Larry Kramer

Larry Kramer is President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He served as President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2012 to 2024. Under his leadership, the foundation significantly adapted its strategies to meet changing circumstances and seize new opportunities, including new efforts to respond to pressing and timely challenges related to democracy, economics, climate change and racial justice.

Larry is an accomplished leader in academia and philanthropy with a proven track record of steering institutions and high-performing teams through periods of change and innovation. His deep knowledge of US legal and constitutional affairs is particularly valuable at a time when questions of democracy and the rule of law are central to global conversations. Combined with his strategic mindset and expertise in institutional reform, Larry brings intellectual rigour and real-world insight, making him a compelling and timely speaker on a wide range of topics.

Larry spent most of his career in academia, most recently as the 15th Dean of Stanford Law School, a position he assumed in 2004. During his tenure, he spearheaded significant educational reforms. He pioneered a new model of multidisciplinary legal studies, while growing the clinical education programme, incorporating a public service ethos, and enlarging the physical campus. Previously, Larry researched and taught at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and New York University, where he served as Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Russell D. Niles Professor of Law. He clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Henry J. Friendly of the Second Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr., following his education. Larry holds an A.B. in Psychology and Religious Studies from Brown University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Larry’s teaching and scholarly interests include American history, constitutional law, federalism, separation of powers, the federal courts and conflict of laws. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review. Larry is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. He serves as board chair of iCivics and has been a director on the boards of numerous non-profit organisations, including the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the ClimateWorks Foundation, the Independent Sector and Equal Justice Works.