Profile
Prior to joining the Ford Foundation in 2008, Mr. Kowal spent a decade at the Open Society Institute, where he served most recently as director of Constitutional Democracy Initiatives.
He created and led a number of initiatives at OSI including programs to support the independence of the judiciary, the advancement of a progressive vision of U.S.
constitutional law, transparency and integrity in government institutions, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
He has also served on the steering committees of three foundation affinity groups: the International Human Rights Funders Group, the Human Rights in the U.S.
Working Group and the Civil Marriage Collaborative.
Previously, he was a litigation attorney at the New York firms of Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Schulte Roth & Zabel, where he handled a wide range of civil and regulatory cases.
Mr. Kowa received a J.D.
degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor's degree in political science from New York University, where he was a Presidential Scholar.
Former positions of John F. Kowal
Companies | Position | End |
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Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations Investment Trusts/Mutual FundsMiscellaneous The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. OSI places a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of people in marginalized communities. Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each Soros foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities. | Corporate Officer/Principal | 31/12/2007 |
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP provides legal services. Its client roster includes institutional, entrepreneurial and individual clients, including public and private companies, investment banks, hedge and private equity funds, domestic money centers and foreign commercial banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers, private investment partnerships, venture capitalists and pension funds. The firm expertise in domestic and cross-border acquisitions to high-stakes litigations, multilayered financings, high-profile real estate deals, debt restructurings, and estate and trust administration. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in New York, NY. | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP provides legal services. The firm's practice areas encompasses corporate, executive compensation and benefits, international business, litigation, pro bono, tax, and trusts and estates. Its lawyers and associates' training focus on addressing and handling clients' legal issues, business transaction, and disputes. The company was founded in 1819 and is headquartered in New York, NY. | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation Investment Trusts/Mutual FundsMiscellaneous Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, non-governmental organization headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1936, the Foundation provides grants, projects and loans to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. The foundation funds derive from an investment portfolio that began with gifts and bequests of Ford Motor Company stock by Henry and Edsel Ford. | Corporate Officer/Principal | - |
Training of John F. Kowal
Harvard University | Graduate Degree |
New York University | Undergraduate Degree |
Experiences
Positions held
Connections
1st degree connections
1st degree companies
Male
Female
Members of the board
Executives
Linked companies
Private companies | 4 |
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Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation Investment Trusts/Mutual FundsMiscellaneous Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, non-governmental organization headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1936, the Foundation provides grants, projects and loans to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. The foundation funds derive from an investment portfolio that began with gifts and bequests of Ford Motor Company stock by Henry and Edsel Ford. | Miscellaneous |
Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations Investment Trusts/Mutual FundsMiscellaneous The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information. OSI places a high priority on protecting and improving the lives of people in marginalized communities. Investor and philanthropist George Soros in 1993 created OSI as a private operating and grantmaking foundation to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to encompass the United States and more than 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Each Soros foundation relies on the expertise of boards composed of eminent citizens who determine individual agendas based on local priorities. | Miscellaneous |
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP provides legal services. The firm's practice areas encompasses corporate, executive compensation and benefits, international business, litigation, pro bono, tax, and trusts and estates. Its lawyers and associates' training focus on addressing and handling clients' legal issues, business transaction, and disputes. The company was founded in 1819 and is headquartered in New York, NY. | Commercial Services |
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Miscellaneous Commercial ServicesCommercial Services Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP provides legal services. Its client roster includes institutional, entrepreneurial and individual clients, including public and private companies, investment banks, hedge and private equity funds, domestic money centers and foreign commercial banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers, private investment partnerships, venture capitalists and pension funds. The firm expertise in domestic and cross-border acquisitions to high-stakes litigations, multilayered financings, high-profile real estate deals, debt restructurings, and estate and trust administration. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in New York, NY. | Commercial Services |
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