Jim Gash

Chief Executive and President

Pepperdine University

THE LATEST: Gash became Pepperdine's eighth president in August, succeeding Andrew Benton, who held the post for 19 years. In October, mall magnate, civic leader and philanthropist Rick Caruso and his wife, Tina, donated $50 million to the Pepperdine School of Law, where Caruso received his law degree in 1983; the school has been renamed in Caruso's honor. The gift will be used to expand educational access to underserved student populations.

BACKGROUND: Gash finished top of his class at the Pepperdine Law School and was editor-in-chief of its Law Review. He joined the law school faculty in 1999, becoming law professor and then associate dean. Previously, Gash worked for the small litigation firm of DeSimone & Tropio, clerked for Judge Edith Jones on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked for Kirkland & Ellis, first in the firm's Washington, D.C., office and then in its Los Angeles office.

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