US private research university the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has hired Stephanie Shea as its next general counsel, replacing Jennifer Lum who is retiring in January.
Shea joins from Towson University, where she is GC and chief of staff to the university’s president. At Caltech she will lead the office of the GC and provide strategic legal guidance to the university and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a federally funded research and development centre that is owned by NASA and operated as a division of Caltech. She will begin her new role on 6 January.
Pasadena-based Caltech is a science and engineering-focused research institution.
Caltech president Ray Jayawardhana said: “Stephanie distinguished herself among an impressive field of candidates for her breadth of experience, intellectual curiosity and collaborative spirit, as well as a clear understanding of what makes Caltech such a special place.
“She brings keen insight into the opportunities and challenges facing a leading research institution and a deep respect for the people whose ideas and discoveries drive our mission.”
Shea arrives after just over two years at Towson, having previously spent almost a decade at The Johns Hopkins University across a number of legal roles, latterly as senior associate GC and chief compliance officer.
Earlier in her career she spent just over two years in private practice at WilmerHale as a litigation and investigations associate.
She said: “I am thrilled to join Caltech, an institution small in size but large in scientific impact. The institute’s commitment to its mission and fidelity to scientific rigour are inspiring, and I look forward to advancing the work of Caltech’s brilliant faculty, students and staff.”
Lum, meanwhile, is set to retire after 16 years with Caltech and seven years as GC. She took over the GC role in 2019 from Victoria Stratham, who herself was retiring after 24 years with the university.
In other education-related in-house moves, back in September online learning platform Coursera hired former Red Hat GC Tom Savage as chief legal officer, replacing Alan Cardenas who is stepping down at the end of this year.
And back in July 2024, Harvard University hired former White House lawyer Jennifer O’Connor as GC, replacing Diane Lopez who retired earlier that year.
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