NORC at the University of Chicago Welcomes Robert Gertner as New Chair of Board of Trustees, Katherine Baicker as New Trustee
CHICAGO, Aug. 7, 2019 – NORC at the University of Chicago is proud to announce that Robert Gertner, PhD, is the new chair of NORC’s board of trustees. Gertner has been a member of the Chicago Booth School of Business faculty since 1986 and has served in numerous leadership positions there. He is an economist with deep expertise on business strategy and finance, as well as not-for-profit leadership.
The outgoing board chair, Kerwin Charles, recently accepted a role as the dean of the Yale School of Management and will continue his involvement on NORC’s board.
“I’m honored to take on this position given my long-standing role as an NORC trustee and because of the important work NORC does to arm stakeholders with the information they need as they tackle major societal issues throughout the world,” said Gertner. “I am delighted Kerwin will remain an active board member and look forward to strengthening the relationship between NORC and the Yale School of Management as he transitions into his new role.”
Gertner will continue to leverage his connections with the University of Chicago leadership and his relationships across the institution and with the broader Chicago business community to uncover new partnership and research opportunities for NORC. Having played a pivotal role in NORC’s recent strategic planning process, Gertner is well positioned to work closely with the rest of the board and NORC management to continue carrying out the plan.
Additionally, Katherine Baicker, dean of the Harris School of Public Policy and distinguished health economist, will join the board as a university trustee. Baicker’s research focuses on the factors that drive the distribution, generosity, and effectiveness of both public and private health insurance. She also looks critically at health insurance finance and the effect reforms have on the distribution and quality of care.
“This is an exciting time for our board and for NORC overall,” said Dan Gaylin, president and CEO of NORC at the University of Chicago. “In Rob, we have a new board chair who was instrumental in developing our new strategic vision, Kerwin will remain on the board and will bring new opportunities with his new leadership role at Yale, and Kate will strengthen our relationship with Harris and bring her deep expertise in health economics and health policy, which are a major part of NORC’s research.”
“This is an exciting time for our board and for NORC overall.”
Gertner, Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Strategy and Finance, has research interests in strategic decision-making, corporate finance, organization structure, theory of the firm, and social enterprises. He is also the John Edwardson Faculty Director of the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth. He has published papers in numerous scholarly journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, and Yale Law Journal. Gertner has received a National Science Foundation Research Grant and an Olin Fellowship in Law and Economics. He has held visiting positions at CEPREMAP in Paris, Cornell Law School, University of Chicago Law School, and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Baicker is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Social Insurance, Council on Foreign Relations, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Baicker serves on the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisers and National Institute for Health Care Management’s Advisory Board, in addition to serving on the board of directors of Eli Lilly and HMS Holdings. She has served as a commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; as chair of the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission; as chair of the board of directors of AcademyHealth, and as a Senate-confirmed member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Baicker is one of the leaders of the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, a randomized evaluation of the effects of Medicaid coverage.
All of the changes in board structure took effect at the start of July.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).