The University of Virginia today announced the appointment of Ian H. Solomon as the next dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, effective Sept. 1. Solomon, currently CEO of SolomonGlobal LLC, is an educator, policymaker, diplomat and businessman with more than 20 years of experience in more than 40 countries.
Formally educated at Harvard College and Yale Law School, Solomon’s cross-sectoral experience includes consulting with McKinsey & Company, creating common ground as then-Sen. Barack Obama’s legislative counsel on Capitol Hill, negotiating global agreements as the Obama administration’s representative to the World Bank, and fostering educational innovation from senior positions at Yale University and the University of Chicago.
“It is an honor to join the University of Virginia community,” Solomon said. “I am inspired by the outstanding students, faculty and staff of the Batten School and the work being done to define a unique and compelling model for leadership and public policy education. At this critical moment in history, I am eager to learn, share and roll up my sleeves and get to work with the Batten community on the critical mission of cultivating ethical and enlightened leaders to serve our world.”
SolomonGlobal is a leadership development and advisory firm devoted to building capacity for negotiation, collaboration and conflict resolution. As CEO, Solomon has designed and led transformative learning experiences for diverse professionals from leading businesses, multilateral organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions and government agencies worldwide. His work reflects his commitment to interdisciplinary problem-solving, drawing on insights from economics, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, law, politics and art.
Solomon has also taught an intensive seminar on negotiation as a visiting lecturer in law at the University of Chicago Law School and Yale Law School.
Prior to founding SolomonGlobal, Solomon served as vice president for Global Engagement at the University of Chicago, where he led teams in Chicago, Beijing, New Delhi and Hong Kong to establish and support international programs, overseas centers, research collaborations and global education opportunities. While in this role, Solomon created the university’s first Global Engagement Office to expand global opportunities, initiatives and priorities in close collaboration with faculty, deans and university administrators.
In 2010, Solomon was confirmed unanimously by Congress to represent the United States at the World Bank Group as executive director. In this capacity, he helped to secure a general capital increase, developed a program to improve global food security and championed open data and institutional innovation.
Prior to his appointment at the World Bank, Solomon worked as senior adviser to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, as legislative counsel to then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, as an associate dean at Yale Law School, and as a consultant with McKinsey. He has also worked at the municipal policy level on local economic development in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut.
Currently, Solomon is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-resident fellow on Africa at the Chicago Council for Global Affairs, and a member of the Board of Visitors at National Defense University.
Solomon earned his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, and for a period of time resided in South Africa. He was selected by the World Economic Forum as a 2012 Young Global Leader, profiled as one of “40 Under 40 International Development Leaders” by Devex (2010) and featured as one of the “Top 35 Capitol Hill Staffers under 35” by The Hill (2006).
To read the entire UVA announcement, please visit https://news.virginia.edu/content/ian-solomon-named-dean-frank-batten-school-leadership-and-public-policy.