Sher appointed Hospitals' VP, General Counsel

First woman to head city's Law Department Susan Sher, corporation counsel for the city of Chicago and head of the city's legal department, has been appointed Vice President and General Counsel of the Hospitals, effective May 1.

Sher, the first woman to head the Department of Law for the city of Chicago, was appointed to that position by Mayor Daley in 1993.

"Susan Sher has a wealth of experience in both the private and public sector, and I am pleased to announce her appointment. We look forward to all that she will contribute to our work here," said Ralph Muller, President of the Hospitals.

"I would also like to thank David Rakov for his 12 years of service as Vice President and General Counsel of the Hospitals," Muller said. "He has been a dear colleague and an exceptional contributor to the Hospitals and the Medical Center. His commitment to our work has been extraordinary."

This is the second time Sher will hold an appointment on campus. Before joining the city's legal department in 1989, she was Associate General Counsel and Director of Labor & Litigation for the University, from 1985 to 1989. Previously, she was a partner with Mayer, Brown and Platt.

Sher received her B.A from George Washington University in 1970 and studied art history at Chicago before attending law school at Loyola University. She received her J.D. from Loyola in 1974, graduating second in her class.

Her professional affiliations include the American Bar Association and the Anti-Defamation League, where she is a member of the Chicago Executive Committee. She is on the board of directors for the Federal Bar Association and on the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers' board of trustees. She is also a member of the Laboratory Schools' board of directors.