A Washington DC-based partner in Hogan Lovells is to take over as GC at Yale University. Alexander Dreier takes up the post in March next year, replacing Cynthia Carr, the acting GC. Ms Carr had taken over from Dorothy Robinson who was at Yale for some 30 years. Mr Dreier has built up an international practice on higher education, advising institutions on human rights, research regulation, clinical trials and many other issues. He is a graduate of Yale Law School. 

Meanwhile, parts of the US education sector are grieving the death of Ada Meloy, the GC of the Amercan Council on Education (ACE) who was killed in a car accident last week. ACE praised her contribution to various issues since she began working for the organisaiton in 2007. She was known for her work on student access and academic freedom. 

The construction-to-publishing conglomerate Al Habtoor Group has appointed Akram Abu Elhuda as GC and company secretary. His role for the UAE-based business will include key contract negotiation, legal outsourcing and legal strategy. 

A former lawyer at Android and Facebook, Frank Montes, has been recruited to be GC at Cyanogen, the company which has developed a custom version of the Android. Mr Montes has been most recently working as GC for Coin. 

Chelsea Grayson has been appointed GC and company secretary at American Apparel from December 15. She was formerly a corporate partner in both Jones Day and Loeb & Loeb. She replaces Tobias S Keller who has been acting as interim GD since June. 

The Texas Department of Agriculture has a new GC - Tim Kleinschmidt. He has been appointed by the Texas Agriculture Commissioner-elect, Sid  Miller. He is described in the Lexington Leader as a 'Lee County attorney, Lexington rancher, family man and civic leader'. He has practised law in Texas for 34 years.