BarkerGilmore Recruits General Counsel for Stanford University

September 29, 2026 – Boutique search firm BarkerGilmore, which specializes in building corporate legal and compliance teams, has recruited Timothy G. Lynch as vice president and general counsel of Stanford University. He succeeds Debra Zumwalt, who announced earlier this year that she would retire after 26 years as Stanford’s vice president and general counsel. BarkerGilmore’s Sarah Sullivan, Brittney McDonough, and Maria Stayer partnered with Stanford University on the assignment.

“Tim brings deep knowledge of the national landscape and a sophisticated understanding of universities and their distinctive mission,” said Stanford president Jonathan Levin. “He’ll be a tremendous asset to Stanford. His intellect and collaborative, problem-solving approach are exactly what the moment calls for, and I look forward to working alongside him.”

“I am delighted that Tim Lynch will be the next Stanford general counsel,” Ms. Zumwalt said. “Tim is an excellent attorney and leader. At Michigan, he has dealt with many of the same university and healthcare issues that we have at Stanford and will hit the ground running.”

A committee co-chaired by provost Jenny Martinez and Jay Mitchell, professor emeritus of law, conducted the search for Ms. Zumwalt’s successor.

“We sought someone who could quickly become a trusted advisor to university leaders, a lawyer of unquestioned integrity, judgment, intellectual breadth, and deep commitment to academic values,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We were looking for an individual who could engage collaboratively with faculty and other community members, who had a balanced approach to risk, and who had proven ability to lead the legal function in an organization of meaningful scale and scope.”

Ms. Martinez said Mr. Lynch stood out as someone who exemplifies the role of general counsel – “a lawyer who understands the institution and can provide wise counsel to help navigate legal issues while keeping the mission of the university front and center.”

Mr. Lynch brings more than 13 years of experience serving as general counsel of a major research university. He joined Stanford from the University of Michigan, where he served as vice president and general counsel.

As general counsel of Stanford, Mr. Lynch will advise university governance bodies and senior leadership on a wide range of legal issues. He will work with university leadership and the office of government affairs to navigate evolving policy and regulatory landscapes, as well as advise the university on compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Founded in 1885, Stanford offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across fields including business, engineering, law, medicine, education, and the humanities and sciences.

BarkerGilmore is a boutique firm specializing in executive search and selection in law and compliance. With a network of advisors and recruiters spanning the U.S., BarkerGilmore consistently places talent at leading consumer, energy, financial, healthcare, industrial, and technology companies.

Serving the Law and Compliance Sectors

John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner, has over 30 years of executive search experience. He has developed trusted relationships with general counsel and C-suite leaders across the country. With a profound institutional understanding of how in-house legal and compliance departments function most effectively, Mr. Gilmore has earned a reputation as one of the top executive search consultants for general counsel and chief compliance officer placements.

Bob Barker is co-founder, managing partner, and chair of the industrial practice at BarkerGilmore. He brings over three decades of executive search and international business experience to his clients. Mr. Barker has successfully managed general counsel and chief compliance officer engagements for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, including consumer, energy, financial, healthcare and life sciences, industrial, non-profit, technology, and private equity industries. Clients rely on Mr. Barker for advice and counseling both during and after the engagement.

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High-growth environments can compress time, magnify decisions, and expose leadership gaps in an instant. As companies move through periods of rapid expansion, the ability to build and evolve the right leadership team becomes increasingly critical to sustaining momentum and creating long-term value. Across private equity, venture capital, and technology-driven businesses, organizations are rethinking how they assess executive talent, strengthen leadership benches, and prepare teams for the demands of the next stage of growth. From founder-led recruiting and executive assessment to AI-enabled talent intelligence, cybersecurity leadership, and organizational design, the focus is shifting toward more deliberate, data-informed decisions about the people ultimately responsible for scaling the enterprise.

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Ms. Sullivan is a managing director and chair of the women & diversity practice at BarkerGilmore. She is focused on building long-standing relationships with senior executives in major public and private organizations nationwide. Ms. Sullivan is regularly retained on large, confidential general counsel, deputy general counsel, and chief compliance officer engagements. She also manages niche senior counsel and assistant/associate general counsel roles.

Ms. McDonough is partner and chair of the healthcare and life sciences practice at BarkerGilmore. She partners with executive leadership on a national platform and focuses on identifying and delivering top legal and compliance talent across a wide range of organizations, including service providers, insurers, senior living, health IT, medical devices, and pharmaceutical companies. Some of Ms. McDonough’s recent engagements include the general counsel for a growing research and development company, the corporate compliance officer of a health and nutrition organization, the general counsel of a public healthcare technology company, and the general counsel for a large healthcare system.

Ms. Stayer is the managing director of project management at BarkerGilmore, where she combines her extensive legal background with a passion for strategic talent acquisition. Before joining BarkerGilmore, she was the lead paralegal at a prominent civil and commercial litigation defense firm, where she honed her skills in managing complex legal processes and supporting high-stakes litigation efforts.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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