Chris Edley, a Swarthmore College graduate, made a huge impact as dean at the UC Berkeley School of Law, and held White House positions under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, writes Mallika Seshadri for EdSource.

Edley died May 10, according to a message released Friday by the current UC Berkeley Law Dean, Erwin Chemerinsky.

Edley served two decades as a professor at Harvard Law School, co-founding the Harvard Civil Rights Project, before becoming UC Berkeley Law School dean in 2004, remaining until 2013.

As dean, Edley hired strong faculty, bolstered support for grants for students, created several centers and built the school’s south addition, which included a library, café, and classrooms.

Edley also had senior positions with the presidential campaigns of Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Barack Obama, and Hilary Clinton.

He was senior economic advisor during the Clinton presidential transition and was a board member for the Obama transition team in 2008.

He also served on several national committees and co-chaired the National Commission on Education Equity and Excellence from 2011-13.  

“He had an exemplary career in public service and academia. His life should be an inspiration for all of us,” stated Chemerinsky.

Read more about the life of Chris Edley in EdSource.