Stanford Law School Appoints New Executive Director for Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance

Former LinkedIn and Yahoo! General Counsel, Michael Callahan, to bring rich real-world perspective on corporate governance

Stanford Law School today announced the appointment of Michael Callahan as the new executive director of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance and Professor of the Practice of Law. In this role, Callahan will bring more than 20 years of corporate and general counsel experience to the Center’s mission to advance the understanding and practice of corporate governance. His considerable experience will also inform his teaching and his classes will be an important addition to the law school’s curriculum.

“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with the distinguished faculty and staff at the Rock Center, as well as the broader Stanford Law School community of faculty and students,” said Callahan. “I look forward to adding value to the Rock Center’s ongoing and future initiatives in corporate governance and contributing to the mission of SLS through my experience in the global technology arena.”

“Michael brings to the law school a deep understanding of the practical impact of corporate governance on companies in this global economy,” said M. Elizabeth Magill, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean at Stanford Law School. “His leadership and experience will be enormous assets to the Rock Center and we are delighted that our students will benefit from his expertise in the classroom.”

Since its founding, the Rock Center has published critical research and developed several tools for the broader understanding of the current state of corporate governance, including the Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, the Corporate Governance Research Initiative and the Rock Center Working Paper Series. The Center hosts many events that examine the inner workings of corporate boards, regulators, institutional investors and others involved in the governance process and offers an annual workshop for journalists on corporate governance issues.

Two of the Center’s flagship programs are Directors’ College (now in its 24th year) and Stanford Institutional Investors Forum. Directors’ College is the nation’s premier executive education program for senior executives of publicly-traded firms. The program addresses a broad range of problems that confront modern boards, including the board’s role in setting business strategy, CEO and board succession, crisis management, techniques for controlling legal liability, challenges posed by activist investors, boardroom dynamics, international trade issues, the global economy, and cybersecurity threats.

A nationally prominent expert on capital markets, corporate governance, and securities litigation, Joseph A. Grundfest, the W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business at Stanford, is a senior faculty member of the Rock Center and played a key role in the establishment of the Rock Center in 2006.

“We’re thrilled to have Mike join us at the Rock Center,” said Grundfest. “It’s hard to imagine anyone better positioned to lead us in our next phase of growth, as we tackle issues related to the corporation in society, innovation and regulation, and internationalization of global capital markets. He’s a star, and we’re lucky to land him.”

The search committee lead, George Triantis, Stanford’s Charles J. Meyers Professor of Law and Business, is an expert in the fields of contracts, commercial law, business law and bankruptcy. “Mike’s appointment is an extraordinary coup for Stanford,” said Triantis. “In addition to being an expert in corporate governance, Mike has witnessed first-hand the breadth of issues that face large corporations as they play a multifaceted and growing role in our society. He is uniquely qualified to guide the Rock Center as it engages in discussion of these issues with industry leaders, lawyers, researchers and policy makers.”

Before entering academia, Callahan was senior vice president and general counsel at LinkedIn, where he had global responsibility for legal, regulatory and public policy matters, including corporate governance. Before that, Callahan was executive vice president and chief legal officer at Ten-X (auction.com) and executive vice president and general counsel at Yahoo! Inc. Callahan has also held several board positions including on FiscalNote, Inc., the Georgetown Technology Alliance, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and the Nasdaq Stock Market Listings and Hearings Review Council.

About the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance
The Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance is a joint initiative of Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Founded in 2006 with a $10 million donation from venture capitalist Arthur Rock and his wife, Toni Rembe, the center was created to advance the understanding and practice of corporate governance in a cross-disciplinary environment where leading academics, business leaders, policy makers, practitioners and regulators can meet and work together. The Center is led by outstanding faculty from both the law school and the business school with active collaboration from its advisory board.

About Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is one of the nation’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation’s press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and focus on public service, spearheading a movement for change.