), New York, USA.
Janow, who has served on the Salzburg Global board of directors since 2010, takes up her new role at the beginning of July.
Janow is Professor of International Economic Law and International Affairs at SIPA, where she is also Director of the Program in International Finance and Economic Policy, Co-Director of Columbia’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Study Center and teaches graduate courses in international economic and trade policy at SIPA and international trade law and comparative and international antitrust at Columbia Law School.
She serves on the faculty of Columbia’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute.
Speaking on her appointment, Janow said: “It will be a great privilege to lead this renowned School and its exceptional faculty and students. SIPA focuses on critical public policy issues and is deeply engaged with international leaders and the global community.”
From 2003 to 2007, Janow was a member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
She was the only North American member and the first woman to serve on that body, which hears final appeals in international trade disputes.
Before joining Columbia University, from 1989 to 1993, Professor Janow served as the Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Japan and China at the Office of the US Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President in Washington DC.
She was responsible for developing, coordinating and implementing U.S. trade policies and negotiating strategies towards Japan and China.
Prior to her tenure in government, she was an Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, specializing in corporate mergers and acquisitions.
She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from the University of Michigan.
She is fluent in Japanese and is the author of several books and numerous articles.
Janow has been named in the Salzburg Global list of financial supporters since 2008.
Her academic and policy interested are reflected in this year’s Salzburg Global programs on ‘People, Peace and Planet: Future-Proofing Asia for 2030’, to be held in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan in November, and ‘Restoring the Public’s Trust: Delivering on Public Policy Goals’, to be held in co-operation with the Volcker Institute in September.