Claire Shipman (Harriman ’94) was named co-chair, with David Greenwald, of the Columbia University Board of Trustees.

“It’s one of the great privileges of my life to serve Columbia in this role,” said Shipman. “My life was transformed by Columbia University, as is the case for thousands of students each year. Today, Columbia’s dedication to cutting-edge research, to the pursuit of knowledge, and to tackling the great problems of humanity makes it one of the world’s most vital institutions. I’m thrilled to be part of supporting its excellence and its evolution, as we celebrate the extraordinary tenure of Lee Bollinger and get ready to welcome another visionary leader, Minouche Shafik.”

Claire Shipman is a journalist, author, and public speaker. She has extensive expertise in women’s leadership and has written four books on the subject: The Confidence Code, The Confidence Code for Girls, Living the Confidence Code, and Womenomics. Her next book, The Power Code, is focused on women and power and comes out in June 2023. Katty Kay of the BBC has been her co-author on all five books.

After graduating from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian Studies, Shipman joined CNN, where she worked for a decade. She covered the collapse of the Soviet Union during her five years at CNN’s Moscow Bureau and then served as White House Correspondent. In 1994, she received a graduate degree in international affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Shipman later moved to NBC News, where she was a White House correspondent. From there, she went on to work at ABC News for 15 years as the senior national correspondent for Good Morning America. In that role, she covered politics, international affairs, and social issues.

Shipman is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Peabody, a DuPont, and an Emmy. At Columbia, she has received the Hamilton Award, the Medal for Excellence, and a John Jay Award. In 2022, she was the guest speaker for SIPA’s special reception for graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021.