���϶ij�

After a national search, Matt Raymer ’03 has been named senior vice president and general counsel, announced. He began the role today, March 17. 

A former resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics and a recently appointed lecturer in the at ���϶ij�, Raymer joins the after a distinguished legal career in national politics, having served over the past decade as the general counsel at several national, nonprofit political organizations.

A history and government double-major and at ���϶ij�, Raymer earned his law degree at the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as executive articles editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. Most recently, Raymer served as chief counsel at the Republican National Committee, where he oversaw a large team of in-house attorneys and outside counsel while managing the RNC’s legal affairs in a complex and highly regulated environment.

“Matt Raymer is a gifted lawyer and proud alumnus who brings to the general counsel’s office experience with the legal needs of large organizations with a national profile and a deep love and commitment to ���϶ij�,” says President Beilock. “Matt will play a critical role in helping us understand and navigate the legal landscape surrounding higher education.”

As general counsel, Raymer will oversee the Office of the General Counsel and the and serve on Beilock’s , advising the president, Board of Trustees, faculty, and administration on legal and strategic matters. 

“���϶ij� is home, and I am thrilled to return to this wonderful and extraordinary place,” Raymer says. “I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as general counsel under President Beilock’s leadership, and I look forward to advancing ���϶ij�’s legal interests as it continues its mission of providing unparalleled education to the most promising students in a vibrant and inclusive environment.”

The search for the general counsel was led by , executive vice president for strategy and special counsel to the president, and supported by the firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

“Matt Raymer has hands-on experience on the way Washington works and a passion for ���϶ij� that he carries into the classroom,” says Jason Barabas ’93, director of the . “His experience and insights are of real benefit to students interested in public policy and government. These are excellent qualities for a ���϶ij� general counsel, especially given the issues likely to confront ���϶ij� in the future.”

Raymer began his legal career at BakerHostetler, where he spent seven years as an associate in the firm’s bipartisan Government Policy Group before joining the National Republican Senatorial Committee as general counsel in 2015. Between 2017 and 2024, he served in similar, senior legal roles with other national political organizations, including as vice president and general counsel at the Republican State Leadership Committee and as deputy chief counsel and senior legal advisor at the RNC.

He was named the RNC’s chief counsel in 2022, serving on its senior leadership team while overseeing all aspects of the RNC’s legal affairs, including matters involving political activity, internal rules and governance, fundraising, communications, media affairs, contracts, litigation, employment, and intellectual property.

In 2021 Raymer was elected by his fellow members as chair of the Calvert County, Md., Ethics Commission, to which he was appointed to a three-year term in 2019. In that volunteer role, he guided the commission as it issued advisory opinions and conducted enforcement actions involving county ethics laws.

Raymer says the semester he spent as a resident fellow at Harvard inspired him to pursue a career in higher education. The fellowship “was an incredible honor and one of the best times of my life,” he says. 

At Harvard, Raymer taught a seminar on legal issues in national politics, was a featured speaker at several campus events, and, significantly, made time to visit Hanover, where he reconnected with the Rockefeller Center and was invited to guest lecture in a section of a government class on the American political system. Raymer recently was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Government and will teach a class on election law that is cross-listed with Public Policy at ���϶ij� this spring.

“I am passionate about the promise of higher education and the opportunities it provides,” says Raymer, who calls the opportunity to return to ���϶ij� as its chief legal officer “a dream job.”

“In the coming months, I look forward to further introducing myself and listening and learning from as many members of the community as I can,” he says.

The role of general counsel was previously held by Sandhya Iyer, who left ���϶ij� last year to become senior vice president and general counsel at Brown University. Audrey Anderson, an attorney at Tennessee-based Bass, Berry & Sims and former vice chancellor and general counsel for Vanderbilt University, has served as interim general counsel since September. 

“I want to extend my profound thanks to Audrey for stepping in to make this a seamless transition,” Beilock says. “Her professional acumen over the past six months has been invaluable, and I am grateful for her service to the ���϶ij� community.”